u/tispis

Update: I know that legally my problem is with Mayavelo and I'm going after them. That's not really my point though.

Here's what actually bothers me. Orbea Spain got rid of Mayavelo due to wrongdoings but said nothing publicly. No warning, no notice that Mayavelo isn't their distributor anymore. Korlas, the new distributor, hasn't announced it either. Months later, still silence. Mayavelo was in the game for more than 10 years. They have connections and power.

Mayavelo still has an open shop in Istanbul with the Orbea sign on it. Right now, today, someone who isn't lucky enough to be in a cycling group could walk in, see the branding, talk to the guy and hand over their money for an Orbea that will never come. The exact thing that happened to 80+ of us is still able to happen to the next person, because nobody with the power to stop it has said a word.

If a brand makes millions off a market and knows its official dealer since 10 years is robbing people under its logo, does it have any responsibility to just... warn people? Put out one statement? Get the sign taken down? A routine distributor change, sure, nobody announces that. But this wasn't routine. Orbea's own reason for the split was misconduct against customers.

Staying quiet while the trap stays open, that's the part I don't think is okay.

---

This is a story about Orbea Spain completely ignoring it’s customers in Türkiye, threatening them and mishandling the transition between its old exclusive distributor in Türkiye, Mayavelo, and its new distributor, Korlas, then leaving customers to pay the price.

More than 80 people in Türkiye appear to have been affected. I am one of them.

I ordered my bike from Mayavelo, Orbea’s long-time exclusive distributor in Türkiye. At the time, this was the official way to buy an Orbea bike in the country. I paid in full. The delivery date passed. No bike. No refund. No clear answer from Orbea Spain, Mayavelo or Korlas.

Orbea Spain terminated Mayavelo and appointed Korlas as the new distributor.

But the transition was handled terribly.

Customers were never informed by Orbea Spain, Mayavelo, or Korlas. Mayavelo still has Orbea branding on its shop. The new distributor never announced that they are the official distributor of Orbea and they now expect affected customers to pay again and place new orders. Some people have already paid twice because they needed bikes for training and competitions.

That is the key issue.

Orbea Spain chose Mayavelo.
Orbea Spain sold in Türkiye through Mayavelo for years.
Orbea Spain generated more than €2 million worth of annual sales in Türkiye through this distribution network.
Orbea Spain replaced Mayavelo with Korlas.
Orbea Spain failed to communicate that transition clearly to the market. (Still no official communication)
Orbea Spain allowed customers to be caught between the old distributor and the new one.

Customers did not choose Orbea’s distribution structure. Customers did not manage the distributor relationship. Customers did not control the handover from Mayavelo to Korlas. Customers simply bought Orbea bikes through the official channel available to them.

Orbea’s position is that it never sold directly to Turkish consumers, never received our payments, and delivered every bike Mayavelo actually paid for. From a narrow legal perspective, I understand the argument: “you paid the shop, not us.”

But that does not solve the real issue.

A major brand cannot benefit from years of sales in a market, generate millions through an exclusive distributor, then disappear behind legal fine print when that same distributor collapses during a messy, badly communicated handover.

Even worse, Orbea says it is “making every effort” and has “already satisfied other consumers in the same situation” in my area. So which is it? If Orbea has no responsibility, why are some customers being helped while others are ignored?

That does not look like “we cannot help.” It looks like “we will help whoever we choose.”

Customers have also been posting about this on LinkedIn and other platforms. Many of us have been blocked by Orbea. Some of us have received lawyer-flavored threats, with Orbea “reserving its legal rights” if we share “false or inaccurate information” that damages the brand. We don’t want to damage the brand, we just want the bike we paid for. That’s it.

Translation: stop posting or we may sue.

This is unacceptable.

Whatever the legal fine print says, Orbea Spain created and controlled the distribution setup in Türkiye. It benefited from that setup for years. The failed transition between Mayavelo and Korlas is Orbea Spain’s responsibility to fix, not something customers should be forced to absorb.

TL;DR: Orbea’s exclusive Türkiye distributor, Mayavelo, took full payments from customers and never delivered the bikes. Orbea Spain reportedly generated more than €2 million in annual sales in Türkiye through this distribution network, then replaced Mayavelo with Korlas without properly managing or communicating the transition. Now customers are stuck between the old distributor, the new distributor, and Orbea Spain’s “not our problem” position. This is not the customer’s problem. Orbea Spain needs to fix the mess created by its own distribution network.

This is a story about Orbea Spain completely ignoring it’s customers in Türkiye, threatening them and mishandling the transition between its old exclusive distributor in Türkiye, Mayavelo, and its new distributor, Korlas, then leaving customers to pay the price.

More than 80 people in Türkiye appear to have been affected. I am one of them.

I ordered my bike from Mayavelo, Orbea’s long-time exclusive distributor in Türkiye. At the time, this was the official way to buy an Orbea bike in the country. I paid in full. The delivery date passed. No bike. No refund. No clear answer from Orbea Spain, Mayavelo or Korlas.

Orbea Spain terminated Mayavelo and appointed Korlas as the new distributor.

But the transition was handled terribly.

Customers were never informed by Orbea Spain, Mayavelo, or Korlas. Mayavelo still has Orbea branding on its shop. The new distributor never announced that they are the official distributor of Orbea and they now expect affected customers to pay again and place new orders. Some people have already paid twice because they needed bikes for training and competitions.

That is the key issue.

Orbea Spain chose Mayavelo.
Orbea Spain sold in Türkiye through Mayavelo for years.
Orbea Spain generated more than €2 million worth of annual sales in Türkiye through this distribution network.
Orbea Spain replaced Mayavelo with Korlas.
Orbea Spain failed to communicate that transition clearly to the market. (Still no official communication)
Orbea Spain allowed customers to be caught between the old distributor and the new one.

That is not the customer’s problem.

Customers did not choose Orbea’s distribution structure. Customers did not manage the distributor relationship. Customers did not control the handover from Mayavelo to Korlas. Customers simply bought Orbea bikes through the official channel available to them.

Orbea’s position is that it never sold directly to Turkish consumers, never received our payments, and delivered every bike Mayavelo actually paid for. From a narrow legal perspective, I understand the argument: “you paid the shop, not us.”

But that does not solve the real issue.

A major brand cannot benefit from years of sales in a market, generate millions through an exclusive distributor, then disappear behind legal fine print when that same distributor collapses during a messy, badly communicated handover.

Even worse, Orbea says it is “making every effort” and has “already satisfied other consumers in the same situation” in my area. So which is it? If Orbea has no responsibility, why are some customers being helped while others are ignored?

That does not look like “we cannot help.” It looks like “we will help whoever we choose.”

Customers have also been posting about this on LinkedIn and other platforms. Many of us have been blocked by Orbea. Some of us have received lawyer-flavored threats, with Orbea “reserving its legal rights” if we share “false or inaccurate information” that damages the brand. We don’t want to damage the brand, we just want the bike we paid for. That’s it.

Translation: stop posting or we may sue.

So this is where things stand:

Customers paid thousands.
The bikes were never delivered.
The old distributor disappeared.
The new distributor wants customers to pay again.
Orbea Spain mishandled the distributor transition.
And customers are being told to chase the failed distributor.

This is unacceptable.

Whatever the legal fine print says, Orbea Spain created and controlled the distribution setup in Türkiye. It benefited from that setup for years. The failed transition between Mayavelo and Korlas is Orbea Spain’s responsibility to fix, not something customers should be forced to absorb.

TL;DR: Orbea’s exclusive Türkiye distributor, Mayavelo, took full payments from customers and never delivered the bikes. Orbea Spain reportedly generated more than €2 million in annual sales in Türkiye through this distribution network, then replaced Mayavelo with Korlas without properly managing or communicating the transition. Now customers are stuck between the old distributor, the new distributor, and Orbea Spain’s “not our problem” position. This is not the customer’s problem. Orbea Spain needs to fix the mess created by its own distribution network.