The Norwegian Motorcycle Dealers’ Association (NMCF) believes that Finn.no is exploiting its dominant position and overpricing its advertisements.
Secretariat manager Olaf Olstad in NMCF, pictured here on a previous occasion. Photo: NMCF/Morten BroksPublished: Published:
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“An extreme price increase” and significant changes to the terms and conditions from 1 January was the final straw for large parts of the motor industry.
Now NMCF is following its sister organization NBF, as in December chose to complain to Finn.no to the Norwegian Competition Authority.
The complaint will be sent to the supervisory authority this week, confirms head of the secretariat Olaf Olstad to E24.
The associations will have an assessment of whether Finn breaks Section 11 of the Competition Act about undue exploitation of a dominant position.
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– Finn.no gives us no other choice when they act in this way. The very best thing for both customers and dealers would have been greater competition when it comes to advertising vehicles, but unfortunately that is not an option today, says Olstad.
– Therefore, we see ourselves obliged to do as NBF, to register Finn.no with the Competition Authority.
Reduced length of stay
The main reason is weakened conditions and more expensive advertising in an already challenging market, the association believes.
– In our previous agreement with Finn, we had a retention period on the advertisements of 12 months. The length of stay has been reduced to three months, without any dialogue between the parties, says NMCF chairman Terje Bredal.
He is an MC dealer in Sandefjord, and is one of many dealers who are frustrated by the changes to Finn.no’s agreement.
– Finn.no has also changed the guidelines for editing the advertisements for us retailers. If we have to edit an advertisement, we again have to pay full price for a new advertisement, says Bredal.
– In sum, these changes mean extremely increased expenditure on advertising for all our members in NMCF. Finn.no is in reality the only relevant alternative for advertising new and used motorcycles.
– Extremely greedy
Olstad says NMCF has received inquiries from several desperate motorcycle dealers who are reacting to the price increase.
– The industry sees this as extremely greedy by Finn.no and calls for sobriety behind the choice.
The organization also reacts to the timing of the price increase.
There has been a significant decline in the sale of motor vehicles, and generally lower turnover, Olstad despairs.
– We think it is tone-deaf by Finn.no to introduce such an extreme price increase at a time when the entire Norwegian motor industry operates under very tough conditions, with high interest rates, expensive electricity and a market with the lowest purchasing power we have seen this side of 2000.century.
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Chief product officer Jens Hauglum at Finn.no has been sent the statements from NMCF, and writes in an e-mail that they are confident that they are acting in line with competition law rules.
– We will of course be at the disposal of the Norwegian Competition Authority if the authority has any questions or wishes to discuss this matter in more detail with us.
Finn.no is owned by Schibsted. E24 is a subsidiary of the Schibsted group. Some of E24’s journalists have shares in Schibsted, through participation in the group’s share savings programme.
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2024-01-23 20:27:42
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