Apple Bringing iPhone Trade-in Scheme To The UK – Report
UK Apple Stores are apparently being trained for the arrival of the iPhone trade-in initiative later this year
Apple is reportedly preparing to bring its iPhone trade-in scheme to the UK, allowing customers to trade in older models of the smartphone for in-store credit that can be used to purchase a newer one.
The Cupertino-based company has apparently started to prepare training materials for its UK staff with a view to launching the ‘reuse and recycle’ programme later this year.
Customers bring their device into an Apple store, where it is given a value depending on its condition in the form of a gift card. A number of other companies and operators offer similar recycling schemes, but the advantage of Apple’s is that customers can receive immediate in-store credit.
iPhone trade-in
The initiative was launched in the US in August and is part of Tim Cook’s plan to increase the number of iPhones Apple sells in it its retail stores, but it not currently available outside its home country.
One third of Apple stores are located outside the US, with the UK having the second largest number, making it a logical location to expand the scheme, which might eventually cover other European countries.
Apple is set to use the same firm that handles the scheme in the US, Brightstar, which will process the iPhones for recycling in the UK. Apple is also offering customers the chance to swap third-party chargers for official equipment until the end of this week, following a number of accidents attributed to faulty chargers.
The company launched its newest handsets, the flagship iPhone 5S and cheaper iPhone 5C, last month and claims to have sold more than nine million units already.
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