MOBILE PHONE repair chain Fonemenders will open three new outlets this year and increase revenues to almost €5 million as the recession encourages people to repair rather than replace.
Chief executive Conor Headon described the business as “countercyclical” because it is likely to perform better in a recession. He said the five-shop chain is trying to “change the way the industry operates”.
According to Mr Headon, when a customer returns a phone under warranty to the point of purchase, even the simplest repair will take five days. The delay is largely due to the number of people in the chain between the retailer and the centralised repair centre.
Fonemenders has found that 80 per cent of all repairs can actually be completed within 20 minutes. The firm is an authorised agent for Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG so, in about 80 per cent of cases, the customer does not have to pay Fonemenders but the phone is still repaired the same day.
“That’s a key difference because if you put your phone in the hands of an unauthorised repair shop your warranty will be void,” Mr Headon said.
Fonemenders’ five outlets – in Dublin, Cork and Limerick – also provide a one-hour turnaround if the customer wants to pay a fee.
As Fonemenders does not sell phones, staff have no incentive to try and get customers to replace rather than repair a handset, Mr Headon said.
The firm turned over €3.1 million last year and is profitable, Mr Headon said. This year the plan is to open three additional retail outlets – in Northern Ireland, the midlands and the west.
“When your phone is broken, you will be a man on a mission until you get it fixed,” Mr Headon said. “Our goal is to be an hour to 45 minutes from anyone.”
Fonemenders is a sister company to Commercial Wireless, the business-focused mobile distributor that Mr Headon founded with his colleague Ronan Murphy. The pair sold their previous business Cellular World to Esat Digifone (now O2) in 1998.
Fonemenders also carries out repairs for network operators, including 3 Ireland.
