OnePlus has angered Indian retailers – the Organization of Retailers Association (ORA), which represents 4,300 brick-and-mortar stores, has announced that it will ban its members from selling OnePlus products from May 1. And this may just be the tip of the iceberg.
The much larger All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA), which represents more than 150,000 stores, is considering a similar ban. What did OnePlus do to upset the store owner?
Retailers accuse phone makers of not supplying enough inventory, operating on razor-thin margins, not handling service claims properly and not having promoters and new product demonstrators visit retailers.
ORA represents stores in south India, while AIMRA has a wider coverage. If the association supports the ORA ban, it may completely cut off OnePlus’ offline distribution channels in India.
A OnePlus spokesperson said india today:
OnePlus values all the support our trusted retail partners have received over the past 7 years. We are currently working with our partners to address key areas to ensure we remain committed to building strong and prosperous relationships.
OnePlus is not the only company in trouble, AIMRA has also put pressure on Poco as it believes the Xiaomi-owned brand favors online sales and even accuses it of selling through illegal channels.
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