Grey imports

[bruce]

Bruce

 

You suggest changing brands when (as you seem to agree happens)authorised dealers don't provide the service/parts/backup they should. What's the difference between doing that and going grey ?

 

    

 

Because I personally don't wish to support grey importers.  I believe in the long term it is damaging.

[GoLefty!!]

Wow i am overwhelmed by the response. One thing seems clear though there is huge confusion regarding serial numbers.

A serial number is a unique number that  is assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor.

Serial numbers are valuable in quality control and  part reorder.

Serial numbers are also used as a deterrent against theft and counterfeit products' date=' as serial numbers can be recorded, and stolen or otherwise irregular goods can be identified.

 

It makes sense that products with out serial numbers are not official so are kinda void of the manufacturers warranty.

Unauthorized dealers either knowingly deceive the consumer by telling them that the product is covered by the manufacturers warranty or do the repairs themselves.

Makes you think doesn't it.

But the Choice is yours !

[/quote']

 

 

If the serial number is so important, why is it applied to the rim as a weak adhesive backed foil strip and not engraved or etched?

This tells me the manufactirer is not interested in honouring a possible warranty anyway and this is the loop hole they use...?

 

 

[widget]

Bruce, your points are only relevant in a perfect society where there is a contented and happy supply chain from manufacturer to customer.

 

As soon as there is a break in one part of the chain, the whole thing falls into disarray.

 

Now the break can be for many reasons, cost, availability,competition etc , but in my experience the man in the street is of key importance, as soon as he feels he is been taken advantage of, he shops around, and a new market and supply chain is created for the product, be it a parallel importer or via the internet.

 

From here its a downhill spiral, loss of business by the agent, means he needs to margin more, he becomes a more difficult supplier regarding warranty,stock and  spares availability, he becomes less inclined to "see the other side" and the more difficult he becomes, the less business he gets, customers preferring to shop where the deal is sweeter and the supplier behaves as if he wants your business.

 

To be honest, in small economies like SA - This business model is doomed to failure, I cant think of one sole distributor in SA, in any retail industry, who is NOT competing with a parallel importer and the internet.

 

Distributors in the cycling business are stuck in the old school mentality, competition is never going to go away, it will only get stronger, rather improve your business model here to ensure your supply chain is good enough to keep the customer from going to the opposition in the first place.

 

[bruce]

Bruce' date=' your points are only relevant in a perfect society where there is a contented and happy supply chain from manufacturer to customer.

 

As soon as there is a break in one part of the chain, the whole thing falls into disarray.

 

Now the break can be for many reasons, cost, availability,competition etc , but in my experience the man in the street is of key importance, as soon as he feels he is been taken advantage of, he shops around, and a new market and supply chain is created for the product, be it a parallel importer or via the internet.

 

From here its a downhill spiral, loss of business by the agent, means he needs to margin more, he becomes a more difficult supplier regarding warranty,stock and  spares availability, he becomes less inclined to "see the other side" and the more difficult he becomes, the less business he gets, customers preferring to shop where the deal is sweeter and the supplier behaves as if he wants your business.

 

To be honest, in small economies like SA - This business model is doomed to failure, I cant think of one sole distributor in SA, in any retail industry, who is NOT competing with a parallel importer and the internet.

 

Distributors in the cycling business are stuck in the old school mentality, competition is never going to go away, it will only get stronger, rather improve your business model here to ensure your supply chain is good enough to keep the customer from going to the opposition in the first place.

 

[/quote']

 

Sure, and I'll support those guys that have managed to get it right.  I'm not endorsing poorly run businesses.

[Aicorner]

Bruce

 

I respect you and your views but isn't it just as damaging in the long term (and also the short term) to not go grey, because that allows authorised importers to get away with inflating prices and delivering poor service ?

[GoLefty!!]

Bruce

 

I respect you and your views but isn't it just as damaging in the long term (and also the short term) to not go grey' date=' because that allows authorised importers to get away with inflating prices and delivering poor service ?

[/quote']

 

 

amen

[Speed Devil]

Wow i am overwhelmed by the response. One thing seems clear though there is huge confusion regarding serial numbers.

A serial number is a unique number that  is assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor.

Serial numbers are valuable in quality control and  part reorder.

Serial numbers are also used as a deterrent against theft and counterfeit products' date=' as serial numbers can be recorded, and stolen or otherwise irregular goods can be identified.

 

It makes sense that products with out serial numbers are not official so are kinda void of the manufacturers warranty.

Unauthorized dealers either knowingly deceive the consumer by telling them that the product is covered by the manufacturers warranty or do the repairs themselves.

Makes you think doesn't it.

But the Choice is yours !

[/quote']

 

Does anyone have an old HDD so that I can moer this oke?

[widget]

I sort of just skipped through all this, 22 odd pages is more than I can bear to read, but I cant see the issue, ..................if the serial numbers are just stuck on, who is to say, I cant remove them??

 

After all, are they not my wheels?? .............and if I want to resell them AFTER I have taken the stickers off,well, why can I not do that??

 

Sounds like theres more to it than just a sticker.

 

 

[Guest colonel]

Wow i am overwhelmed by the response. One thing seems clear though there is huge confusion regarding serial numbers.

A serial number is a unique number that  is assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor.

Serial numbers are valuable in quality control and  part reorder.

Serial numbers are also used as a deterrent against theft and counterfeit products' date=' as serial numbers can be recorded, and stolen or otherwise irregular goods can be identified.

 

It makes sense that products with out serial numbers are not official so are kinda void of the manufacturers warranty.

Unauthorized dealers either knowingly deceive the consumer by telling them that the product is covered by the manufacturers warranty or do the repairs themselves.

Makes you think doesn't it.

But the Choice is yours !

[/quote']

 

 

Well my penis doesnt have a serial number so does that mean its grey import aswell cause I cant seem to get anyone to cover my warranty now that it doesnt work......

[hot stuff]

Wow i am overwhelmed by the response. One thing seems clear though there is huge confusion regarding serial numbers.

A serial number is a unique number that  is assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor.

Serial numbers are valuable in quality control and  part reorder.

Serial numbers are also used as a deterrent against theft and counterfeit products' date=' as serial numbers can be recorded, and stolen or otherwise irregular goods can be identified.

 

It makes sense that products with out serial numbers are not official so are kinda void of the manufacturers warranty.

Unauthorized dealers either knowingly deceive the consumer by telling them that the product is covered by the manufacturers warranty or do the repairs themselves.

Makes you think doesn't it.

But the Choice is yours !

[/quote']

 

 

Well my penis doesnt have a serial number so does that mean its grey import aswell cause I cant seem to get anyone to cover my warranty now that it doesnt work......

 

[shaunh]

Colonel, have you not heard of Viagra!!!

[sampie]

Removed, sorry that was unnecessary. What i meant to say was that there's a difference between freedom of speech and to badmouth someone trying to ruin their bussiness, Especially with a hidden identity.

sampie2008-10-17 05:08:45

[schauff]

Gees Sampie, leave the oke. Freedom of speach my man. At least he is not using "lelike woorde" like you - Gaan was jou mond

[SwissVan]

 

Being in the aviation industry we have a similar situation with regards to aircraft parts, except of course the authorities tend to be more strict and take a very dim view of any parts that are sold as genuine parts but are not actually the real thing and even genuine parts which are re sold as repaired / overhauled by un approved persons. The legislation in aviation dealing with this was mainly brought about due to various tragic events (accidents) resulting in death or injury to innocent (unintentionally ignorant) people. That however is another story but the moral is that there is more to play than just business practices and competition among dealers / importers.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

After reading the whole debate the one thing that stands out that needs to be questioned / answered is the wheels ?without serial numbers? that were confiscated.

1. Were the wheels in question supposed to have s/n?s? Often s/n?s are hidden in obscure places known only to the manufacturer, the bar coded decals may be there purely to be more visible and to make it easy for the shop (if they use a bar coding scanning system) to record the full details of the sale into a database.

2. If yes, why did they not have the required decals / s/n?s visible prior to being sold?

 

Supposing they were supposed to have s/n?s and the s/n?s are ?missing? or never there in the first place, this is good reason for suspicion and imo I would be hesitant to buy them.

 

Only the people directly (both sides) involved can answer this, whether they will do so honestly on an open forum remains to be seen.

 

 

[Poison Ivy]

 

 

Well my penis doesnt have a serial number so does that mean its grey import aswell cause I cant seem to get anyone to cover my warranty now that it doesnt work......

 

 way too much info......

 

 

[Danger Dassie]

So far from this thread one can gather that-

 

 

 

- cyclists suffer from severe 'kinderkak syndrome'

 

 

 

- distributors/importers are ignorant of concepts like supply chain and configuration management

 

 

 

- consumers are ignorant of the importance of serialization

 

 

 

- the industry makes most governmental departments look credible by comparison

 

 

 

Can't wait for the afternoon ride