Hello, pitch raising, etc.

[PDtek@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 98-11-26 17:20:24 EST, you write:

> Delwin D Fandrich wrote:
>  
>  >Actually, it's not illegal to discuss our prices.  It's illegal to
conspire
>  >together to either fix them or set them

I have an attorney friend that I tune for. Some time back when there was a
similar discussion going on about tuning prices, I asked him if there were any
legal ramifications in doing so. With a stern quietness as if someone might be
listening in, he said, "Do NOT ever post anything about prices, and if you
have already, send a post saying that you did not know that this is wrong, and
then never be heard from on the subject again. Apparantly he knows what he is
talking about. He spent his first years as a lawyer as a prosecutor for the
Federal Trade Commision. A group of very humor impaired folks. The trouble
with the price fixing laws is that there is a vast gray area open to
interpretation. Since it is very difficult to actually catch anyone meeting to
fix prices, ANY appearance of doing so can lead to prosecution, even a couple
of tuners having lunch together and discussing pricing in ANY context, let
alone having it in writing on the internet where the information could
influence hundreds. The theory is that just the mere discussion of pricing can
influence others with a negetive effect on the public. True or not, thats the
way they see it.

Of course the bottom line is that we tuners are pretty small potatoes in the
whole scheme of things, and the FTC has probably got better things to do with
their time.

If your tastes, however, run to horror movies and Stephen King novels, go to
your favorite search engine and do a search on "price fixing". You will read
some stories that just might keep you up tonight.

Happy Holidays!

Dave