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Blue Ridge Wireless was established in 1998 after the owner's employer (a larger cell phone retailer) went out of business. The goal was to create a cell phone retailer center that was unlike any other.
Most retailers at the time offered service from one or two carriers at a time when there were six in the Tucson area. We were the first local wireless store to break the mold and offer the services for five carriers side by side. This enabled us to avoid competing by 'bashing' any one carrier's plans or coverage. We were able to concentrate on listening to the customer and selling what they needed, not what we sold.
As time progressed and others followed suit, we ultimately paired down to the 2 best carriers in our area. This allowed us to become more knowledgeable about not just the handsets, but the nuances of each network. We remained loyal to the idea of selling the customer only what the needed. To this end, we would still recommend a service we did not offer, even if that meant lost sales. This commitment to customer service earned us a reputation unmatched by any other cellular phone retailer.
In early 2000, an elderly woman came in looking for a used phone since hers had just broken. Not having one to sell, we offered the usual recommendations. Then it dawned on us. We had a box of old, scraped phones that matched the model she had. We offered to see if we could help her out. She left with a fixed phone (the rear housing merely needed to be replaced) at no charge. From there, word spread quickly. Suddenly we were inundated with request for antenna replacements and other assorted repairs.
We sourced parts, both new and used, and began offering small repairs to complement our phone and accessory sales. An opportunity arose to become a service center for Nokia and then Motorola. Seeing an opportunity to broaden our offerings and expand our repair business, we began to adjust our focus.
Over the years, commissions paid to retailers have shrunk, cell phone penetration in the market has grown exponentially, more dealers came into the market driving prices and profit margins down, and the carriers themselves began opening more stores of their own. This put tremendous pressure on the smaller retailers. With many unable to survive, Blue Ridge Wireless leveraged it's relationship within the market (customers and competitors) and began shifting solely into a full service cell phone repair and support center.
Blue Ridge Wireless has slowly grown over the years by adding new parts sources, learning through training (and trial and error) new techniques, perfecting these techniques, adding shop equipment as necessary (up to meeting lead free compliance) and building new relationships with additional manufacturers and other cell phone repair centers.
Today, we offer an array of repair services from the simple cosmetic repair to the complex board level component replacement, software updates and modifications, data back up and transfers, and OEM accessory sales. We offer repair services for most major manufacturer's handsets and PDAs.
As we look forward, we are thankful for that wonderful woman that made all of this possible. If not for a simple repair, Blue Ridge Wireless may have gone the way of many other small retailers who were unable to compete in the ever changing wireless environment.
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