If your Nokia handset breaks in the UK and it's not repairable by a local Nokia repair centre, they'll tell you to get in touch with a company called CRC Group who will fix it instead. Nokia's e-mail gives their address and phone number and stresses you should call them to check what information you need to send with your phone. So.. after putting it off for two weeks, I did.

If you call 01480 482897, you wait in a phone queue for a silly amount of time listening to pop music played through a vocals remover (I listened to half an album by The Corrs only able to hear Sharon and Caroline on backing vocals). Eventually you'll reach an operator who can't really help you at all, except to say that they're going to play you a pre-recorded message and that you must not hang up.

This pre-recorded message tells you to use Special Delivery and to note down your phone's IMEI number. It then reads their address (slowly) before asking if you want to repeat the reading of the address by pressing '2'. Even if you do nothing, it will repeat it anyway ad-nauseam.

So.. for anyone else who gets told to call that god-foresaken number.. here's a way to save 30 minutes of your life.. just write a cover note stating your phone's fault (if known), remove your phone's battery, SIM and memory cards, and send it via Special Delivery to the address Nokia already told you, or..

CRC Group PLC
Freepost RLUU-EESY-AJAL
Unit 73 Northgate
RAF Alconbury
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire
PE28 4WX

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