Speedmaster ripping off Broader Performance video - Buyer's beware

[thatdarncat]

Broader Performance just posted a video illustrating how Speedmaster is blatantly ripping him off. Video is about 20 minutes long. A good consumer heads up, and some points to consider considering the many other products they copy.

Please be respectful of Jay's forum with any "political" comments.

A bit of a warning for the language too, essentially for some who might be watching at work in the office.

https://youtu.be/9dsHrSq8pso?si=I9W7C7dWwQwMluWL

[Stangman]

It’s sad that they get away with this stuff. Probably have an army of lawyers that squash the little guys

[cjshaker]

It’s sad that they get away with this stuff. Probably have an army of lawyers that squash the little guys

You're right, but what really irks me is that Summit is selling the parts. That puts their whole reputation as a business in suspect. What else are they selling that's fake?

[driveamerican]

Here locally a man with a family aggregate plant was railroaded by Sacramento county and Teichert construction. He won the first part worth around 20 million for lost revenue. He still has personal litigation with the board that he won't settle because he won't do the NDA stuff. I would love to see something like that with him and speedmaster.

[Barry_R]

We - collectively as a consumer group - have done this to ourselves.

That company - under their current Speedmaster name and the previous Pro-Comp Electronics name - have been stealing designs and logos from recognized manufacturers for decades now.  They have visually cloned items from MSD, Holley, Autometer, and Edelbrock.  There have been a couple lawsuits, but nothing really deters them.  The parts have quality ranging from acceptable to dismal to outright dangerous.  They often supply private label product to large retailers.  The parts proliferate on eBay and Facebook.  The parts are visually identical to the "good stuff", sometimes to the point of including the brand name or logo of the original manufacturer.  They make claims about metallugy, performance and design that are entirely unproven and often unprovable by folks in the consumer marketplace. 

This is not the same as a company designing a product and sourcing it offshore - such as Scat does.  While not as desirable to us as making it here would be, they are not cloning somebody else's work, and they are not deceptive as to origin, quality or source country.

The only common thread is that the parts are cheaper - much cheaper.  Many customers purchase them, rationalizing the decision by saying that this is "just as good" as the real products at a lower cost.  When a large percentage of the high volume product sales go away, the original manufacturer has limited choices - they can raise prices on the rest of the line, purchase their own parts from a low cost country, or throw in the proverbial towel.

[Katz427]

I am , aware of how this Aussie based company runs, ( even a couple of Americans on board) they have lawyers, and lots of $$$$$$. This part  the original Broader valvebody, was sent out for bid, an a bid accepted. Reverse engineering,  but someone,  forgot to tell, that the Broader Performance,  logo should not be on the part.  Should the parts be scrapped,  or just sell them, and let the lawyers, settle any repercussions.  Obviously Speedmaster management chose , the latter.  Since it is an Aussie company, should not be too big a deal, to have them stop selling parts with Broader's logo machined in. However Barry , is correct, it won't stop Speedmaster, from doing, what their business model, has been since their founding. And for Doug, Summit didn't  know who or what Broader Perfomance is, though they probably  do now.

[driveamerican]

I sent a note to Summit just asking them to do the right thing and pull their products until they make it right with Broader. I am sure it will get ignored but maybe if enough of us let Summit know this isn't Ok they will do something.

[gregaba]

Don't forget Jegs who is a big seller and pusher of speedmaster part's.
I have mostly stopped buying from them for this reason.
Greg

[Katz427]

After making a " call " it appears that only the first run of valve bodies, had the Broader Performance logo, someone noticed and now the valvebodies have the Speedmaster logo. Speedmaster did reverse engineer, the Broader valvebody, and there is not much, that will come of that, ( Speedmaster has the $$$$$ ), but as Broader said, in the video, just have to be smarter.

[hwoods]

we the people got screwed when the "MAP" policies went into effect.  Courts ruled it was not price fixing, but tomato, tomoto?

I would like to find suppliers other than Summitt and Jegs. 

[driveamerican]

Summit sent a message and pulled those parts and are talking to speed master. I was actually surprised they responded so quickly.

[Barry_R]

we the people got screwed when the "MAP" policies went into effect.  Courts ruled it was not price fixing, but tomato, tomoto?

I would like to find suppliers other than Summitt and Jegs.

MAP pricing is driven by the manufacturers - not by retailers such as Summit or Jegs.
When I was at F-M and previously at Holley it was a constant battle to get the retail giants to alter their pricing on high volume parts.
Their respective business model was to always be cheaper than everyone else (including each other).
They would sell the higher volume parts below cost if necessary, and neither one would "blink" in a price battle.
All of their profit margin came from deal structure below the invoice - such as volume rebates from the various manufacturers.

This drove all of the little guys in the market out of business, and prevented innovation since cost was the only factor in selling to them.
We as manufacturers would sometimes change a part number just to work around the road blocks this put up.

MAP pricing - as distasteful as it is - fixed this problem.

[TomP]

Good on Summit...

https://add.pics/YVn5Db

[cjshaker]

Good on Summit...

https://add.pics/YVn5Db

Outstanding. Now if the others would follow this path.

[pbf777]

We - collectively as a consumer group - have done this to ourselves.

      In this entire thread, this is the message that needs to be understood, and then acted upon by this very group.   

      Expecting that we as a society can continue in our current purchasing practices, assuming that someone else should shoulder the responsibility to fix everything gong awry, whether that be the Business/Retailer, or the Courts, or then even Government, is misguided, irresponsible, and the very behavior that these unscrupulous vendors, manufactures and even Countries, count on; which unfortunately seems to scratch the itch that American consumers sadly seem to respond to.   

      Didn't your parents teach you anything!   

      Scott.