sbdcsierra Chapter 1787 Buying a Mobile Phone
Chapter 1787 Buying a Mobile Phone
Chapter 1787 Buying a Mobile Phone
After the couple finished washing up, they acted like complete idiots, forcing the two children to eat breakfast before letting them go back to their dormitory.
They went back to their dormitory for a while, and when it was 8 o'clock, they picked up their bags, rode their motorcycles out to the bank to withdraw money.
They were going to the post office to buy a mobile phone, which was one of the legitimate ways to do so.
At that time, telecommunications services were exclusively or primarily operated by the post and telecommunications bureau, and handling mobile phone-related services was one of the core telecommunications services.
They arrived quite early, but the service hall was already bustling with people, leaving the couple looking at each other in bewilderment.
"So many people this early in the morning?"
Lin Xiuqing explained, "They may be queuing up to install landline phones. There are a lot of private people installing landline phones now. Many families with slightly better conditions are applying to install telephones. Some ordinary people will also install a phone and then earn phone bills from their neighbors."
"In the first half of the year, when we were getting a telephone installed at home in Pudong, there were so many people at the business hall. I went early in the morning and waited for one or two hours. If I went late, I couldn't get it done at all."
"It's probably the same here; these people are definitely all here to line up for landline phone installation."
Ye Yaodong glanced at the surrounding windows. "Landline installation and mobile phone services are handled in the same hall. Look at this long queue, they must be queuing to install landlines."
"Go in and have a look."
The business hall was bustling with noise, with long queues at the windows and crowds in front of the glass counters.
The two walked around inside before they saw three black machines standing alone behind the glass counter, which was packed with people.
Many people were looking through the glass, but no one dared to ask the salesperson to take the machine out for them to see.
Ye Yaodong pulled Lin Xiuqing and squeezed in. The two looked with delight at the machine placed under the glass counter.
"This is it."
It was a black rectangular block, larger than a man's palm, with a silver antenna protruding from the top. The fuselage appeared to be made of thick engineering plastic.
"Comrades, we want to see the Big Brother." Ye Yaodong's voice wasn't loud, but the surroundings suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.
The sales clerk was a young man wearing glasses. He looked at the two of them, as if assessing whether they could afford the purchase.
Fortunately, although the two looked young, they were dressed very appropriately and stylishly, not like they couldn't afford it.
"You can't just look at the samples. Are you planning to buy them? If you're not buying, you can't look at them or touch them. If they're damaged, you'll have to pay for them."
"Don't worry, we are serious about buying, so we need to take a look at the models. Could you please give us a brief introduction?"
The salesperson looked at them, and through the glass, gave them a quote: "This Motorola 8800X, the latest model, is 25,000 yuan. This Ericsson is also 25,000 yuan. This Nokia is cheaper at 15,000 yuan. Are you sure you want it? If you are, I'll show you the one you want."
Lin Xiuqing looked at him in surprise and spoke in their dialect, "So expensive?"
"It's about the same price, and there's an extra charge for joining the network."
"We brought 35,000, that should be enough, right?"
"It's definitely enough."
Which one do you want?
Ye Yaodong looked at each one through the glass, then pointed to Motorola and said, "Let's take a look at Motorola first."
Motorola currently dominates the market, while other brands have a smaller market share.
The Motorola 8500 was one of the earliest models to enter the Chinese market and was commonly known as the "Big Brother".
Most of the bosses he knew used Motorolas, which were widely recognized as prestigious.
It's a true luxury item; the price of a mobile phone could buy a house in a small or medium-sized city.
After assessing the couple, the sales clerk carefully took the sample out of the counter: "This is the latest Motorola model, weighing 1.2 pounds, including the battery."
He demonstrated skillfully, "This is the earpiece, this is the microphone, this is the numeric keypad, and this is the power switch and antenna extension button."
"Can I hold it? Let me try it out?"
"Sure, but you'll have to pay for any damage."
"Ah."
Ye Yaodong understood the salesperson's caution, after all, it was indeed expensive. At the current average person's salary, it would probably take 10 years of work without eating or drinking to afford it.
He took the mobile phone carefully handed to him by the salesperson. The cold body felt heavy in his hand, really like a brick.
Can I make a phone call now?
He pulled out the antenna just like in the movies, and when the nearly 30-centimeter antenna was fully extended, a few soft gasps of surprise rippled through the crowd.
"You need to register for the network first, and then you can use the device after purchasing it, but it can only be used in the Zhoushan area. If you go outside the city, you need to apply for roaming, and you can only go to cities where roaming has been activated."
The salesperson pulled out a brochure and said, "Currently, only about twenty cities nationwide can roam, and within this province, only the provincial capital and cities with Zhejiang license plates (浙B) are covered."
Lin Xiuqing seized on the key point: "What about calls made from Shanghai?"
"The same price applies to receiving calls, as long as you are within the city limits."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "So, the other party can call this number to find me even if they're in another province?"
"Yes."
She looked at Ye Yaodong with delight, "So I can call and get through from other provinces too. That makes it much easier for me to find you. I thought you could only be called and answered locally."
"After I buy it, it will be easier for you to check up on me in the future."
"Oh dear, we should have bought it a long time ago."
Ye Yaodong looked at the sales clerk and asked, "Can I take this machine to Shanghai and use it there too?"
Lin Xiuqing interjected, "Shanghai has a long-distance telecommunications bureau."
"Yes, Shanghai is a city where roaming is available. You just need to activate roaming."
"I thought it could only be used locally for making and receiving calls."
"That's how it used to be, but now it's been upgraded and a roaming function has been enabled, so it can be used in different locations."
Lin Xiuqing was delighted. "That's much more convenient. It's definitely worth buying. Whenever you go out, we can find you anytime if anything happens."
Ye Yaodong looked at the salesperson, "This phone costs 25,000 yuan. Are there any other charges? And how much does it cost to make and receive calls?"
Everyone around them perked up their ears, and those who could keep quiet did so. Even if they couldn't afford it, it was good for them to hear.
"This phone costs 25,000 yuan, with a network access fee of 6,000 yuan, a prepaid phone credit of 1,000 yuan, and calls cost 60 cents per minute, charged in both directions. Roaming charges are 1.2 yuan per minute."
"Hi~"
The surrounding crowd gasped, followed by various exclamations and curses.
Lin Xiuqing's breath hitched. "The internet access fee is 6000?"
"correct."
"Wouldn't this machine cost at least 32000?"
"Yes."
"A mobile phone costs 2 yuan, plus a 5 yuan network access fee. That amount of money could buy three ice makers." Ye Yaodong was also amazed by the outrageously high price.
"Do you still want it? A 10-minute phone call costs 6 yuan, and roaming charges 12 yuan."
"I still need it, it's convenient. That way you can find me anywhere, and I can even take it to Shanghai. Hey? Can you check if it can be used in Guangdong Province?"
The sales clerk flipped through the brochure, "Yangcheng is fine."
Ye Yaodong looked at Lin Xiuqing, "It can also be used in Guangzhou, which is convenient. We can bring it with us for the Canton Fair in the second half of the year, and we can keep in touch with our family at any time."
"Buy it, buy it. It'll hurt for a little while, but you won't feel the pain after you make the call."
"Haha, what you said makes sense. The heartache now is only temporary; you'll feel happy once you get it."
Lin Xiuqing looked down and suddenly glanced at the Nokia she had just mentioned. "Oh, I almost forgot, isn't this only 15,000? How about we buy this one?"
"No, then I'll buy the better one. The better one should have a better signal." He turned to ask the salesperson.
The salesperson agreed, "Yes, this is the new model. The signal is better and stronger. All the big-spending bosses buy this one."
Since that's been said, Ye Yaodong naturally chose the more expensive option.
"Okay, then I'll take this one you have. Is it new? Do you have any new ones for me?"
"Yes, yes, please wait a moment."
The salesperson was overjoyed. This machine was too expensive; it might take several days to sell one. Only wealthy bosses could afford it.
He called a colleague over to watch the glass counter for him, and then led the couple to the VIP window for processing.
"Go to the window to register for the network first, and I'll go get you a new machine."
Ye Yaodong waved a bag of banknotes in front of Lin Xiuqing.
The number taken out was just right.
"Such a large sum of money is exchanged for a single brick."
"Even bricks can make phone calls. I'll make you the first call after I buy them."
Lin Xiuqing linked her arm with his and said with a smile, "If I were to hit someone, I would definitely hit you first, but you're right next to me, so who can I hit?"
Ye Yaodong was pleased by her words and said, "That's true."
"So, who are you planning to call first?"
"Hmm..." he thought, "I should call my son first. He's home alone. You didn't call him yesterday either, so I don't know how he's doing."
"Okay, then call your son first, and then call home. Your mother will probably be stunned when she hears this."
"Don't let her know the price, or she'll jump up and down."
The couple waited at the window, chatting and laughing, when the young salesman came over carrying a dark blue leather suitcase.
"Boss, your Motorola has arrived. This leather case is a gift for you. Let me open it and let you check the goods."
The box itself looked quite high-end. Inside, there was a black machine exactly the same as the one in the display case, along with a charger and a thick user manual.
The young man explained everything to him, taught him how to use it, and then had the teller process his registration.
Ye Yaodong handed them a large bag of banknotes to count, and took out three small bundles of 3 yuan each and put them in Lin Xiuqing's bag.
Lin Xiuqing held the black machine with obvious delight, saying, "It's really heavy."
"From now on, I'll have to carry a special bag to put this when I go out."
"I need to buy a protective case to cover it up, otherwise I'll be heartbroken if it gets bumped or scratched."