G
Guest1
Guest
Posted: March 18, 2008, 8:39 PM in the National Post by Diane Francis
Greed, Canadian Politics
Some companies are still charging Canadians more than American consumers even though our currencies have been at par for months and appear as though they will stay that way.
In the fall, I wrote about the Canadians who were buying luxury cars in the U.S. to bring them home and saving $20,000. That, and other adverse publicity, resulted in markdowns of prices for certain cars here in Canada and helped spur even more vehicle imports to a record total.
What follows is another example of price discrimination against Canadians by BRP, formerly Bombardier Recreational Products, and its Ski-Doos.
They are offering snowmobiles for next fall at 20% higher prices than to Americans, and forbidding their American dealers from selling to Canadians, said a long-time customer who asked to remain nameless. BRP will not honor warranties on Ski-Doos bought by Canadians in the U.S. and brought home.
Canadians overcharge Canadians
It’s even more annoying because there products are first-class, because the company’s founder, a Canadian named Armand Bombardier, invented the ski-doo and because the Bombardier family and its companies have received massive taxpayer assistance over the years.
(BRP is no longer part of Bombardier Inc. A few years ago, the family-controlled public company sold it to a partnership which included the family with 25%, U.S. private equity outfit Bain & Co. 50% and the Caisse de Depot et Placements du Quebec the rest.)
“I know you and others at the NP have previously written about ‘price discrimination’ of Canadian consumers (especially on vehicles) as the Canadian dollar soared. These circumstances were, I believe, largely the result of dislocations due to unanticipated exchange rate changes,” wrote a reader who asked to remain nameless.
“However, here is a circumstance that is unexplainable - other than it exists because an arrogant Quebec company believes they can exploit Canadian consumers.”
“BRP Recreational Products is offering advance orders for new snowmobiles, to be delivered next fall, to Canadian customers at prices over 20% (C$2,400 on many models) higher than the price offered to U.S. consumers,” he wrote.
He said there is no excuse for higher prices and those amounts quoted do not include freight costs or give an allowance for currency differences.
Check it out yourself
“Simply go to their website (www.ski-doo.com - BRP Ski-Doo), select Canada or the U.S. and then select a specific snowmobile model. Do it again for the other country and you get the price difference. That is, they are knowingly pursuing price discrimination.”
He uses the example of model Rev-XP, Summit 800R, 154 which will cost Canadian buyers $13,549 and American buyers $11,149.
For the U.S. price go to and for the Canadian price go to
In conclusion my reader said “I am not a competitor and have no financial interest other than as a consumer. I own four snowmobiles, all made by BRP but I am deferring buying a new one based on this price discrimination.”
SAME CH!T as LAST YEAR....BOYCOTT BRP!!!
Greed, Canadian Politics
Some companies are still charging Canadians more than American consumers even though our currencies have been at par for months and appear as though they will stay that way.
In the fall, I wrote about the Canadians who were buying luxury cars in the U.S. to bring them home and saving $20,000. That, and other adverse publicity, resulted in markdowns of prices for certain cars here in Canada and helped spur even more vehicle imports to a record total.
What follows is another example of price discrimination against Canadians by BRP, formerly Bombardier Recreational Products, and its Ski-Doos.
They are offering snowmobiles for next fall at 20% higher prices than to Americans, and forbidding their American dealers from selling to Canadians, said a long-time customer who asked to remain nameless. BRP will not honor warranties on Ski-Doos bought by Canadians in the U.S. and brought home.
Canadians overcharge Canadians
It’s even more annoying because there products are first-class, because the company’s founder, a Canadian named Armand Bombardier, invented the ski-doo and because the Bombardier family and its companies have received massive taxpayer assistance over the years.
(BRP is no longer part of Bombardier Inc. A few years ago, the family-controlled public company sold it to a partnership which included the family with 25%, U.S. private equity outfit Bain & Co. 50% and the Caisse de Depot et Placements du Quebec the rest.)
“I know you and others at the NP have previously written about ‘price discrimination’ of Canadian consumers (especially on vehicles) as the Canadian dollar soared. These circumstances were, I believe, largely the result of dislocations due to unanticipated exchange rate changes,” wrote a reader who asked to remain nameless.
“However, here is a circumstance that is unexplainable - other than it exists because an arrogant Quebec company believes they can exploit Canadian consumers.”
“BRP Recreational Products is offering advance orders for new snowmobiles, to be delivered next fall, to Canadian customers at prices over 20% (C$2,400 on many models) higher than the price offered to U.S. consumers,” he wrote.
He said there is no excuse for higher prices and those amounts quoted do not include freight costs or give an allowance for currency differences.
Check it out yourself
“Simply go to their website (www.ski-doo.com - BRP Ski-Doo), select Canada or the U.S. and then select a specific snowmobile model. Do it again for the other country and you get the price difference. That is, they are knowingly pursuing price discrimination.”
He uses the example of model Rev-XP, Summit 800R, 154 which will cost Canadian buyers $13,549 and American buyers $11,149.
For the U.S. price go to and for the Canadian price go to
In conclusion my reader said “I am not a competitor and have no financial interest other than as a consumer. I own four snowmobiles, all made by BRP but I am deferring buying a new one based on this price discrimination.”
SAME CH!T as LAST YEAR....BOYCOTT BRP!!!
...we all know Yamaha and Polaris would win that title 
THAN OUR OWN HOMIES............ 
