Foffa Bikes appear to admit to price fixing with Wiggle in Bike Biz article

^ Is this criminal damage?

Probably depends on the beak on the day.

If it peels off without damaging the underlying sign, it's probably fly-posting rather than criminal damage.

If resale price maintenance is rampant in the industry, Foffa's comments wouldn't have raised a red flag for an industry hack?

Well, while it didn't raise a red flag to me, I'm a mechanic, not a journo writing for an industry mag. If you see what I mean.

...even if (a very big if) a consumer has been disadvantaged (how?), having a minnow like Foffa playing the same game as some of the biggest names in the industry certainly isn't the worst thing that has ever happened as a result of bicycle price fixing.

...This kind of behaviour is not uncommon and not even that deleterious to the end user. If anything higher prices will prevent people buying...

I don't think Foffa participating in price fixing is really the issue here though, as has been said numerous times, most of the big brands are doing it too.

For me it's the fact that it's Foffa that's been mug enough to blurt out about a long standing illegal practice that makes the whole issue comment worthy. There has to be more than just Wiggle pissed off about him opening his big mouth.

If SUTTON the journalist done this intentionally...

He didn't respond to my tweet but he did post shortly after I tweeted him that the internet is "becoming a more depressing place day by day". That doesn't say "I hung them out to dry" to me, more, "I'm not gonna hear the end of this am I?"

If it peels off without damaging the underlying sign, it's probably fly-posting rather than criminal damage.

True.

But then if this http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/university-of-london-chalk-protest-sparks-arrest/2005792.article and and http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/homepage/Bristol-student-s-criminal-damage-charge-writing-pavement-chalk/article-785596-detail/article.html can be criminal damage, I'm sure a sticker can be too. Shouldn't, but can.

but he did post shortly after I tweeted him that the internet is "becoming a more depressing place day by day".

lol. Do you even internet?

Drama is now over:

Clarification on original article: (Dani Foffa: “To be clear, Foffa has never enforced ‘price fixing’ to any of its resellers. Foffa has never discussed or agreed any retail prices with Wiggle and Wiggle has always been free to set the retail price it sells our product to its customers. Foffa was clumsily making the point that Wiggle is a good distribution outlet for the Foffa brand and that other retails should not consider Wiggle in a negative light. Wiggle has never discussed retail price setting with Foffa and any implication that it might have done so is erroneous, for which Foffa apologises.“)

Exactly the same wording he posted here, after Wiggle's lawyers dictated it to him.

Deny it,keep your mouth shut and we will carry on as normal.

"they and every other retailer working with us are forbidden from discounting"

Vs

"Wiggle has always been free to set the retail price it sells our product to its customers"

I can't make these two statements work together

This

Barclay's B'lies'? Makes no sense Skully. It makes no sense!

Yes, they have been for some time now. Only in Red, Black and Grey at the moment.

Then the fouth seal is safe for now...

Nothing to see here - move along please

Baffin nor can i,but there again why would anybody want to.I hope Dani hasnt escaped he the most dangerous thing known to the cycling industry known to man kind

baffin nor can i,but there again why would anybody want to.i hope dani hasnt escaped he the most dangerous thing known to the cycling industry known to man kind

lol ..............................

I'm too scared to go on the site because if they are selling white, red, black and green bikes this is surely one of the signs of the apocalypse?

It's about time people recognised Demis Roussos as the visionary he really is.

That my friend, is quality

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KCbqhJt16k

Interesting .............. I cannot access the BIKEBIZ site

They probably have cheap and nasty hosting with capped bandwidth. Millions of outraged forumengers downloading the 20MB pdf version of the mag will have taken them offline, probably until 00:01 server time tomorrow. Far be it from me to upload a copy to a filehost and then PM the link to anybody who wants it, to compare with the version which is on their site when they are back up.

1 Attachment

HA HA ....................... like it - exactly what I wanted !!

Drama is now over:

Clarification on original article: (Dani Foffa: “To be clear, Foffa has never enforced ‘price fixing’ to any of its resellers. Foffa has never discussed or agreed any retail prices with Wiggle and Wiggle has always been free to set the retail price it sells our product to its customers. Foffa was clumsily making the point that Wiggle is a good distribution outlet for the Foffa brand and that other retails should not consider Wiggle in a negative light. Wiggle has never discussed retail price setting with Foffa and any implication that it might have done so is erroneous, for which Foffa apologises.“)

That's the most dumb response ever they could atleast put the effort into some apple style loophole instead of deny all knowledge and any conversation good or bad ever took place. Are we really supposed to all just go along with the idea that "*Foffa has never discussed or agreed any retail prices with Wiggle" *which reads even further to say they didn't give/discuss a rrp and yet all Foffa retailers make the totally indpendant decisions to all pick the same price to sell at? Bullshit.

Foffa seem to ignore advertising laws daily by calling the bikes they sell bespoke which they clearly aren't as the customer has a choice of a prebuilt and preset range of bikes and not a bespoke bike based on any input from them, built to commision, any other actual meaning of the word bespoke.

I hope wiggle are genuinely pissed and bitchslap foffa out of existance.

Foffa seem to ignore advertising laws

they also seem to misunderstand the term "manufacturer" as their (obviously self edited) wiki page/spiel states

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foffa_Bikes

"British bicycle manufacturer"

One *assembles *Dani, one does not manufacture.

And he isn't british...

But that's not the point.

All we really know is that he's a bit stupid.

All we really know is that he's a bit stupid.

Only a "bit" stupid ?? you are too generous

He could be a imbecile,but hes not that clever

I predict incoming messages to VB complaining about defamation.

If he had a better grip on his business practices then he wouldn't be in a position where people felt the need to hand out the flack.

If you run a business which isn't compliant with laws which everyone else manages to adhere to then as far as I'm concerned you're fair game.

Apologise for your alleged actions and you may win favour. Admit defeat and be the bigger man because after all, we only learn from our mistakes.

I still wouldn't buy a Foffa, but I have my own reasons.