More and more shopping centres are getting Chargebox Facilities. Examples are Manchester Arndale (food court, exchange court and winter garden) , Leeds Trinity, London Westfields East and west. It's a column in middle of mall/food court etc with 5 secure lockers. You just pop your phone in, connect to right connector, close the door, lock, take away key and return. If you're more than half an hour it stays locked all day so you don't need to remember what time you put it in.
Top comments
Shatwell
18 Jan 164#5
Can people really live without their phones for 30 mins?
What will they look at and do with their hands?
0dd8a11
18 Jan 163#14
Looking at the website I'm not so sure it is so secure. I presume if you have access to the inside - as any customer wanting to use one, it could be easy to replace the lock/key with your own that you have a duplicate of. You then could return the following day and help yourself to what ever has been left.
If you intend to use one make sure there is not just a removable nut on the back to allow someone to switch it for a £1 ebay lock with a spare key. eg: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18mm-Safety-Cam-Lock-for-Cupboard-Cabinet-Locker-Drawers-Mailbox-Door-2-Keys-/121866446670
Qrunch
18 Jan 163#7
It's a conspiracy, you plug your phone into the charger (USB) then it goes down the wire to China where they can erm...Read your messages and look at your photos.
Mark my words.
Just to confirm, I am being sarcastic.
MaZSuPeR
18 Jan 163#4
shop while you get hacked and cloned no thanks
All comments (43)
dtc333
18 Jan 162#1
There are are couple of these in the Metrocentre (Gateshead) - have used them a few times ... due to iPhones etc .. being power hungry!
deviouspaul
18 Jan 16#2
bluewater have these also - just downstairs from Starbucks
B1zarr0Prim3
18 Jan 16#3
The Bullring (Birmingham) have these too.
MaZSuPeR
18 Jan 163#4
shop while you get hacked and cloned no thanks
lukeo44 to MaZSuPeR
19 Jan 16#26
Just turn it off for half an hour :smirk:
Shatwell
18 Jan 164#5
Can people really live without their phones for 30 mins?
What will they look at and do with their hands?
amour3k to Shatwell
18 Jan 161#19
My bad! .. I thought that that's what the Bathroom was for ..... hahahahaha.
AW0079
18 Jan 161#6
Make sure your phone is fully charged before you leave your house!!
sad_far to AW0079
18 Jan 161#12
all iphone users suffer from this syndrome, 1 year and my battery last only few hours.
Qrunch
18 Jan 163#7
It's a conspiracy, you plug your phone into the charger (USB) then it goes down the wire to China where they can erm...Read your messages and look at your photos.
Mark my words.
Just to confirm, I am being sarcastic.
sureshot to Qrunch
18 Jan 16#10
:smile: Gonna say. Why go through all the hassle of that, when your data is already available online or wirelessly.
I've noticed them in Westfield Stratford too.
dar72 to Qrunch
21 Jan 16#41
Don't be silly, they don't want to spy on you. They just want to personalise your ads...honest.
Of course it's serious but why would anyone bother? The phone itself has enough power, why mess around with a charging station?
puddleuk
18 Jan 16#8
Whatever next. So rather than just buying a small portable powerbank and charging on the go you instead put your phone in one of these things? And only like 5 people can use it? What a waste of space.
jeff333
18 Jan 16#9
Think I have seen them in Meadow Hell, Sheffield :smiley:
sad_far to jeff333
18 Jan 16#11
yes I have used it. People were scared to put it in as it was a scam and we wont get our mobiles back.
Dryosh to jeff333
18 Jan 16#18
The o2 store upstairs in (the heavenly) Meadowhall will charge o2 customers phones for free for as long as you want.
0dd8a11
18 Jan 162#13
Seems a handy place to put a bomb that you can even power from the shopping centre! I remember the days that they took all the bins away in fear of bombs being left.
ChrisGUK to 0dd8a11
19 Jan 16#23
Power a bomb? With a 5 volt lead? Are you serious or being sarcastic?
ChrisGUK to 0dd8a11
19 Jan 16#25
This is sarcasm, right?
johnsmith1997 to 0dd8a11
20 Jan 16#34
Remember the days as well,back in the 80s with the IRA.
Now it's ISIS / IS / ISIL / Daesh.Bombs can be detonated with a mobile device.
0dd8a11
18 Jan 163#14
Looking at the website I'm not so sure it is so secure. I presume if you have access to the inside - as any customer wanting to use one, it could be easy to replace the lock/key with your own that you have a duplicate of. You then could return the following day and help yourself to what ever has been left.
If you intend to use one make sure there is not just a removable nut on the back to allow someone to switch it for a £1 ebay lock with a spare key. eg: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18mm-Safety-Cam-Lock-for-Cupboard-Cabinet-Locker-Drawers-Mailbox-Door-2-Keys-/121866446670
cicobuff to 0dd8a11
20 Jan 16#28
Do you know how many security cameras there are at Westfield and intu shopping centres that you will find these lockers? I am pretty sure fiddling around with the door of one of these for 5 minutes would alert suspicion.
johnsmith1997 to 0dd8a11
20 Jan 16#36
That's a fair point.
They have one of these charging boxes @John Lewis cafe in Brent X,so you can charge your phone and also keep an eye on it whilst you are having your coffee.:smiley:
cb-uk
18 Jan 16#15
You'd think they would have used a numerical pad and allowed people to enter their own choice of PIN to lock and retrieve it.
As others have said, using a normal key which can be easily copied is stupid and just asking for trouble.
credington
18 Jan 16#16
I doubt the keys are copyable. Are they really that stupid to put in those types of locks?
ceres
18 Jan 161#17
John Lewis branches have Charge Boxes too.
preecey
19 Jan 16#20
I can certainly see the benefits of these for shopping centres.
Customer's phone dies
Customer charges phone in a ChargeBox
Customer has 30 minutes to kill while phone is charging
Customer browses stores in the vicinity while waiting for phone to charge
Customer makes purchase in stores during charging time
Customer returns and picks up phone
Result: customer has more juice and store has made a sale
marcjhowlett to preecey
19 Jan 162#24
Add to that customer no longer has phone on them to compare price of product to see if they could have got it cheaper online. Thus increasing chance of a sale.
dtc333
19 Jan 161#21
If I was the manager of a coffee / hot drinks store located in a shopping centre I would request one of these to be fitted close to my shop ... or I would fit phone charging cables at each table ... and watch as customers spend more time there.
johnsmith1997 to dtc333
20 Jan 16#37
There's one @John Lewis cafe Brent X.:smiley:
MaZSuPeR
19 Jan 16#22
yeah while they block a table and spent two quid just like you get now ....
Thetrout
19 Jan 161#27
Where I work, most of the public just unplug the sweety vending machine, then sit down and beg for an hour or two.
Hastie86
20 Jan 16#29
Is there any charge if you go over 30 mins or does it just stop charging?
boyaloud to Hastie86
20 Jan 16#30
JUst stops - you don't put any card info or anything in.
lasuil
20 Jan 16#31
They have one of these on top level of drake circus Plymouth
ahmed_1
20 Jan 16#32
I found one of these in Leicester Town Centre, very useful and thanks for sharing :smiley:
MaZSuPeR
20 Jan 16#33
You think they cant hack it while its turned off ? ..................doh
johnsmith1997
20 Jan 161#35
Not to mention the added 'security' recently @Westfield,in the wake of the recent Paris attacks.
sepulchre
20 Jan 16#38
Cheers
warweezil
20 Jan 161#39
Also at St Davids centre Cardiff. Theer is an app available to help you locate nearby chargebox facilities.
stuntman9883
21 Jan 16#40
these were good when they were first put in but they dont keep them up so idiots pull out the cables of phones that arent theres so the boxes arent taken or will break locks
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Opening post
Top comments
What will they look at and do with their hands?
If you intend to use one make sure there is not just a removable nut on the back to allow someone to switch it for a £1 ebay lock with a spare key. eg: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18mm-Safety-Cam-Lock-for-Cupboard-Cabinet-Locker-Drawers-Mailbox-Door-2-Keys-/121866446670
Mark my words.
Just to confirm, I am being sarcastic.
All comments (43)
What will they look at and do with their hands?
Mark my words.
Just to confirm, I am being sarcastic.
I've noticed them in Westfield Stratford too.
Of course it's serious but why would anyone bother? The phone itself has enough power, why mess around with a charging station?
Now it's ISIS / IS / ISIL / Daesh.Bombs can be detonated with a mobile device.
If you intend to use one make sure there is not just a removable nut on the back to allow someone to switch it for a £1 ebay lock with a spare key. eg: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18mm-Safety-Cam-Lock-for-Cupboard-Cabinet-Locker-Drawers-Mailbox-Door-2-Keys-/121866446670
They have one of these charging boxes @John Lewis cafe in Brent X,so you can charge your phone and also keep an eye on it whilst you are having your coffee.:smiley:
As others have said, using a normal key which can be easily copied is stupid and just asking for trouble.
Customer's phone dies
Customer charges phone in a ChargeBox
Customer has 30 minutes to kill while phone is charging
Customer browses stores in the vicinity while waiting for phone to charge
Customer makes purchase in stores during charging time
Customer returns and picks up phone
Result: customer has more juice and store has made a sale