Verizon and T-Mobile Have Nixed Their Flawed iPad and Apple Watch Rebate Programs

Apple may want to think twice the next time it partners with one of the big U.S. carriers to help promote deals on new Apple Watch or iPad models, as the road for customers to take advantage of these rebates has been anything but smooth.

After months of complaints, controversy, and confusion from customers looking to take advantage of rebates supposedly being offered by Verizon and T-Mobile, it appears that both carriers have quietly abandoned their Apple Watch and iPad rebate promotions entirely.

Naturally, neither carrier has announced anything publicly about these programs being discontinued, however, the folks at MacRumors discovered that all references to the iPad rebate program have been scrubbed from Apple’s website, and 9to5Mac found that this was also the case for the Apple Watch Series 7.

The Rebate Offers

When Apple opened pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 7 in October, it gleefully announced that both Verizon and T-Mobile would be offering a $100 rebate upon activating their new wearable on an eligible plan.

In theory, this rebate was enough to cover the price difference between picking up a GPS-only Apple Watch and going for the cellular model, but the problem was that many users found themselves in a labyrinth of confusing customer support issues.

First up was the fact that this only applies to new activations, and not upgrades from an older Apple Watch model. This was something Apple made pretty clear in the terms and conditions, although it was easy for anybody to miss the word “new” if they weren’t paying close attention.

The Apple Watch also had to be purchased from Apple directly and then activated on an appropriate plan.

While none of that sounds particularly unreasonable, the difficulty was that even users who ostensibly met all the conditions found their rebate claims being mysteriously denied. Others were simply told by Verizon and T-Mobile customer service representatives that no such promotion ever existed in the first place.

It became a big enough issue that Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman got involved, using his relatively high profile to shine a light on what was going on, and in turn collect feedback from more disenfranchised customers.

Gurman didn’t mince words, either. He quite bluntly stated that these deals were “designed to not pay out,” and he laid the blame for this squarely at Apple’s feet, since not only did it advertise these deals to help promote Apple Watch sales, but it was also clearly failing to hold its carrier partners accountable.

Several customers also chimed in on Gurman’s Twitter thread to note that they had similarly poor experiences claiming rebates on the iPhone 13, cellular iPad mini 6, and other iPad models.

Meanwhile, a Verizon spokesperson insisted to Gurman that the promotion was “working as it should for eligible Verizon customers,” although the numerous complaints collected by Gurman suggest that Verizon has a secret definition of “eligible” that differs from what it advertises on its website.

Nobody from Verizon, T-Mobile, or Apple has responded to a request for comment on the disappearance of these promotions, so although it’s possible they’ve simply run their course, it seems more likely that they’re trying to pretend they never existed in the first place.

It’s less clear whether Verizon and T-Mobile simply gave up on them, or if Apple decided that it’s suffered enough damage to its reputation. It’s worth noting, however, that Apple is still promoting special carrier deals for the iPhone 13, even though numerous customers are having just as many problems getting these as well. Unlike the iPad and Apple Watch promotions, however, the iPhone 13 promotions aren’t straight-up rebates; they’re generally tied to the trade-in of an older device when upgrading to a newer one or switching carriers.