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Seen in China : just lend a power bank when running out of battery |
The other night I went to the restaurant and my phone was running out of battery. This is a problem when you are used to pay the bill with wechat payment or order a taxi with Didi. As usual, I asked the waiter if they could charge my phone but this time he pointed a machine to me. This one :
Basically, it is a powerbank dispenser. So easy to use it is astonishing!
First step : you have to touch the screen choose between "借" and "还" which stands for "lend" or "return".
As a new user I chose the "借" which give you another two choices a WeChat or Alipay QR Code. I chose the first one.
Second step : enter the Wechat Official account. Select "租借充电宝" = rent a powerbank, scan again the QR code.
You will be prompted to make a a deposit of 100 Yuan. You can make it with WeChat pay obviously. Do it.
Third step : the magic happens
The machine recognizes you and delivers a powerbank.
Final step : When you're done. Just select "还" (give back). The box will open. Put it back and that's it! Optional : ask for the deposit back straight away. I got it instantly back into my wechat account.
As you know, they are many people in China and it is very common to queue for a long time between some good restaurant so people can easily borrow a powerbank to play on their phones while waiting. Futhermore I am not very clear with the company's business model, but I saw they sell USB cable but I don't think that it covers the cost of R&D and electricity + a possible commission to the restaurant. My take is that their goal is to gather as much deposit money as possible and get earnings from it.