3/11/08



The "association" has had some internal issues that we are dealing with in the last week to ten days.

Thse personnel changes have slowed us down a bit; but we are ready to move forward.

My personal interest is to set up the association and hand the leadership role off to someone in the near future.  Everyone has their own skill set and one of mine is creating a plan and executing it.

Patience is a virtue. .

Mike Feldman


2/11/08

Update:

This posting was also posted by a Tintdude member and many of the recent readers of this "article" are readers of Tintdude.

The movement to create an association has merit. Please support your peers as they begin to create a vision for a better industry for the tinters and by the tinters!

Mike Feldman
V4V


This recent article in Window Film Magazine created an unintended stir.

Mr. Davies was asked a question concerning the concept of selling car film directly to the new car dealers?  His forthright answer seems to have upset many independent window tint dealers whose very life blood is the new car dealer as a primary soure of income.

This is another example of one's perspective.  The manufacturer's have a different focus compared to an independent dealer, and the reality is that economics drive the business rather than the other way around.

In other words, to be competitive window film manufacturers need to grow their market share.  The new car dealers are seeking to increase their pre-loaded margins, and each manufacturer of window film is competing against their manufacturing peers.

(It is important to note that we have a unique perspective on these issues having been long associated, 33 years with 3M, and having once been National Sales Manager of 3M Window Film and 3M Account Exec. up until February, 2007.
We are currently one of the largest Vista Dealers, FormulaOne and the largest Huper Optik Dealer in Florida, Advanced Film Solutions)

This is quite different than a manufacturer competing for a commercial project against their own dealer or one of their dedicated distributors setting up their own installation company to compete directly against their dealer.

We'll leave aside the legal issues for the moment and deal with the moral, and ethical question.

Is it ethical for a manufacturer of a window film to compete against their own dealer who pays a significantly higher price for the same exact film? 

Are there any mitigating circumstances where the manufacturer has a valid reason to compete against their own dealers with a far better price?

What legal remedies do independent dealers have in these situations? 

The legal and ethical questions that arise by these policies have NOT been adequately dealt with by the manufacturer's themselves or by the International Window Film Association. 

The end result is a ground swell of anger from the dealer perspective, and anger typically leads to action.

There are potential solutions to these issues; but unless and until independent dealers join together to form a dealer action group, there will only be superficial progress made.

This blog endorses and supports the current and ongoing efforts by and for dealers to form an association to protect their rights, and be dealt with ethically and legally supporting fair trade, competition, and honoring the statutes covered by the Sherman Anti-trust rules and Robinson-Patman Act.

Mike Feldman


PS- If you are an independent dealer selling window film in the USA and have questions or would like additional information concerning  this movement, feel free to e-mail me at mfeldman@advancedfilmfl.com