Why some offline mobile retailers in India are unhappy with Apple

India’s

offline mobile retailers

association — All India Mobile Retailers Association (

AIMRA

) – seems to be upset with Apple. The trade body has called out

Apple

India for what it calls “discriminatory pricing”.
In a letter to Apple, AIMRA has slammed the exclusive cashback offers on top-end

iPhone

15 series models,

iPhone 15 Pro

and

iPhone 15 Pro Max

, at Apple’s authorised stores.

The offline mobile retailers association has accused the iPhone maker of hurting their sales with its cashback offers on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models.

Why mobile retailers are upset with Apple

Apple announced a cashback offer for its iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models on April 6. According to AIMRA, which represents over 150,000 mobile phone retailers, the company has allowed Apple stores as well as large format retailers to offer a cashback of Rs 10,000 on iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max models. Meanwhile, Apple allegedly restricted other retail channels to offer only Rs 3,000 cashback on the same models.

What AIMRA’s letter to Apple says

In the letter sent to Apple India’s managing director, Ashish Chowdhary (seen by Financial Express), AIMRA’s national joint general secretary, Navneet Pathak, said: “It has come to our attention that LFRs and company's own stores are offering a substantial cashback of Rs 10,000 on 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max models, while the retail channels are restricted to Rs 3,000 on the same models.
This is a purely anti-competitive move favouring a few. This discrepancy not only poses a significant risk of loss in sales for the retail channels but also raises concerns about unfair competition.
It may potentially divert our loyal customers to LFRs derogatorily. Such actions undermine the trust and confidence we have diligently built with our customers over time. We eagerly anticipate a prompt correction in the cash-back offer for the SKUs.
AIMRA firmly believes in fostering transparent and equitable business practices that uphold the interests of all stakeholders. We are committed to collaborating with Apple India to find constructive solutions that address these challenges while strengthening our partnership.”