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Best bankrupt? Not bankrupt!

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Jamie-NYC
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Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby Jamie-NYC » Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:17 pm

If Peter Stiewe has indeed left the company how much of a future can it have? That company survived on great kite design, now designer gone? How can this be confirmed/corroborated?

If you have an existing dealer network, how you make a transition to direct sales is critical. Don't screw your partners, especially when they can shape market opinion of your company. Best is screwing their (former) partners, which is not a plan for the future.

Looking different this time. Too bad that it appears the company won't be transferred to stronger hands before it's too late.

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sq225917
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Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby sq225917 » Thu Jun 15, 2017 3:21 pm

I can confirm that Peter has left, he told me personally this week. Maybe everyone else there should leave and start again, and do it like it was four years ago before the current owner got involved.

Great service, great kites, great prices and good times. Seems like so long ago.

Tone
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Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby Tone » Thu Jun 15, 2017 3:51 pm

sq225917 wrote:
Thu Jun 15, 2017 3:21 pm
I can confirm that Peter has left, he told me personally this week. Maybe everyone else there should leave and start again, and do it like it was four years ago before the current owner got involved.

Great service, great kites, great prices and good times. Seems like so long ago.
Bloody hell where'd you come from Sq??!?!

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windrt
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Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby windrt » Thu Jun 15, 2017 3:58 pm

sq225917 wrote:
Thu Jun 15, 2017 3:21 pm
I can confirm that Peter has left, he told me personally this week. Maybe everyone else there should leave and start again, and do it like it was four years ago before the current owner got involved.

Great service, great kites, great prices and good times. Seems like so long ago.
:thumb:

Jamie-NYC
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Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby Jamie-NYC » Thu Jun 15, 2017 4:23 pm

Have just read over and tried to sort the info from the spanish forum, and it's grim. This is more than a rough patch for Best, it is a criminal investigation into it's owners (who are obviously completely awful), undoubtedly with civil suits to follow (if they are not already in the works). The brand will be tied up in the courts for years. Shannon Best will not get his name back.

To anyone reading here, money sent to Best to purchase from the site at the discounted prices may very well disappear - you become a creditor in a bankruptcy proceeding, and there are much bigger creditors (6 million Euro?) in line ahead of you.

Agree with posters who have suggested that you buy from former dealers - they will match the prices to get rid of the stock. But forget about any warranty.

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windrt
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Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby windrt » Thu Jun 15, 2017 4:51 pm

what spanish forum Jamie-NYC ?

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sq225917
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Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby sq225917 » Thu Jun 15, 2017 5:01 pm

Tone wrote:
Thu Jun 15, 2017 3:51 pm


Bloody hell where'd you come from Sq??!?!
I've been here all along. Just not that much to say as I don't have a hand in the game these days.

If you do buy online pay by credit card rather than debit card or paypal, then you are covered, no risk. I'll actually be buying a 12m TS for myself, great kites and good prices.

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tautologies
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Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby tautologies » Thu Jun 15, 2017 5:46 pm

sq225917 wrote:
Thu Jun 15, 2017 5:01 pm
Tone wrote:
Thu Jun 15, 2017 3:51 pm


Bloody hell where'd you come from Sq??!?!
I've been here all along. Just not that much to say as I don't have a hand in the game these days.

If you do buy online pay by credit card rather than debit card or paypal, then you are covered, no risk. I'll actually be buying a 12m TS for myself, great kites and good prices.
SQ!!!!!!!!!! How are you. Then at least something positive came out of this thread.

Jamie-NYC
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Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby Jamie-NYC » Thu Jun 15, 2017 7:55 pm

windrt wrote:
Thu Jun 15, 2017 4:51 pm
what spanish forum Jamie-NYC ?
Apologies, the El Confidencial site linked prior page. Have found one other description of the circumstances surrounding Dolset, ZED, Pure Action Sports at:

https://www.kippel01.com/empresa/antico ... esurf.html
Last edited by Jamie-NYC on Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Flyboy
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Re: Best bankrupt?

Postby Flyboy » Thu Jun 15, 2017 8:50 pm

Interesting story. I bought a quiver of Waroos back in 2006 - 16m, 12m, 9m - the only time I've bought a complete quiver of new kites. I paid around $350 - $450 each as I recall. In spite of the bad mouthing of Best by other companies, the Waroos were good kites. I think they were better than the first generation bow kites from some of the big name companies & although relatively lightly built (a plus in some ways) they lasted me 4 - 5 years with no problems.

Direct selling seems the likely future for kite sales - it's a small market with the majority of buyers fairly knowledgeable (I would guess). Demoing kites is all very well, but it's not a very practical proposition in most situations - need ideal conditions - hard to come by - & a bit of time to understand the particular kites performance. I have to sat Branson would seem an obvious person to own a kite company - why not? He's got the cash & the interest.


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