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THIS PRODUCT IS
UNAVAILABLE BECAUSE
MEDELA CLOSED OUR ACCOUNT
WHAT IS GOING ON?
BOYCOTT MEDELA PRODUCTS NOW?
Medela, Inc. is
by far the leading provider of breastfeeding products with more brand
name recognition than any other company in the breastfeeding industry. With their
control of the market we question if Medela is using their size & strength to eliminate
distributors who will not maintain high price levels (specifically on the Pump
In Style family of breastpumps). If the answer is yes (which only you can
decide), this means Medela artificially raises product cost for breastfeeding mothers and
thereby limits their access to quality
breastfeeding products.
The bottom line:
those who can not afford to pay excessive prices products often choose to STOP breastfeeding.
ARE WE BEING FOOLED?
Is
Medela is about serving breastfeeding women or are they more concerned with serving
their own financial interests
and those of other big businesses?
Medela's History of Price Fixing? You Decide.
Each year Medela rolls out a new "Distribution
Policy" that seemingly aims to keep Pump In Style pricing as high as possible.
2003
The
distribution policy presented at the time our distributorship was opened
restricted the sales of the Pump In Style Breastpump to any distributor selling
below 15% suggest retail price. Many Medela Dealers did not comply since this
was blatant price fixing.
1/19/04
Medela’s New Distribution Policy rolls out, requiring dealers to conduct at least
50% of their sales in a face to face selling environment. Was this was their way of
setting the stage to deny all future e-tailers of distributorship?
6/18/04
Medela
notifies e-tailers by certified letter telling them that they are restricting their
purchases of Pump In Style Breastpumps because e-tailers do not conduct 50% of
their business face to face.
1/21/05
E-tailers
receive “courtesy” calls from senior management at Medela, informing them of a
new distribution policy which effectively eliminates the ability to list the
price or sell a Pump In Style via the internet. E-tailers are informed that not
all retailers are subject to the on-line sales and advertising aspects of the
policy. Select retailers “are exempt.” When asked for the list of such
retailers, e-tailers are told that the information is “not available.”
THIS
POLICY APPEARS TO CREATE AN UN-LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR COMPETING BUSINESSES AND
APPEARS TO VIOLATE
FEDERAL LAW (SEE THE SHERMAN ACT). MEDELA, INC. ALLOWS BABIES R US, TARGET &
OTHER MAJOR RETAILERS TO ADVERTISE AND SELL PUMP IN STYLE BREATPUMPS ON LINE AT
PRICES WELL ABOVE WHAT SMALL BUSINESS E-TAILERS WERE OFFERING CONSUMERS.
UNTIL AND UNLESS THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT STOPS
THIS SEEMINGLY ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, E-TAILERS OF MEDELA PRODUCTS WILL CONTINUE TO GO OUT OF
BUSINESS AND THE PRICES THAT BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS PAY FOR BREASTPUMPS AND RELATED
PRODUCTS WILL BE ARTIFICIALLY HIGH.
2/18/05
Attorneys for Breastfeeding World hand-walked a complaint to the Justice
Department and threatened a lawsuit against Medela. Medela lifts
Breastfeeding World's Pump In Style purchasing limit temporarily but eventually....
8/9/05
Medela
closed Breastfeeding World’s distributorship and refused to provide any
explanation for doing so.
IF YOU BELIEVE THAT MEDELA'S
BUSINESS PRACTICES ARE ILLEGAL AND YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT MOTHERS PAYING
UNREASONABLY HIGH PRICES FOR BREASTFEEDING PRODUCTS...
FILE A COMPLAINT NOW!
Department of Justice
Antitrust Division - New Case Unit
950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Suite 3322
Washington, DC 20530
PLEASE
E-MAIL US THAT YOU HAVE FILED A COMPLIANT AND
STOOD UP FOR THE RIGHTS OF BREASTFEEDING MOMS!
There are enough barriers to
breastfeeding. Artificial financial constraints shouldn't be one of them.
Let's keep mothers and babies breastfeeding.
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Copyright © 2003 Rufina,
Inc.
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