Wow! I've been pretty busy, lately, and haven't had much chance to cruise the forums. Looks like things have heated up a bit. Seems to be a lot of grumpy people out there, all of a sudden.
Lighten up, folks. Let's remember what a forum is. It's a place for everyone to express their ideas and opinions and for all, who wish to, to discuss them.
Common courtesy dictates that we share the space to present these opinions and ideas and that we respect the right of someone to express them, regardless of how pinheaded or stupid we may think they are. As mature adults, we should be able to discuss these opinions and ideas without resorting to personal attacks and insults.
(Ahem!)
Now, having said all that, (and meaning every word), LynnBob, you need to understand something. You didn't, exactly, make what could be called a favorable impression here. This forum, (if you haven't figured it out for yourself, already), is populated by a pretty dedicated bunch of believers who hold Chris and associates in pretty high regard. That includes me. (Even though I've been raked over the coals once or twice myself regarding pricing and other things by this bunch.)
Your "note to self" shouldn't have said: "Don't say anything bad about CRK". It should say: "Don't accuse CRK and their dealers of being a bunch of crooks".
Let me explain:
You opened this thread by stating that you were a professor who teaches marketing, (thus establishing credentials, of a sort) and immediately challenged the legality of the prices you found while searching for a bargain on a Sebenza.
You lamented the fact that no one was busting the price and speculated that that might be the result of collusion or other illegal practices.
That, in turn, called into question the integrity and character of CRK and those of us who choose to deal with them. Now THAT sort of thing is absolutely assured to fire a few folks up and generate a retort or two.
It makes as much sense as running into a South-Central LA police bar on friday night and yelling "This is a stickup"! It is sure to produce a response.
For that matter, I'm wondering about the utility of, and the motive for, posing such questions and accusations on a public forum such as this to a group of aficianadoes and fans. To what end? Why not just contact the principals directly with the accusations?
Was this an attempt to produce a groundswell of consumer pressure aimed at driving prices down?
Maybe it was intended to discourage people from buying the products and create a surplus, thus devaluing them and forcing the prices down.
Or, perhaps, the idea was to intimidate those of us who deal CRK into believing that we are, somehow, liable for penalties due to illegal pricing practices and could avoid such penalties if only we would sell Sebenzas for less than what they are worth.
Which is it? I don't know. I don't care, since it didn't work.
I do, however, resent the implication that my fellow dealers and I are, along with CRK, a bunch of crooks who are out to fleece all of you unknowing knife lovers out there with unreasonable and overinflated prices which we maintain through secret agreements and master plans.
That, sir, is absolute bull****.
There are no agreements. There is no "master plan" and we do NOT engage in price fixing.
There is nothing illegal in the "price maintenance" policy you allude to. Your lack of success in producing a "deal" in your search for a replacement for the Sebenza you sold is strictly a reflection of your level of effort in the quest and your lack of knowledge of the Sebenza market.
It might be helpful to read the following. It is a response from the FTC concerning a similar question on an unrelated case.
As a Marketing Professor, you should already be familiar with this doctrine. If not, perhaps your credentials need updating.
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">"Vertical price-fixing -- an agreement
between a supplier/manufacturer and a dealer that fixes the minimum resale price of a product -- is a clear-cut antitrust violation. It also is illegal for a manufacturer and retailer to agree on a minimum resale price. The antitrust laws, however, give a manufacturer latitude to adopt a policy regarding a desired level of resale prices and to deal only with retailers who independently decide to follow that policy. A manufacturer also is permitted to stop dealing with a retailer who breaches the manufacturer's resale price maintenance policy. That is, the manufacturer can adopt the policy on a "take it or leave it" basis. The Supreme Court established this doctrine in 1919 in a case called U.S. v. Colgate.
Thus, your manufacturer may unilaterally establish a policy that its product must be sold at a certain price, and terminate the dealership of anyone who does not comply. It would not be legal, however, for the manufacturer and its dealers to agree on a selling price, or for dealers to agree among themselves about a selling price. Why would a manufacturer do this? The reasons are not always simple, but sometimes a manufacturer wants to ensure that his product is sold in a certain way, e.g., with certain services associated with the sale, in a store with a certain ambiance to project an image, etc. The manufacturer might want to make sure that dealers have enough of a margin to provide these things, and that they would not be undercut by discounters who do not provide those services but "free ride" on those that do. Although this arrangement limits competition within the brand, competition among brands remains, and thus limits the manufacturer from setting prices too high.
This is a complicated, and somewhat controversial subject, and much has been written about it. Many people do not agree that manufacturers should be allowed to set minimum resale prices, even unilaterally, but it is clear that the "Colgate doctrine" remains the applicable rule.
For more information about the antitrust laws, you may want to look at our publication, Promoting Competition, Protecting Consumers: A Plain English Guide to Antitrust Laws, if you have not seen it already. Many consumers have found this to be very informative. You can find this publication at
http://www.ftc.gov/bc/compguide/index.htm.
We hope you find this information helpful. Again, we appreciate your taking the time to contact us."</font>
I hope this helps answer your question. Please do not regard it as a personal attack. You have made some pretty serious allegations regarding the integrity of those of us who deal in Chris Reeve Products and I felt that an equally serious response was warranted.
Thank you.
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Dennis Wright
Wright Knife & Sporting Goods
La Mesa, CA
1-800-400-1980
wrightknife@ixpres.com
("Have a knife day!")
