Display Competitors Products

[lukeh1101]

Hi,
Is it legal to show competitors products next to ours in our showroom to identify differences?

We feel customers need to be able to see their product against ours as competitors say they are the same however there are considerable quality differences between the two.

Thanks!

 

[sarahjohs]

It may not be illegal but it is best to stay away from such a thing. If the competitor company finds out, you would have to deal with many unpleasant situations. Even if they don't take you to court, they could start trashing your product and also gang up with other competitors.

If at all you have to demonstrate how your product is better than the competitor's, you could do it in a way the logo or trade mark of the brand is covered.

 

[StepUp1]

Hi,
Is it legal to show competitors products next to ours in our showroom to identify differences?

We feel customers need to be able to see their product against ours as competitors say they are the same however there are considerable quality differences between the two.

Thanks!

Part of my job is to do this - if the competitors post product info on their website etc, then there is no issue and they will probably be doing the same. And anyway, if I go shopping I compare products so I don't see how there could be an issue?!

 

[lukeh1101]

Thanks for both replys. Yes, we dont want to be seen as a company who targets custom by rubbishing the quality of our competitors. We just find it hard to explain why our quotes (which include materials and construction of a far superior quality) may be more than others without doing this.
I think yes we will hide the manufacturers name, and then let the customers go to the other places informed of our quality to ask them their specs. If it comes down to the customers asking us then we may decide to tell them or if they ask us to explain the differences between us and a certain competitor we will be honest. We will probably just take the approach of letting the customer initiate that discussion.