As the iPhone 15 series from Apple continues to be one of the best-selling premium smartphones, Apple India is now facing criticism from the All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) over its “discriminatory” cashback offers between larger and small retail stores, according to a report by News18.
AIMRA, whichreportedly represents over 1,50,000 mobile phone retailers in India, has accused Apple of engaging in anti-competitive practices with its iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max cashback offers. The association alleges that Apple has allowed its own stores and large retailers to offer cashback of up to ₹10,000 on these models, while smaller retail channels are only allowed to offer ₹3,000 cashback, as per a Financial Express report.
In a letter to Ashish Chowdhary, the Managing Director of Apple India, Navneet Pathak, the national joint secretary of AIMRA, highlighted the issue. The letter stated that this discrepancy poses a significant risk of loss in sales for the retail channels and raises concerns about unfair competition, further emphasizing that such actions would make customers lose trust in small retailers, the News18 report said.
“This is purely an anti-competitive move favouring few…This discrepancy not only poses a significant risk of loss in sales for the retail channels but also raises concerns of unfair competition. Such actions undermine the trust and confidence we have diligently built with our customers over time,” the letter read, as quoted by News18.
AIMRA has urged the iPhone maker to resolve the cashback offer quickly in order to ensure that all the retailers are treated equally and to prevent the rise of unhealthy competition in the market. The association has stressed the need for fair competition and trust in the retail ecosystem, the report further added.
The iPhone 15 series was launched in September last year, with the iPhone 15 priced at ₹79,900, the iPhone 15 Plus at ₹89,900, the iPhone 15 Pro at ₹1,34,900, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at ₹1,59,900.
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Published: 11 Apr 2024, 08:37 AM IST