Over 20,000 handsets returned for recycling
Public 27.12.2007 in category Press News / CSR and Sponsoring
- T-Mobile's recycling project has enjoyed great interest among the public
- Almost thirty times more handsets returned in five weeks than in the whole of 2006
- The event will last until 31January 2008 or while recycling vouchers remain available
Prague, 21 December 2007 - The Recyklistek project in which T-Mobile offers, in exchange for each returned mobile phone, a CZK 200 voucher which can be used for the purchase of goods in T-Mobile shops, has proven to be a huge success; customers have returned more than 20,000 unused handsets. This is an astonishing number, particularly compared to previous years: in 2005, customers returned 372 handsets to T-Mobile shops and 683 in 2006. Given the excellent result of the project so far, T-Mobile has decided to print additional vouchers so that those who received a new mobile phone as a Christmas gift can also return their obsolete handsets.
"We were surprised by the huge interest of customers in returning their obsolete mobile phones. It is now evident that we were overly pessimistic when assessing the willingness of Czech people to recycle electronic goods," says Martina Kemrova, spokesperson for T-Mobile, adding: "Even the supplemental recycling vouchers disappeared from our shops within a few weeks."
The T-Mobile recycling campaign, which started on 7 November 2007 and lasts until 31 January 2008, is based on offering customers vouchers for each obsolete mobile phone that is returned to T-Mobile shops. The value of the voucher, called Recyklistek (recycling voucher), is CZK 200 incl. VAT and it can be used when purchasing a new handset, Twist set or accessories at T-Mobile shops. Within three weeks following the start of the campaign, more than 12,000 recycling vouchers were exchanged for old telephones, and most of the remaining 10,000 vouchers were distributed in the following two weeks. By now, customers might no longer be able to get a voucher in any T-Mobile shop. That is why T-Mobile has decided to print some additional vouchers for the second time so that there are enough available in January. This will be appreciated particularly by those who received a handset as a Christmas gift.
"We would like to thank all customers who got involved in the project, and we apologize to those who did not receive a voucher due to the limited stock. As we do not want to disappoint any of our customers, we will soon issue more recycling vouchers in our shops so that people can receive vouchers in the first month of 2008," says Martina Kemrova.
The campaign supporting the recycling of obsolete handsets is a part of T-Mobile's corporate social responsibility program. Several recycling vouchers can be used at the same time (up to five vouchers per person) and they can be combined with currently offered sales and discounts. The vouchers can only be used when purchasing new devices and accessories; they cannot be used for the purpose of paying Statements of Services, topping up credit on Twist cards, etc. When returning an old mobile phone to a T-Mobile shop, customers will need to fill in a simple form and prove their identity with an ID card or other valid form of identification. If there is a suspicion that a handset might have been stolen, the returned item will be checked against the database of stolen mobile phones.
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About the Company
T-Mobile Czech Republic has been operating in the Czech market since 1996. As of 30 September 2011, almost 5.4 million customers were using T-Mobile services.
T-Mobile operates a public mobile communications network on the GSM and UMTS standards. Since 1 January 2008, T-Mobile has been offering fixed data and voice telecommunications services. In 2009, T-Mobile extended its portfolio to include ICT services and, since November 2010, the operator also offers the T-Mobile TV satellite television service.
T-Mobile has always focused on the quality of offered services. Independent tests have repeatedly confirmed that T-Mobile is the quality leader in 2G and 3G (UMTS FDD) data services, as well as in GSM voice services.
Since its establishment, the company has placed emphasis on excellent customer service and proper conduct towards business partners, employees and the environment. T-Mobile has received, among other awards, the VIA Bona 2009 award for the involvement of its employees in philanthropic and volunteer activities.
T-Mobile is a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom. Thanks to the group’s international presence, customers can count on the worldwide availability of their favourite services and enjoy uniform, favourable prices of calls when abroad.
For more information about the company, please visit t-press.cz or www.t-mobile.cz.
