onyxrhino wrote:goroth wrote:onyxrhino wrote:I don't see anything underhanded going on here.
Have you read the same thread as the rest of ILF?
I read Tom's thread. He wasn't happy with them always offering 15% off. If there is another problem or if they have forced him to supply them with pedals somehow, I guess I missed it, sorry.
Tom Dalton wrote:I know it's great, as a customer, to find a good deal. I'm cool with seasonal sales. But my prices are already super low--because I want people to always get a good deal--and if I wanted my pedals to be 15% cheaper, I'd make MAP 15% lower (but my prices are too low to afford that).
I reminded Prymaxe about MAPs 3 times over an 18 month period...I never got any responses. When their site lists MAP, and an inch above that, advertises a never-ending 15% off, they're violating the MAPs that I've listed in every price sheet and multiple emails.
Summer 2012 was the start of a mini-crash, in my opinion thanks to their practices...I didn't hear from Prymaxe for almost 6 months. And when I did, Cory said his accountants told him he needed 5% extra profit on each pedal. They cut my MAP by 15% for a year and a half, then asked for 5% more--of course they needed 5% more! So I sent my 3rd request then for Prymaxe to honor my MAPs.
Cory emailed back, refusing, and suggesting that other dealers made me complain.So he called other dealers "over-the-hill," "sinking ships," that don't "know how to effectively run a business," and I was told that if I "want to keep on good terms with one of the most cutting edge companies in the business then you have to accept our business plan."
I responded, reiterating my request for them to honor the MAPs they agreed on when they purchased my pedals. I also pointed out why he needs 5% extra, and let him know that I'm not one of his employees--that builders are the ones making him money by supplying a product for him to sell. He never responded, and my MAP continued to be slashed.
Since dropping them, my sales have increased. Other dealers who honor MAP agreements (and do seasonal sales) have placed new orders that have more than made up for not selling to Prymaxe, and direct sales have gone up. When customers resell my pedals, there won't be that additional 15% loss...and I'm not put out of business by a greedy retailer who doesn't give a shit about me.
In other words, there was an agreed price, and they shat on it. That's breaking an agreement. That's poor business practise. Then there's the whole threatening legal action because Tom chooses not to continue to operate under these conditions. Aside from the fact that it is quite ignorant of what you can't and can't do with the law, it is also an example of trying to strong arm someone into a decision with a vague threat that if you weren't clued in you might have bought. That's also shady.
Then there's the whole shipping debacle... will find a quote rather than paraphrase.
