Flipkart iPhone 16 Pro Pre-Reserve Pass Controversy Explained

Flipkart's iPhone 16 Pro Pre-Reserve Pass scheme has sparked outrage among users who paid ₹5,000 for guaranteed discounted access during Big Billion Days sale. Many buyers claim they couldn't purchase…

By Hardik Dhamija

October 7, 2025

2 min read

Comments

Flipkart’s iPhone 16 Pro Pre-Reserve Pass scheme has sparked outrage among users who paid ₹5,000 for guaranteed discounted access during Big Billion Days sale. Many buyers claim they couldn’t purchase the phone despite holding valid passes, with no refunds issued for the non-refundable fee.

What Happened?

Issue	Details
Pre-Reserve Pass Cost	₹5,000 (non-refundable)
Promise	Discounted iPhone 16 Pro 128GB
Reality	Limited stock, cancelled orders
Refund Policy	Non-cancellable, non-refundable
Time Limit	48 hours to complete purchase
User Impact	Thousands lost ₹5,000

The Pre-Reserve Pass Problem

Before Big Billion Days, Flipkart sold Pre-Reserve Passes for ₹5,000, promising buyers priority access to iPhone 16 Pro at approximately ₹70,000. While some users successfully purchased the phone, many others faced:

Stock unavailability despite valid passes
Automatic order cancellations after booking
Orders shipped to nearest hub then cancelled
No refund for the ₹5,000 pass fee

Terms & Conditions Fine Print

Flipkart’s terms clearly stated the ₹5,000 pass was non-cancellable and non-refundable. If customers couldn’t complete their iPhone 16 Pro 128GB purchase within the first 48 hours, the pass would be cancelled with no money back.

This created a situation where Flipkart collected ₹5,000 from potentially thousands of users who couldn’t secure the phone due to limited inventory—essentially profiting from unfulfilled promises.

X user Abhishek Yadav highlighted how customers who didn’t receive the iPhone 16 Pro lost ₹5,000 with no recourse. Many users are now discussing filing consumer court cases against Flipkart, claiming the practice constitutes unfair business practices.

Some users reported their orders were cancelled even after reaching the nearest delivery hub, adding to frustration about the entire scheme’s execution.