T-Mobile and Verizon have discontinued the iPad rebate program which offered customers up to $200 back when they activated a cellular device. The move comes after growing complaints about the program’s reliability.
Many users who tried taking advantage of the promotion were met with frustrating responses and poor customer service from both carriers, which reportedly denied the rebate program ever existed on a number of occasions.
Rebate programs a problem for T-Mobile and Verizon
Apple advertises rebate deals for a bunch of cellular devices — including iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch — on its website. But the promotions are actually handled by carriers themselves, which have complete control over the offers.
It seems, however, that there may have been some crossed wires somewhere when it comes to the rebate deals offered by some carriers, which have been denying customers the prepaid Mastercards that Apple says they’re entitled to.
The problem first surfaced back in November when it was reported that T-Mobile and Verizon were refusing to honor the $100 rebate on Apple Watch Series 7 that was advertised on Apple’s website. But that’s not all.
It turns out both carriers were also denying rebates on iPhone and iPad, leading to a very frustrating experience for a whole bunch of customers who tried to redeem the credit that they were promised upon purchase.
iPad rebate program scrapped
Rather than address the apparent communication issues so that customers can more easily claim their rebates in the future, T-Mobile and Verizon have now decided to scrap the promotion entirely for iPad.
All mentions of the credit, which was up to $200, have been wiped from Apple’s website. There’s no mention of it on the T-Mobile or Verizon websites, either.
It’s not yet clear what these means for customers who purchased a cellular iPad before the promotion was scrapped. It’s certainly worth trying to claim any rebate you were promised, but it seems there’s no guarantee you’ll get it.
