Awards and Accreditations
Our Awards: From a Wolverhampton Shop Front to the National Stage
We didn't set out to win awards. We set out to fix a broken industry — one refurbished phone at a time. The trophies came later, as proof that doing things properly actually works.
Here's our story so far, and why we've been shortlisted for, and won, the awards below.
Recognised for Service, Quality and Trust
We are proud to be recognised for the work we do every day. It reflects the care our team brings, the trust our customers place in us, and the standards we work hard to uphold across every order, every repair, and every conversation.
Taking on the industry’s biggest names: Mobile News Awards
In March 2026, we won Best Customer Service (Consumer) at the Mobile News Awards, the UK’s longest-running telecoms awards programme.
We were competing against EE, Lebara and Fonehouse. We were the independent Wolverhampton refurbisher in a category filled with major telecommunications names, and we won! The award recognised the customer service improvements our team made throughout 2025:
Average telephone response time fell from two minutes to 30 seconds.
95% of customer enquiries were handled on the same day.
100% of post-sale issues were resolved within 48 to 72 hours.
.png)
We were also shortlisted for:
Best Refurbishment Programme
Trade In to Resale Programme
The Big Phone Store has thought about every possible means of comms between them and their customers! The way in which they try to remove the barrier for entry is a credit to them. Their explainer videos are really useful, Trustpilot is again leading. I've tested their response times and they are VERY quick!
Recognised for the workplace behind the work
Some awards recognise what a company sells. This one recognised the people who make it possible.
In 2026, The Big Phone Store was included in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, becoming the only Wolverhampton company featured on its list of 195 leading small workplaces. The recognition highlighted the regular staff check-ins, learning and development, team activities and employment benefits that help people feel supported and able to progress.
That recognition mattered because the business has never been built by one person, and the awards may have our company name engraved on them- but the work belongs to everyone!
Winning twice in the city that built us
There was something particularly meaningful about the Express & Star Business Awards 2026.
The ceremony took place at The Halls Wolverhampton, in front of nearly 300 people from across the Black Country business community. It was recognition on home ground, in the city where the business began.
And we went home with two awards!
.png)
Growth & Innovation Award Winner
Sustainability Award Winner
.png)
From a Wolverhampton repair bench to the world stage
Not every achievement belongs to the company as a whole. In 2026, our lead technician travelled from Wolverhampton to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to compete at the Gadget Repair Expo. He entered its microsoldering competition—one of the most demanding disciplines in electronics repair- and won!
He became the first competitor from outside North America to take the title. That moment showed that refurbishment is not a lesser version of manufacturing, and repair is not unskilled work. It takes patience, judgement, training and extraordinary precision.
What comes next?
Great British Entrepreneur Awards
Lydia McGann, our Chief Operations Director, has been named a finalist for Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year. The nomination recognises the operational work required to turn sustainability from a company promise into something measurable.
Mobile Industry Awards 2026
We have also been shortlisted across six categories: Retailer of the Year, Best Repair Service, Best Recycling and Refurbisher, Sustainability Initiative of the Year, Future Stars and Best Place to Work
.png)
Why the awards matter
A trophy cannot repair a phone.
It cannot answer a customer’s call, diagnose a motherboard fault, prevent a device from becoming waste or make technology more affordable for a family.
People do those things.
That is why these awards matter to us. They recognise the people and the work that customers do not always see.
The trophies are not the finish line.
They are proof that we are heading in the right direction.