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Sure, if you remove the features which are problematic, the process ceases to be problematic! But the actual process as described involves an algorithm operate
by notahacker 4y ago
Sure, if you remove the features which are problematic, the process ceases to be problematic!
But the actual process as described involves an algorithm operated by a third party varying an organization's price, a representative of that company being required to communicate their acceptance or disagreement with reasons to the third party, the staff member with that executive responsibility being encouraged to speak to a representative of the third party, and escalate to unspecified management only in the case a "dispute" is not resolved by that third party.
That's not at all similar to how a regular approval process works with even the most junior staff members, and the idea it applies only to front of house staff is entirely your invention.
Every member of every unlawful cartel ever had senior decision makers who chose to sign up to the cartel and could tell it to bugger off or make the odd exception. That doesn't mean they can't be accused of price fixing in the event they take the decision to delegate day to day pricing to an organization also setting their competitors' prices, or even worse involve them in the review/approval chain for exceptions to those prices.
- vel0city 4y ago> Awaiting approval from your manager to change the price is not evidence of price fixing, which is what I originally replied to. This is ultimately all I'm arguing. I'm entirely in agreement the relationship between RP and a significant chunk of the market, and the fact they're naming the pricing strategy as coordinated sounds exactly like price fixing. But, requiring a manager to approve a change in pricing, that isn't odd. That singular thing, that's all I'm talking about, because that's what I originally replied to here. > > await approval > Sure seems like RealPage is price fixing then Awaiting approval from your manager to change the price is not evidence of price fixing. Do you disagree with this basic premise?
- notahacker 4y agoI disagree with the basic premise that what is actually described in the situation described - a third party called a "RealParty Pricing Advisor" does not need approval from a manager to change prices, whilst an employee tasked with the responsibility of confirming the day's prices is presented with the options of either confirming the change (to the third party) or entering into a dispute resolution process (involving the third party) even just to keep one of the prices the same - represents a normal process of price changes being signed off by a manager.