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Old 9 December 2019, 12:25 PM   #1
Exploradori
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Can Rolex be sued?

Genuine question: given the huge market manipulation that we have seen in the Rolex market, can the company be taken to court? I'm not a lawyer but I would really like to hear from people familiar with consumer protection laws in the different countries. I know that false advertising is prosecuted by the law. I know that discrimination is too. Not to talk about market manipulation.

It seems to me that the current state of the market has all this elements no? You see advertisements all around for watches that are not available. Or worse, not available to certain people but yes for others. You see non-authorized dealers manipulating the market, etc.

Can a case be made? Especially in the US/Europe? Honest intellectual discussion.
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Old 9 December 2019, 12:29 PM   #2
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Short answer No.

Why, it would be like suing Ferrari for not making enough cars for people to buy

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Old 9 December 2019, 12:33 PM   #3
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Short answer No.

Why, it would be like suing Ferrari for not making enough cars for people to buy

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A strange analogy if this answer based on a product being out of stock?
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Old 9 December 2019, 12:40 PM   #4
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Do you have proof that Rolex has manipulated anything or broken any law?

Does Rolex make or charge anything beyond their standard wholesale profits?

Is Rolex illegally "fixing" retail prices too low to force competitors out of business?

Are they somehow inhibiting or pressuring competition?

What, exactly, would be the basis for a lawsuit against Rolex?
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Old 9 December 2019, 08:04 PM   #5
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Do you have proof that Rolex has manipulated anything or broken any law?

Does Rolex make or charge anything beyond their standard wholesale profits?

Is Rolex illegally "fixing" retail prices too low to force competitors out of business?

Are they somehow inhibiting or pressuring competition?

What, exactly, would be the basis for a lawsuit against Rolex?
Nail, head bang!


There's a 3 year waiting list for the car I want. Who do I sue?

It's raining here today. The forecast said it would be dry. I must be able to sue somebody for this. The question is who?

My local shop ran out of my preferred biscuits......
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Old 10 December 2019, 09:19 AM   #6
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Do you have proof that Rolex has manipulated anything or broken any law?



Does Rolex make or charge anything beyond their standard wholesale profits?



Is Rolex illegally "fixing" retail prices too low to force competitors out of business?



Are they somehow inhibiting or pressuring competition?



What, exactly, would be the basis for a lawsuit against Rolex?


The above are the key questions.

Steve


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Old 9 December 2019, 12:38 PM   #7
SeikoBake
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Anybody can be sued for anything...
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:59 PM   #8
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Anybody can be sued for anything...
True.

But in this case of reported inventory issues, doubtful unless a Rolex importer was caught circumventing any trade or anti trust laws by redirecting stock to a place that can't legally import or sell them. (link below courtesy link owner)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Pyongyang.html
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Old 9 December 2019, 12:39 PM   #9
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L m a o
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:02 PM   #10
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L m a o


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Old 9 December 2019, 01:05 PM   #11
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All these haters in here would gladly take their cut of the class action lawsuit.
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:07 PM   #12
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Stop it.
Ridiculous.
There is no shortage.
Go to any grey, they have tons of any of them.
When will people open their eyes about this?
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Old 9 December 2019, 07:53 PM   #13
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l m a o
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Old 9 December 2019, 09:41 PM   #14
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L m a o

This
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Old 9 December 2019, 12:45 PM   #15
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really? it's really come to this? really?!

you can sue anybody you want for whatever you want (at least in the US), so sure.

if what you're asking is whether you'd have any semblance of a legitimate case, or any chance of winning anything, no.

if you see an advertisement for a nice pair of Levi's jeans that you like, head to a clothing store, and find they've run out of your size and somebody is selling them at a markup on ebay, do you think you ought to sue levi's for that?
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:01 PM   #16
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I was told by a retailer in france that there was plans for legal action against Rolex from the retailers based on lack of supply and the outrageous prices that they have to pay to carry Rolex -
I am not sure if it was a serious statement or some musings of a frustrated AD, or a different spin on a way to tell me that they had watches, but didn't want my money unless its friends were coming to the party as well...

I could somewhat see a legitimate case there, if the retailers felt that they were promised X, but received Y as a result of the hot models being deferred to bigger markets... If you're a small AD paying Rolex $1m per year and getting nothing but unsellable DJ28mm and PM Daydates and Skydwellers, then there may be cause for claiming a violation of contract...if, and it is a BIG 'IF', that anywhere in the contract, it is written that they get X amount of Pepsi/Daytona/blue SkyD etc per year...

But for any individual consumer - to sue Rolex for not meeting consumer demand, sounds like the kind of statement where we don't know to laugh at your joke, or to be genuinely concerned about your mental well being
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Old 10 December 2019, 09:25 AM   #17
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I was told by a retailer in france that there was plans for legal action against Rolex from the retailers based on lack of supply and the outrageous prices that they have to pay to carry Rolex -
I am not sure if it was a serious statement or some musings of a frustrated AD, or a different spin on a way to tell me that they had watches, but didn't want my money unless its friends were coming to the party as well...

I could somewhat see a legitimate case there, if the retailers felt that they were promised X, but received Y as a result of the hot models being deferred to bigger markets... If you're a small AD paying Rolex $1m per year and getting nothing but unsellable DJ28mm and PM Daydates and Skydwellers, then there may be cause for claiming a violation of contract...if, and it is a BIG 'IF', that anywhere in the contract, it is written that they get X amount of Pepsi/Daytona/blue SkyD etc per year...

But for any individual consumer - to sue Rolex for not meeting consumer demand, sounds like the kind of statement where we don't know to laugh at your joke, or to be genuinely concerned about your mental well being

Unless Rolex promised them a certain number of a specific watch as part of the contract, they are guilty of nothing. Now if they are in breach of contract by not supplying watches they promised as part of the contract they can be sued for breaching the agreement. I’d imagine they have done no such thing.


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Old 9 December 2019, 01:00 PM   #18
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Geez Louise....now I’ve heard everything. It’s just a watch.
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:02 PM   #19
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I don't really think the OP was asking if Rolex could have a suit filed against them so much as he was asking whether there could be a viable claim considering what's going on in the market.

As someone else noted, the answer is no. Rolex is free to make as many or as few pieces as they wish, and no government can (or would try to) tell them they have to ramp up or down production. Moreover, Rolex has no affiliation with or responsibility to curb the gray or after markets. I'm not as familiar with the particulars with the relationship between Rolex and ADs, but I can't think of any means by which an ADs actions could be imputed to Rolex for purposes of liability, and I suspect Rolex makes sure the relationship is created in such a way as to insulate them from AD actions that may adversely affect them (other than to cut off an AD whose actions may be seen to cast aspersions on the company itself).
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:07 PM   #20
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Rolex isn't manipulating the market for luxury watches. It has many competitors and there is no evidence Rolex is working with them to set prices. That would be illegal. They have every right to set their own prices/manipulate supply for their wares. That's just called running a business.
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:13 PM   #21
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If you sue, you’ll be taken off the wait list.
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:24 PM   #22
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If you sue, you’ll be taken off the wait list.
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Old 9 December 2019, 08:03 PM   #23
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LOL
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:29 PM   #24
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Can Rolex be sued?

YES! Call your Lawyer IMMEDIATELY! Give the firm a Large Retainer and let them know you are in it for the long haul!
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:36 PM   #25
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Wtf?
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:38 PM   #26
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Insofar as Birkin and Ferrari are bullet proof for the same practices...no, those cases will likely be thrown out.

The ads aren't saying the product is available or warranting anything about availability. The ads are simply showing a picture of what the product is.
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Old 9 December 2019, 01:43 PM   #27
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I would sue them for not charging enough on their ss sport pieces! LMAO!!!

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Old 9 December 2019, 01:56 PM   #28
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Just save the money and go grey.
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Old 9 December 2019, 11:34 PM   #29
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Just save the money and go grey.


My favorite post here.



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Old 9 December 2019, 02:13 PM   #30
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Yawn....
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