HDFC Ergo, an insurance company, launched the “India Gets Moving” initiative in November 2024, in collaboration with Zopper and Apple, to promote healthy habits by incentivizing customers to buy Apple Watches and track their daily step count. The initiative promised to return the cost of the Apple Watch to customers who achieved a minimum daily step count of 15,000 steps. However, after a backlash on social media, the company started making payments to customers who had genuinely achieved their step-count targets.
Initially, many customers, including fitness enthusiast Nikhil Dhawan, received a surprise rejection of their claims, with no explanation or proof of manipulating their step-count data. Dhawan and others were left unsure about why their claims were rejected, as they had genuinely tracked their steps. Some customers even contacted Apple to rectify the issue.
The company, through its mobile app, credited wellness points to customers based on their daily step count, with a maximum of 100 points per day. HDFC Ergo claimed that all valid claims were being cleared, as per the terms and conditions. The company, however, terminated policies of customers who had allegedly manipulated their step-count data, citing that it was “unusual and suspicious.”
The company faced backlash on social media, leading to a re-evaluation of the claims. Eventually, many customers received an update that their claim had been approved, and the payment was being processed. However, some customers, like Vinayak Chougule, remained unsure about the future of the program, citing uncertainty regarding the refund for the remaining 11 months.
The company’s move has raised concerns about data manipulation and the ability to control the way data is tracked. As part of its commitment to “customer first,” HDFC Ergo claimed that it would continue to honor its commitments and encourage citizens to adopt a healthy lifestyle.