Why I bought my new iPad from the Apple Store instead of Verizon

Last week I found myself facing a conundrum. My third-generation Verizon LTE iPad had met an untimely death in the jaws of one of my aunt's dogs. I wanted another iPad with Verizon LTE built-in (as they have the best coverage where I live). But I wasn't sure whether to buy it at the Verizon store that's about a mile from my house or the Apple store that's about 30 miles from my house.

While this wasn't a life-altering decision, I knew from my experience buying the now-dead iPad that buying an iPad directly from a carrier can be very different from buying one directly from Apple.

My experience with Verizon

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When I first bought that iPad a little over a year ago, I went to the Verizon store and told one of salespeople I wanted. I was a little perplexed when she insisted on opening the box, because setting up a prepaid account on an iPad with cellular is a process that Apple has relegated to the customer via the iOS Settings app. When I mentioned this, the saleswoman said she wanted to be sure that it was activated before I left the store. That seemed plain enough and I thanked her politely.

She then asked me for the personal information needed (and my signature for approval) to run a credit check, and ended up activating the iPad on a new post-paid account instead of the typical prepaid account that could be topped off and managed directly from the Settings app. This really didn't have any really impact on me, though it did give me pause to wonder about how well Verizon is training its retail staff. It later came to light that this is the way a cellular iPad is activated if you get one second hand.

So when my iPad got eaten, my first thought was to simply transfer that iPad's account to a new one, which could be done via Verizon's web site. Given that this was the day before a holiday weekend and that I use my iPad throughout much of the day for work and for personal tasks, I took advantage of Verizon's recently added in-store pickup option. After putting in my information, I was told to expect a confirmation email immediately, and to wait for second email that the purchase was ready for pickup before going to the store.

I got the confirmation about an hour later and waited for the pickup mail for most of the rest of the day. I never got it.

Switching to the Apple Store

At the end of the day, I decided to buy my new iPad from the Apple Store instead. It took all of thirty seconds using the Apple Store app on my iPhone, and I was informed that the order was ready about less than a half hour later.

When I picked it up, the Apple store employee asked if I wanted to set it up using the store's Wi-Fi network (using the Settings app) and if I needed help putting the smart cover on it. I said I was fine and was on my way home in less than five minutes.

On the way home, I stopped in the Verizon store to cancel my order and was told that the only way I could cancel it was to just not pick it up (apparently after four days of no pickup, Verizon's in-store pickup items are returned to inventory and then the order is canceled automatically). I was able to discontinue the data plan attached to my broken iPad.