UPDATED 19:11 EDT / JANUARY 03 2022

APPS

T-Mobile and Verizon quietly drop controversial Apple iPad rebate programs

T-Mobile US Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. have reportedly discontinued iPad rebate programs that were offered in partnership with Apple Inc. following a wave of controversy.

The change was first spotted by MacRumors, which revealed today that Apple’s website no longer lists a promotion that previously allowed buyers to save up to $200 when activating a new iPad through one of the two carriers.

The rebate programs, and similar ones for the Apple Watch, were the subject of a December story by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. He recounted a lengthy process he was required to follow to claim the $100 rebate when purchasing an Apple Watch 7. His initial claim was refused by T-Mobile, and it was only after making “multiple hour-long”calls and eventually escalating the matter that it was finally resolved.

Gurman reported numerous social media accounts of users having similar problems, with both T-Mobile and Verizon. Dozens of people took to Twitter to vent their frustration at the programs, for example. In short, it seems that both T-Mobile and Verizon were denying rebate requests, in many cases without any explanation.

Yet the terms of the promotions were presented in a way that made the rebates much simpler to receive than was actually the case. One Twitter user even claimed he was told by Verizon that the rebate program didn’t exist:

Rather than address the issues with user’s claims, it seems the carriers have both decided to scrap the promotions entirely. All mentions of the credit have been removed from Apple’s website. Neither T-Mobile nor Verizon mention the programs either.

T-Mobile later told MacRumors that its iPad rebate program with Apple was a limited-time offer than ended Dec. 31. “We’re always looking for opportunities to give our customers the best deals on devices,” the company insisted.

Photo: Apple

A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Support our open free content by sharing and engaging with our content and community.

Join theCUBE Alumni Trust Network

Where Technology Leaders Connect, Share Intelligence & Create Opportunities

11.4k+  
CUBE Alumni Network
C-level and Technical
Domain Experts
15M+ 
theCUBE
Viewers
Connect with 11,413+ industry leaders from our network of tech and business leaders forming a unique trusted network effect.

SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation serving innovative audiences and brands, bringing together cutting-edge technology, influential content, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — such as those established in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology, and AI. .

Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a powerful ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands, with a reach of 15+ million elite tech professionals. The company’s new, proprietary theCUBE AI Video cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.