Dealing with unhanded tactics of competition

fairyclicks

Hi all,

My partner has been trying to set up his own fish keeping business and is doing so fully legally - getting pet shop licenses informed inland revenue etc. It was doing really well however as soon as he published his website another person who claims to not be running a business (on DLA and not registered with inland revenue etc) has been causing major problems.

This person set up a forum and claimed she was going to corner the marketplace - as far as we know they report any ads placed on gumtree which was the main advertising source so anyone has to register on this forum to gain access to advertising etc. As far as we can tell this person has done this simply to publicise their own fish. This person has been selling fish for 5 years at least.

Anyone who is in competition with them at all is banned from joining the forum including my partner. This person has been posting all sorts of lies about my partner and we have been reliably informed they say a lot of negative things about my partner to anyone that will listen. My partners reputation is being ruined by this person just when he is trying to get started - its really hitting him hard.

My question is how on earth could we do something to try and prevent the impact of this on the business? We have gone to the police and they have recorded the threats etc however its basically not a police matter. We have set up our own forum and it is starting to grow slowly but most of the local fish keepers are on the other forum and being fed nonsense - i don't get how they can't see what is happening.

Anyway, sorry for the long post and any advice would be much welcome.

Thanks Fairy

tinktay84

I think you are doing the right thin by plodding on, been in similar position myself.
You will always get people that are out to destroy anyone that tries to earn a living and any legitimaate business wold not ned to slate the competition.

I see at least one obvious pointer here.... 'on DLA and not registered with inland revenue etc' If this person is indeed on DLA an not registered with HMRC and it is easy to prve im sre HMRC and Benefits would love to chat to them.

When i had the same sort of issue people said the same to me but I never spoke up, I just plodded on and proved I was bigger and stronger. Im a great believer in karma so thought I would leave the person to it

patman99

Hmmm, methinks your partner needs to report all her ads to gumtree ( after of course he has printed them off as evidence to send to the benefits fraud team).

Seriously, You or your partner need to grass this person up to HMRC and the DLA team. As she appears to be selling fish, I do hope she has the correct MAF license for any she imports. Would be a shame if someone checked with the authorities wouldn't it ?.

Business is all about looking for ways to undermine your competitors in order to climb the ladder towards multi-outlet status. The tough survive, the weak go under.

WhiteHorse

Depending on what is being said, and if you can obtain concrete proof, perhaps a suitably menacing solicitors letter would do the trick.

fairyclicks

Thanks for your replies much appreciated!! We have thought about going down the reporting route but also don't want to lower ourselves to her standards if you know what i mean......It is an option but maybe a last resort one for us. We also don't want to risk making our reputation any worse - if she gets reported i know the finger will be pointed our way for sure. She has been saying its us reporting her on gumtree when it is not and so are very hesitant to give her something else to bad mouth us about.

I have been saying all the lets just get bigger and stronger stuff so its great to hear that approach has worked for you tinktay84 - sometimes its just so hard to know what to do for the best isn't it?

patman99

Op, is there any way you or your partner can anonymously sign up to the forum she runs and print-off all of the defamatory comments she has made regarding you partner's business ?. These could well be her undoing. Comments posted about people/companies on the web come under libel, so if they are made with the deliberate intent to damage trade, then your partner may well be able to clean her out if he so wishes.

fairyclicks

WhiteHorse wrote: »

Depending on what is being said, and if you can obtain concrete proof, perhaps a suitably menacing solicitors letter would do the trick.

Yes we had thought of that too - we do have some proof - printed out copies of forum discussions but our name is never mentioned - everything else is and its obvious who she is talking about. We do also have a few people who would be willing to go on the record as such about what was said to them in her house. Do you think this would suffice?

fairyclicks

patman99 wrote: »

Op, is there any way you or your partner can anonymously sign up to the forum she runs and print-off all of the defamatory comments she has made regarding you partner's business ?. These could well be her undoing. Comments posted about people/companies on the web come under libel, so if they are made with the deliberate intent to damage trade, then your partner may well be able to clean her out if he so wishes.

Yes we have done that so we know what is being said. We are also keeping proof of her sales etc on there as well should we choose to go the other route - the problem as i said in my previous post is the name is never actually used not in the forum discussion anyway we believe she is using PM's to name names.

patman99

Fairyclicks, by reporting her, you will not be lowering yourselves to her level, far from it, by doing nothing you are already down on the same level as her.

Btw, has your partner got a Facebook page up yet?. I've heard that these are good business tools along with a blog and a Twitter feed.

paddyrg

I don't think there's any harm in an anonymous tip off https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/benefitfraud/ - it is your public duty above all else. MAF if they're unlicensed. RSPCA if they're cruel.

How about setting up a forum of your own - it will take time to build, but offer 'free advice on keeping fish from a fully registered, legal supplier' and make a point of saying you're a professional, legal shop inviting inspection, aftercare and drop-in questions, so people can buy from you with confidence. It implies that some dealers are unregistered, bedroom/shed breeders with no possibility of a drop-in professional service. Don't point the finger in public, let others join the dots.

fairyclicks

Thank you all for taking the time to respond - its much appreciated! I think we are doing most of the things mentioned so its good to have that confirmed really. I have talked OH into focusing on marketing for now and keeping evidence as well should we go down the reporting or legal routes. Our forum is growing day by day and i keep saying we just need to make ours more attractive to entice people over - as soon as they see the info and photos of OH fish they will know its all been nonsense - hopefully she will only do herself damage in the longer term