No verification needed for EDU discount?

[ryanwarsaw]

I just bought the base MacBook Air on the Apple store. I was looking for the buy button and could actually only find a link for EDU. it said the price was $899 so I clicked it and then it offered me a deal on AirPods for free I think or AirPod Pros for $80. At this point I am becoming slightly irritated because I figure the next step is going to kick me out and make me pay the regular price as I am not in school.

To my surprise the order went through with nothing asked about being enrolled or student ID. So I ended up with a sweet deal on a M1 MBA and APP for $980. Do they always just use the honor system for EDU discounts?

 

[S_Antas]

Hi,yes they do.
At least here, in Portugal, you are eligible for EDU discounts as long you are a student, teacher, etc but also, and here is the sweet deal, if you have kids in school age

 

[millerj123]

Yes, but there are restrictions on how often you can do it, and it’s tied to your account.

 

[Ifti]

They ask for evidence here in the UK now - usually an email with my ID card or a payslip.
I used to order without any evidence a couple of years back, but past few years they ask for ID.

It's not unknown for them to request ID before dispatch though (while processing the order). Once/if your order reaches the shipping stage you should be fine.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

They ask for evidence here in the UK now - usually an email with my ID card or a payslip.
I used to order without any evidence a couple of years back, but past few years they ask for ID.

It's not unknown for them to request ID before dispatch though (while processing the order). Once/if your order reaches the shipping stage you should be fine.

It has already arrived. The weird thing about it is I wasn’t able to find the uneducated buy button. Then again I am not in school and reading and writing isn’t my forte.

 

[nicho]

Once you have been to the education store (deliberately, or via a link), Apple remembers this and redirects you there when you go to the 'normal' store on future visits unless you go back to the non-education store.

The only indication that you've been redirected is a banner at the top.

OP should have clicked 'exit' to get back to normal pricing... but in their defence, Apple could do many things to make it more clear (like clarify 'Exit' as 'Return to the regular store' or implement verification like they have in the UK and other countries)

 

[Expos of 1969]

Based on your signature "...from here on out everything I post is from the point of a shareholder"...
I imagine you have already sent Tim a cheque to cover the discount for which you are not eligible.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

I was just on the phone with Apple and they said don’t worry about it and thanks for raising the issue.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

Once you have been to the education store (deliberately, or via a link), Apple remembers this and redirects you there when you go to the 'normal' store on future visits unless you go back to the non-education store.

The only indication that you've been redirected is a banner at the top.

View attachment 1799002

OP should have clicked 'exit' to get back to normal pricing... but in their defence, Apple could do many things to make it more clear (like clarify 'Exit' as 'Return to the regular store' or implement verification like they have in the UK and other countries)

I didn’t do anything I don’t normally do so found it surprising that it didn’t kick me out.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

Based on your signature "...from here on out everything I post is from the point of a shareholder"...
I imagine you have already sent Tim a cheque to cover the discount for which you are not eligible.

I am a shareholder and that’s why I found this disturbing. I contacted Apple and they basically said I have been a good customer over the years and to keep it. I hope this clears things up and that in the future and they patch this up so only verified students who are eligible ever receive this discount. So I got the discount, did the right thing and hopefully have ruined it for anybody attempting to try it. Productive day and the world is at peace once again.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

...

Well Apple knows the deal so that’s the most important thing. They could have gotten their AirPods back (unopened in the box because I already have a pair) and adjusted the price. I simply want this loophole tightened up. I have bought enough Apple products in the past that I don’t get the entry level customer service rep. They thanked me for my feedback. Apple is a great company because they listen.

The shop now button for the EDU store is near the buy now button and that seems to be the mistake. It’s not really my mistake as they are responsible for obtaining verification. I am not sure if there are terms to the EDU store and if I clicked something saying I am a student. That is very vague.

The site is very busy these days with how things slide up and down and in general. If they make enough money off of closing this to buy back a few shares I am happy. I am guessing they don’t really care. The only people that I can think of that would do this intentionally are broke.

FWIW I didn’t know there was a dedicated EDU section. I didn’t cancel the order because it was already a long wait To get an MBA online.

 

[synicalx1]

Here in Australia, they require you to have an email address with a .edu.au domain which is restricted to educational institutes. You can also verify you're a student other ways if you're shopping in-person, for example by showing them an acceptance letter from a university if you haven't finished orientation yet etc.

However when you're shopping in person then the final decision of whether or not to give you the education promo (whether that's a discount, or a freebie) seems to be entirely up the the discretion of the Apple employee you're speaking to. On several occasions over the years I've gotten education discounts when I was "shopping for my partner who's starting uni soon", despite not having a single shred of proof.

 

[KaliYoni]

I am a shareholder and that’s why I found this disturbing

Unless you are Warren Buffett or work as a fund manager at Blackrock, Vanguard, or Fidelity, there is no reason for you to worry about Apple giving out the discount to anybody who knows where to find it.

Apple is a company with $325 billion in revenue and a 23.5% profit margin. Compare that to, say, Dell. Dell does $97 billion in revenue and has a 4.1% profit margin. You, particularly as a non-institutional shareholder, will not receive any noticeable benefit from Apple reclaiming a couple of hundred bucks from a few thousand sales. Very large amounts of money are needed to make a difference in Apple's financial performance. Further, Apple's share price as a widely held, richly valued growth stock, especially when it is at high levels, is driven by big macro factors that won't be affected by strictly enforcing the educational discount rules.

If anything, Apple getting as many computers, phones, tablets, and audio devices as possible into the hands of users, even at an "undeserved" discount, is a benefit to shareholders because each piece of hardware is a gateway to Apple's high margin service businesses (e.g. iCloud, Apple Music, AppleCare, etc.).

 

[rpmurray]

I was just on the phone with Apple and they said don’t worry about it and thanks for raising the issue.

Yeah. Ruin it for the rest of us. This is why we can't have nice things. Now when they ask for my ID I'll know who to blame.

 

[PatrickCocoa]

Unless you are Warren Buffett or work as a fund manager at Blackrock, Vanguard, or Fidelity, there is no reason for you to worry about Apple giving out the discount to anybody who knows where to find it.

Kant's categorical imperative sez hi!

 

[KaliYoni]

Kant's categorical imperative sez hi!

I'd wave back but I'm busy cleaning Sartrian Vomit off my shoes...

 

[NewUsername]

My experience in The Netherlands is: they check it in physical shops, they don’t check it online.