While 16-million mobile phones are sold in South Africa each year, old ones usually find their way into drawers or are tossed into dustbins. But now DionWired is offering customers an opportunity to “trade-in” their used cellular phones, tablets, iPods and notebooks in exchange for vouchers that can be spent in store.
The new service, known as Tech Trade-In, is available in all DionWired stores. It is backed by local telecommunications company Pure Distribution, a UK-based recycling company, and powered by Redeem, a solution developed to facilitate the service.
“Everybody has a phone and they are replacing them with a new one every one to two years,” says Andrew Jackson, director of DionWired.
“As people become increasingly aware of the environmental dangers posed by electronic goods that are discarded and manufacturers and service providers struggle against illegitimate phones that find their way into the market, it is becoming increasingly important for both consumers and retailers to devise ways to either re-use second hand devices or recycle and dispose of components in an ecologically responsible way. This is the service that DionWired is now offering.”
Up until now, trading-in used devices hasn’t been an option that was readily available to South African customers. The result is that e-waste – discarded cell phones, computers, tablets, printers, appliances and other “white” electronic goods – is becoming a massive problem in South Africa.
A trade-in can also assist with meeting the costs involved or open the way to more premium upgrades and better options. That’s why, according to Jackson, with the Tech Trade-In service, customers can gain value from obsolete devices while DionWired can use the new service to attract both new and loyal customers.
DionWired already offers Tech Smart services in all stores, Jackson says, offering customers the technical know-how to help solve IT and related problems.