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Coolafone —mobile recycling

Each mobile phone is tested at our warehouse to ensure the information provided by you is accurate. All phones are tested and recycled in line with ISO 9001 and 14001 procedures. Coolafone fully adheres to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive).

General help

You may also wish to review the terms and conditions.

Grading policy

Below is an outline of how we grade old mobile phones once we receive them*. It is important to try and stick as close to this guide as possible when grading your own mobile phone during the trade-in process in order to avoid disappointment:

To grade a phone, start at “Working” below and tick off the list in its entirety. If any one item in a grade is true, then that is its grade.

Working
full working order with a battery
Non-Working
  • Badly damaged casing
  • No battery
  • Handset back/battery cover missing or broken
  • Does not power up
  • Handset operating system missing or corrupt
  • Broken/missing aerial
  • Faulty keypad
  • SIM Gate broken or missing
  • Memory card holder broken or missing
  • Pin locked
Beyond Economical Repair (BER)
  • Physically broken
  • In more than one piece
  • Broken/Cracked/Snapped hinges
  • Water damaged
  • LCD cracked/bleeding/does not work or missing
  • Unresponsive touch screen’s
  • SIM glued in
  • Memory card glued in
  • Broken battery terminals
  • Re-programmed IMEI number**
  • Logged by Immobilise/on the IMEI blacklist register**
  • Barred by a network**

* This list is not exhaustive and Coolafone reserve the right to amend this list at any time.

** Mobile phones received in these conditions will also be reported to the police.

Each mobile phone is tested at our warehouse to ensure the information provided by you is accurate. All phones are tested and recycled in line with ISO 9001 and 14001 procedures. Coolafone fully adheres to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive).

My mobile phone has been barred by a network – can I still sell it to Coolafone

No. Coolafone will not buy or sell any mobile phones that has been barred by a network or stolen. All phones received in this state will automatically be graded Beyond Economic Repair (BER), the value set to zero and recycled following the WEEE directive.

How many mobile phones can I trade in?

There is no limit to how many old mobile phones you can trade-in with us. If you want to send in more than 10 phones at any one time, please contact us at reception@coolafone.com to arrange a free courier collection service.

I am not sure what the model of this mobile phone is?

Coolafone holds one of the largest mobile phone databases in the industry and we’re constantly updating it to ensure that we cater for every phone possible. If you are unsure about the make and model of your old mobile phone simply type *#06# in to your handset to receive your mobile phone IMEI number which you can then input into the ‘search by IMEI’ feature on our homepage. If you phone does not appear, its likely that our database doesn’t hold the phone model. In this case you should email reception@coolafone.com to let us know and we will give you a value from your old phone within 24 hours.

I cannot find my mobile phone on your website—what shall I do?

If you have searched on our website and cannot find your old phone please email us at reception@coolafone.com and we will give you a price for your old phone within 24 hours.

What do I need to include when sending my mobile phone?

Include the mobile phone and any accessories you may want to send to us in your own jiffy bag. Please note that we will not pay any more for phone accessories but we can recycle/reuse them.

Ensure you remove your SIM card before sending your old mobile phone to us and save any personal data such as photographs or phone book contacts. Any SIM cards we receive will be destroyed.

Please ensure that you write you print off your order and insert it into the package to make processing and payment as quick as possible. If you cannot print off your order, simply write the order number on the bag that you send the phones in.

My old mobile phone is broken—will you pay me for it?

Coolafone will still pay you for phones which appear to be broken. Obviously, if they are not in working order or fall under the non working or Beyond Economical Repair grading categories, we can only pay a minimal value for the phone. The good news is however that you will get paid and be helping our environment.

What is the price promise?

The price promise is our promise to you that we will pay the working or non-working value that you see on screen and to the grade that you give your phone once we receive it.

Unlike other service providers who sometimes reserve the right to pay you up to 90% of the value of your old mobile phone, we will never do this and only pay you what you see on screen. In some cases we have even contacted our customers to tell them that their old phone is actually worth more than they were originally quoted!!!

I sent my old phone to Coolafone over 10 days ago and have still not received payment—why is this?

The most likely reason for any delay in payment is either a result of postal strike, system downtime or an unexpected surge in order placements. In any of these circumstances you will be notified of any payment/processing delays. We recommend that you wait up to 10 working days for your payment and if you have not heard anything from us or received payment, please email us at reception@coolafone.com and we will respond within 24 hours to update you on your order status.

What if my phone goes missing during transit?

This is a rare occurrence, which is unfortunately out of our control. With the number of handsets that come into Coolafone every day there is always a chance that a package may not reach us. If this situation does occur however, our team will phone you up to explain and liaise with Royal Mail so that we can track the package. If we cannot find any explanation for the handset missing we will try to honour you the amount that you are owed as a gesture of goodwill.

The Post Office are not accepting your freepost address?

Our freepost address is a dedicated address, which the Post Office should accept. If in the circumstance they do not accept it, please tell them our dedicated freepost number, which is FPN1420 or alternatively send your old phone to:

FREEPOST SHP solutions Lancaster

If your handsets are particularly valuable, you may wish send them by recorded delivery to:

ShP Limited
10 Woodgate
White Lund Industrial Estate
Morecambe
Lancashire
LA3 3PQ

Note that the phones sent by freepost are posted second class, and typically take 5–7 days to arrive at our warehouse.

I am having problems with your website, what shall I do?

If you are having any problems with our website or are unsure of how to recycle your old mobile phone. Please let us know and we will try to resolve it or we will process the order for you.

I have more than 10 handsets. I would like to book a courier – how do I do it?

Coolafone provide a free courier collection on over 10 handsets. If you are recycling 10 or more mobile phones please follow the steps below and email us with the information.

  1. Highlight the full address that you want them collecting from
  2. Provide a telephone number
  3. Outline a date and time of day when you would like them picking up
  4. Let us know which payment you would like including required details
  5. Outline any special instructions

Once you have e-mailed us back, we will send you a booking confirmation. Please print this order confirmation out and attach it to the box containing your old mobile phones.

What is an IMEI number and where can I find it?

The International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number is a 15 digit serial number unique to each and every mobile phone and is usually found on the back of the handset. If you cannot find the IMEI, simply enter *#06# and the phone will supply its IMEI number.

How long is my order valid for?

We allow up to 30 days for you to send in your old mobile phone. If we do not receive it within this timeframe we will void your order and send you an email to tell you.

What happens to my phone once Coolafone recieve it?

AWhat happens to my phone once Coolafone receive it?

About 97% of the old mobile phones that we receive can be reused and reintroduced back into the global market to satisfy demand and help those in areas of the world where landlines are not available and mobile device is the best way to communicate and conduct business. If your phone cannot be reused, we will recycle the device in accordance to the WEEE Directive and break it down for parts which can be reused for other things such as the plastic casing that can be used in mouldings such as road cones! ne has changed on your website since I last looked?

Believe it or not, the mobile phone industry is a bit like the stock market! The prices of phones alter regularly and in some cases this may mean that you notice a change in price if you are undecided about selling your old phone.