Oppo opens new service centre in Melbourne CBD

Chinese smartphone vendor Oppo positions itself as a vendor of just-about-premium smartphones at a decidedly midrange price, and has now added a high-class support experience by opening its second Australian service centre in the heart of Melbourne.

The service centre functions similarly to the Apple Store - walk-in customers can have their phones repaired in a jiffy, or get hands-on with Oppo's range of products.

The company said it will only charge customers for the cost of parts to repair if the device is under warranty. Oppo is also offering free screen replacements for a limited time to celebrate the launch.

Oppo’s website wouldn’t let us check how much repairs would cost without actually booking in (and we didn’t want to leave a fake booking for an unfortunate Oppo staffer). Oppo does offer a price list for replacement parts on its website though.

A replacement screen for an Oppo R17 Pro, it’s latest flagship, will set customers back $180. By comparison, a replacement screen for an iPhone X costs $448.95 without AppleCare+, or $45 with. Oppo also has its own premium service subscription, which costs $99 for the initial installment for screen cover, $49 for back cover, $99 for extended warranty or $150 for all three.

The new shop is located on Collins St, just a kilometre away from where Apple tried to open its own flagship store in Melbourne’s federation square.

Oppo said most repairs will be completed on the spot within an hour, but for longer jobs or send-ins, Oppo will ship the device back to the customer’s home address.

“We know that being without your smartphone can be frustrating, so the new centre is all about delivering speed and convenience to customers,” said Oppo managing director Michael Tran. “Our team of on-site engineers can make most repairs on the spot and within an hour.”

The new service centre opening comes ten days before the launch of Oppo’s latest smartphone in Australia, the "Reno"series, which is marketed around its triple camera including a 48MP main shooter. In conjunction with its growing network of service centres, the new range will see Oppo go a little upmarket.