Hi all,
I’m Torea from French Polynesia.
I discovered the fairphone website last June and quickly pre-order one for my wife as her cheap normal phone was dying. I was very surprised to find a good fairtrade smartphone for less than 300 euros!
Although we’re very pleased with the phone itself, the import process from France to French Polynesia was a very frustrating experience : a friend received the phone in France and brought it by plane to French Polynesia, I received the phone at her arrival and proceeded to the custom to pay local taxes but the #&*$@ laws and staff forced me to use a company to get the custom process done. I had to give the phone back, wait 4 days and spend about 200 euros to finally be able to pay the 80 euros taxes…
So for a little less than 300 euros, it’s possible to make a good smartphone with the contribution, in various part of the world, of a large number of people receiving fair wages. And here, for more than half of this sum, about 3 people spent probably less than 30mn filling 10 useless sheets of paper so that the phone could make 50 meters from custom to outside the airport!
I thought I would buy one for me when my phone dies but it’s depressing to see that half of the money paid goes to people who have nothing to do with the product and do the smallest amount of work.
At least, my wife appreciate the phone and the philosophy linked to it!
Good work!