How Antitrust Laws Might Save Your Budget
Have you ever wondered what the most regularly broken law in the parking printer & paper industry is? Probably not, because you've got better things to worry about. Unfortunately, there's a good chance that it's the Sherman & Clayton Acts and it could be costing your operation valuable budget dollars. These two laws come together to form what is known as the Sherman-Clayton Antitrust Law.
If you want the full legalese version of the law, as well as it's other components, check out this article.
Why does this 100+ year old law matter to you and your parking operations? Because it could save you thousands of dollars a year, and not just on parking citation rolls & pay station receipts. The law states (among other things) that a company cannot require that you use only their separate product in their equipment. For instance, a handheld printer manufacturer cannot claim that using a competitors paper will void their warranty. This is a clear example of a breach of Antitrust Law.
The OEM may not even be aware of the regulation but regardless it limits your options and ties you to a price that may be well in excess of the market average. If you've been getting this sort of story from a supplier, we suggest telling them that such a claim is a breach of U.S. Antitrust law and ask that they check with their legal department before you proceed with the contract or proposal.
Some manufacturers have found a way around this by simply offering to provide the media as a part of the contract, or on a subscription based service. In this case, we suggest to see a version of the proposal that does not include media and use the difference to determine how much you're paying for the paper.
If you suspect you've been forced to pay a higher price for parking media be sure to discuss it with your legal department.
