JioPhone Offline Pre-Bookings Day 1: No Crowds, No Hustle-Bustle

Surprisingly, Jio offline stores didn’t receive many customers on the opening day of the JioPhone pre-booking.

Reliance Jio store during the JioPhone pre-booking.

(Photo: The Quint)

I was really thrilled and excited about the different kinds of people I would get a chance to interact with at the Jio offline retail stores, on the JioPhone pre-booking day.

I had already pictured long queues outside the Jio store, with everyone ready to book a phone for themselves.

But reality struck me the moment I reached the store. All I found was absolute shanti. Clearly, the JioPhone didn’t draw as much excitement as the Jio SIM had on the first day.

Also Read: JioPhone Pre-Booking Starts Today! Here’s All You Need to Know

Hardly 5-6 people in the Jio store at the time of pre bookings (Photo: The Quint)

Since there wasn’t any rush, I decided to get a JioPhone booked for myself.

Here is how I booked my Jio Phone:

1. Entered the Jio store.
2. Wrote down my current and working mobile number and email-ID on the register at the counter.
3. Paid the retail store executive Rs 500 cash (only cash was being accepted at that point of time).
4. The retailer said I will receive an e-mail and SMS confirming my booking and can collect my physical receipt in the next hour or so.

I was in and out of there quicker than it takes to make Maggi – less than 2 minutes!

The Jio store executives told me that I will receive the phone within the first two weeks of September and I will have to come and collect the phone from the same store that I had booked the phone from.

Also Read: Planning to Buy a JioPhone? Here Are The Steps You Need to Follow

Customers have to pay Rs 500 initially to pre-book the JioPhone. (Photo: The Quint)

Of the few people I had a chance to interact with at the store, many had booked a JioPhone. Most of the customers said they got to know about the pre-bookings through advertisements and news.

Customers walking into Jio retail stores to book the JioPhone. (Photo: The Quint)

All of them had to follow the same procedure as above to get the pre-booking done. No Aadhaar or identification required.

Clearly the offline stores weren’t able to draw as many people as was expected. Perhaps many feel that booking online is a much more convenient method since you aren’t getting a look at the device at offline stores.

Regardless, the coming days will give us a clearer picture of how many people really want a JioPhone and with the weekend coming, expect the number of people at the JioPhone booking counter to go up – both online and offline.

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