Home Show Bullies

Sometimes you have to fight no matter the odds.

Did you hear about Remax suing a small South Carolina real estate agency over their logo? They claim that it was a trade mark infringement yet the logo didn't even resemble Remax's. Seriously, you be the judge...

They eventually dropped the suit, due in large part to the negative backlash by the press and in social media outlets. It seems that Remax has a reputation of trying to be the bully against small and medium sized businesses. You hear rumours and stories about it but until it becomes a a part of your reality you never imagine the power of big money.

This past week-end was the annual spring home show at the Aud in Kitchener. For the third consecutive year we were very excited as it hastily approached. 2008 proved to be a success and we committed to the same booth space for 2009 well in advance (last summer). We borrowed our main concept this year from an idea another franchisee had and made arrangements to have a Harley Davidson Super Glide in our booth. We noticed in the pre-show material that Remax had not only came in as the major sponsor for the show but was also located right across the aisle from our booth (B127). With a very attractive value proposition we were thrilled about the opportunity to take on this giant face to face.

With out getting into the finest of details after the first day we were relocated out of the main show area and into the hallway between the two arenas (LL02/LL03). Not the most professional place by any means. We were given a partial refund and the impression that we would not be welcome back next year. This is not the first time a PropertyGuys.com franchise has seen this happen. PropertyGuys.com St. John's NFLD ran into it when Remax came in and sponsored the local home show. They went from being voted "Best Marketing of New Homes" in the single booth category in the 2006 show to "not allowed to participate" in 2007. This is their way to control the market. Large companies like Remax come in, throw money at the organizer, flex their muscle and try to suffocate smaller more attractive options.

Last time I checked Canada was a place where we are all entitled to compete in a free and open market. In Canada we have a government agency "overseeing" this type of thing. The Competition Bureau has a mandate to help small companies in this situation. Here is a quote from their Website:

"ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises have an equitable opportunity to participate in the Canadian economy"

When you look through the exhibitor list from the home show you will see many competing businesses throughout the list. I did a quick summary and came up with a list of some of the categories:

• Landscaping x 13 Companies
• Heating and Cooling x 10 Companies
• Windows and Doors x 9 Companies
• Roofing x 8 Companies
• Financial Services x 8 Companies
• Painters x 6 Companies
• Flooring x 5 Companies
• Fences and Decks x 4 Companies
• Water Services x 4 Companies

If there was only one company from each of these services allowed in the show would they even have a show? How can one company dictate if their competitors are allowed to attend when clearly the event is based upon allowing fair and open competition giving greater choice to the consumer creating the draw? We had a videographer at the show to interview other attendees and I thought we would have a walk through to give you our prospective of the move.



The choice of which service you should choose should not be decided by the company with the biggest bank account but by you the consumer, after all it is the Canadian way. If you want to lodge a complaint against Remax to help preserve your rights as a consumer you can do so here. I would also welcome your comments here on the blog.

Hope to see you next year @ the Aud!

M