Fonexchange - Mobile phone services including unlocking, repairs and software upgrade in Belfast, Northern Ireland Unlock, repair and update your mobile phone in Belfast, Northern Ireland
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Unlock, repair and update your mobile phone in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Mobile phone accessories in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

Language packs and software upgrades

If you are interested in adding a language pack, de-branding or upgrading your software please contact us for a quote.

Unlocking your phone

Why do mobile phone companies lock phones?
Mobile phone companies subsidize the cost of new phones to entice you to buy from them. They need to make up this shortfall and also retain your custom so they lock the phone to their network. They don’t want to sell you the phone at reduced cost and then let you go to another network provider.

Unlocking your mobile enables the phone to be used with any compatible Sim card
on any network, from any country. So if you have a handset that you want to put a new Sim card into, you may need to unlock the phone.

First check whether your phone is already unlocked by inserting a Sim card from another network. If a message such as Sim card restricted or enter unlock code appears then you need to unlock it.
Most phones can be unlocked, although some models can not and the cost can vary from £10 up to £40.

So check
a) If your phone can be unlocked
b) What it will cost
c) How long the process will take

Simply email us with the make and the model of your phone and we will reply with the answer to all 3 questions. If you are not sure what type of phone you have, this information is normally printed on the phone underneath the battery or why not bring the phone along to our store and we can check for you.

It's important at this point to make the distinction between unlocking and unblocking. Unlocking, which lets you use your phone, with any Sim card from any network is completely legal.

However unblocking is enabling a phone to work when it's been rendered unusable after being reported lost or stolen and registered on the network providers black list. This is completely illegal and should never be attempted.

 

Phone repairs

We can repair most faults on most phones. However until our engineers have diagnosed the fault on your phone we can not quote a price. They need to examine the phone to determine if a repair can be made and what the cost will be.

How it works
You have a faulty phone that needs to be repaired.

1) Bring the phone to our store.
2) Leave the phone with us and collect your receipt.
3) The phone is the taken to our workshop where a qualified engineer will asses the fault and decide on the best course of action.
4) You will be contacted within 24 hours and informed about the cost of repair.
5) If you want the phone repaired you will be given a date for collection from the shop. If the phone is BER (beyond economic repair) or you decide not to have the phone repaired the phone will be returned to the shop for collection and no charge will be made. (please note you must produce you receipt to collect your phone)

When you leave your phone for repair you must ensure that all sim cards are removed as any sim cards left in the phone will automatically be destroyed for data protection.