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Arawak Cement Limited Files Complaint with Fair Trading Commission Against Rock Hard Cement,with documents

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Rock HardThe ongoing battle between Arawak Cement Limited and Rock Hard Cement Limited for marketshare has escalated to the Fair Trading Commission (FTC). The law firm Belgrave Eastmond Associates acting on behalf of Arawak Cement has lodged a complaint to the FTC citing several breaches of the Consumer Protection Act as it relates to Rock Hard Cement advertising.

Section 12 (2)

A person shall not. in trade or commerce as a supplier, engage in conduct that is, or is likely to be, misleading or deceptive.

AND

Section 13

A person shall not in trade, or as a supplier,

(a) falsely represent that goods are of a particular standard, quality, grade or composition, style or model or have had a particular history, or a particular previous use;

 

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119 responses to “Arawak Cement Limited Files Complaint with Fair Trading Commission Against Rock Hard Cement,with documents”

  1. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Maloney is greedy and a narcissistic liar….so who is surprised.

  2. Consumer Avatar
    Consumer

    Lynette Eastmond, where were you when Arawak was charging us $30 a bag all these blasted years. I have no time for Arawak nitpicking. #ArawakCement has robbed bajan consumers for years.

  3. David Avatar
    David

    How much foreign exchange has Barbados had to expend to import Rock Hard cement?

  4. Prodigal Son Avatar
    Prodigal Son

    Another question should be asked. ……is this cement coming in duty free?

  5. Charlie Avatar
    Charlie

    This Rock Hard Cement saga/fiasco is much like Cahill, it seems to keep on giving and giving and giving.

  6. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    I don’t particularly like the way Maloney behaves or does business but to be fair, I cannot and will not allow myself to be confused by any battle, Rock Hard v Arawak. If Maloney had taken his cement elsewhere for storage and distribution, I would have no difficulty with what Maloney is trying to do.

    For years Arawak has been ripping off the people of this country with its exorbitant price of cement. Rock Hard forced them to reduce the price. Maloney should get some credit for that.

    My concern about placing cement at that location is that it could cause environmental harm and contaminate the flour next door. My fears come from the fact that the other cement business on the island has proven to be a polluter of epic proportions. It has destroyed the lives of many of its neighbours and polluted the sea.

    Arawak should be ashamed to bring this case against Rock Hard. It should be thrown out as being frivolous and vexatious. Maloney seems to be his worse enemy and as a result, everyone is trying to destroy him for his arrogance. He needs a PR consultant and should stop making statements of the cuff or better yet stop making public statements.

  7. David Avatar
    David

    @Caswell

    How has Rock Hard been able to force the price of cement down? The enabling factors. You can cherry pick the result you like and disregard the process.

  8. Geoffrey Greene Avatar
    Geoffrey Greene

    Caswell
    I don’t think you really appreciate the full magnitude of this battle between Arawak and Rock Hard. This is about getting a foothold at the Bridgetown Port in advance of it’s privatisation (short to medium term objective) and to kill off Arawak so as to create a new monopoly and also move, with the assistance of the GOB, to take control and develop the lands where the Arawak plant is sited (medium to long term objective).

  9. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ Caswell
    Bushie is surprised that you would fall for that shiite about ‘Maloney forcing the price of cement down’ being something great for Barbados….. at what price?

    Why should cement be dirt cheap in Barbados? …so that Maloney can increase profits on his mega-deals with the stupid government – building unnecessary monstrosities?
    There is already too much damn concrete laid in this small country. The price should be high – just to limit the continued contamination of the place with concrete; to reduce the impact of water run-off to the sea.

    The main use of Arawak should be to use local materials to REPLACE imported asphalt in roads. Instead, Maloney is importing cement at great cost in jobs and forex.
    Arawak should be employing Bajans; owned by Bajans; and its PRIMARY role should be utilising LOCAL materials to build CONCRETE roads and to reinforce high-slippage areas in the Scotland district.

    Maloney’s role with cement is identical to the role he played with the NCC where he managed to entice BLACK politicians to dismiss thousands of NCC workers so that he can import machinery to automate the cutting of grass on the highway….. costing scarce forex; thousands of jobs; ….but making himself a mint.

    Whoever allowed Arawak to be sold should be tried for treason…. and Neblett should have been the person fired from NCC….not the low-paid workers.

    Maloney is just your everyday albino-centric greedy businessman,…but our BLACK politicians are a set of mindless, greedy, traitors, who have continued to preside over the modern-day RE-ENSLAVEMENT of Bajans in the most senseless and voluntary destruction of a society ever documented.
    They bring new meaning to the term …ingrunt brass bowls.

  10. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Caswell….I know you know Maloney lowered the price, only when he saw doing so could benefit him, he been ripping off Bajans with Cemtile and Preconco products for years, ripping off small contractors, ripping off people who need roofs for their houses, ripping off the taxpayers with the help of ministers like Donville Inniss who condone crimes against the people amd law breaking practices by business people……, ripping off the treasury in cahoots with ministers….Maloney is looking only to benefit himself, but he cannot do so without hiring local help or without the population who he is so disdainful of to buy his products.

    Dumbville could have exposed those incompetencies and inefficiencies in the government departments for the last 3 years he had the business portfolio but did he, as a minister he could have worked diligently to fix those incompetencies and inefficiencies, but did he, what the hell are the taxpayers paying Inniss a salary for.

    Tthe people in St. James need to throw him out, he would not even fix the roads in Haynesville, he is not fit to be a minister, but wants to be prime minister, the criminals in the business sector would be free to continue their criminal activities, if that ever happens.

  11. Geoffrey Greene Avatar
    Geoffrey Greene

    Well Well & Consequences
    Do you know that Mark and Housing Concepts SRL the developer (another Maloney managed entity) does not pay for water at Coverly for the common areas?

  12. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    You got it right…Maloney’s arrogance will be the end of him, it was easy for him to get past the weakminded black males, ministers in parliament to enrich himself at the expense of the taxpayers, not so easy with the Trinis who know and can prove that he is breaking the law with false advertising….bajans would put up with that stupidity….others won’t.

  13. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Geoffrey….I understand that water is free, not only for Coverley, but Apes Hill, why does slimy Donville not talk about that……is he one of the ministers who took taxpayer’s money and invested in Apes Hill without their knowledge….the quicker that house nigga is kicked out of a ministerial post, the better it would be for the island.

  14. ac Avatar
    ac

    Arawark should be told where the hell to go for their exploitation of workers and friggin ripping off the consumer
    Their only leverage and opportunity to do so was taken away when RH gave barbadains an alternative now the captalists demagogues mad as hell. What is abundantly clear that Arawak attack on Maloney will only serve to put them in control of the market if they win
    In a democracy free market compettion is a viable and healthy way by which the consumer can judge for self what is in their best interest when that initiative is taking away all that is left is an economic engine driven by greedy self serving imperialist

  15. Past Zone Avatar
    Past Zone

    @ac
    1st shipment from Portugal
    2nd shipment from Turkey
    3rd shipment is coming from China

    I am amazed at how easy bajans sleep knowing that precious foreign exchange is pissing out of Barbados to Portugal, Turkey and China for cement imports while the 100 workers at Arawak are left to suck salt all because the GOB bent the rules and the treaty of chaugaramus to give Mark Maloney an unfair and unwarranted advantage.

  16. Past Zone Avatar
    Past Zone

    If you support:-

    cheaper cement buy Rock Hard
    pissing away foreign exchange buy Rock Hard
    foreign workers and their jobs buy Rock Hard
    law breaking buy Rock Hard
    consolidation of wealth buy Rock Hard
    white business interest buy Rock Hard
    suspect business dealings buy Rock Hard
    cement exposed to elements buy Rock Hard
    environmental madness buy Rock Hard
    preferential treatment buy Rock Hard
    the upcoming DLP election campaign buy Rock Hard

  17. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    I want to see a similar letter from a law firm to the Fair Trading Commission and the Office of Public Counsel demanding Consolidated Foods and Bhana be taken before the law courts for the unlawful acts visited upon an unsuspecting public,a public which ought to have confidence that it is protected by the law at all times.Heavy fines and sanctions must be imposed on those responsible for these criminal acts of deception/false presentation of contaminated food products.

  18. ac Avatar
    ac

    Yes i would buy products that can serve my interst and put savings in my pocket..A free market cannot prosper when it indulge or encourage to undermine the best interest of the consumers .For too many years govts have caved under a pressurized influence by business enterprises who saw nothing moraly wrong in turning the wheel in their favour with blatant disregard for the consumer and Arawak can be placed highly on the list of blatant disregard of overpricing and their unfair employee practices

  19. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Gabriel…is that not the job of the health inspectors and the minister of health….what are these government ministers being paid a monthly salary for…certainly not forvtheir looks,

  20. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    Again, Bushie is quite right.

    Business in Barbados is based on monopoly not competition. They use the specter of competition or price to get a monopoly.

    Business hates it when government has a monopoly. But if there are to be monopolies, irregardless of price, government, meaning the people of Barbados should control ALL monopolies, period.

    And those of us you have studied and done these types of treacheries against peoples know well that business can’t exist without competition but in every industry they move towards monopoly. Everywhere in the world

    When we say government monopoly we mean a real peoples’ government as actively involved in the day to day running of our affairs – not politicians nor crooked civil servants.

    We anticipate the defenders of the economic model will cite the bad performances of governments, historically, Those have not been popular governments run on cooperative principals.

  21. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ AC
    Yes i would buy products that can serve my interst(sic) and put savings in my pocket..
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Doubtless you would…
    All mendicant, hand-to-mouth, ass-licking nobodies then to display that particular characteristic.

    Cheap shit no good.
    Good shit no cheap.

    Why don’t you do us all a favour and go away nuh…?
    Your asininity is becoming overbearing now….

  22. Past Zone Avatar
    Past Zone

    @ac
    You are a jackass of massive proportion.

    All over the world and more so with the rise of nationalism, countries are doing their utmost to protect their industries and domestic companies from unfair competition and product dumping.
    In case you don’t see the trend yet………….. Mark has hit on the novel idea of traipsing up and down the cement manufacturing globe looking for manufacturers who will give him the best deal to dump cement into Barbados. That is what this government, mainly in the form of Chris, Donville and Richard have orchestrated.

  23. David Avatar
    David

    Can we ignore ac and focus on the meat of the issue?

    Does any really believe Maloney who is the front for Bjerkham and other faceless deep pockets is concerned about creating jobs?

    #really!

    >

  24. Past Zone Avatar
    Past Zone

    @david

    If an unknown black man was renting land from the Barbados Port Inc on similar terms to Rock Hard and Maloney and HE attempted to do build withOUT BPI’S consent and WITHOUT TCP approval, you know what would happen? Let me tell you what they would to,

    WRITE AND TEMRINATE THE LEASE IMMEDIATLEY
    CALL IN THE POLICE
    FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE POLICE
    DEMOLISH THE VIOLATING PARTIALLY BUILT STRUCTURE
    BILL HIM FOR THEIR EXPENSES
    HIRE A LAWYER TO PURSUE HIM TO FINANCIAL RUIN

  25. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    And this thing about better prices will always appeal to those who think that the inexhustibility of needs is a good thing.

    You give them a few pennies here and a few dollars there and they are ready to sing the praises of the merchants.

    What they miss are all the other more substantial looses the society makes on the alter of a fictitious pricing mechanism.

    Prices which inevitably go up once monopoly, oligopoly market conditions are imposed.

  26. ac Avatar
    ac

    Everybody is a jac.ass as long as they not singing from your hymn sheet..yes i like being a jaca ss sitting in the winners circle.

  27. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    David

    I don’t believe that it is a mere coincidence that Arawak slashed their prices when Rock Hard came with lower prices.

    Sent from my iPad

    >

  28. In and Out Avatar
    In and Out

    Off topic but you cant ignore the long list of thieves who masquerade as lawyers as they carry on merrily stealing clients monies. One thousand lawyers a sizeable number of whom are brazen crooks. A virtual cesspool .

  29. David Avatar
    David

    @Caswell

    Off course Arawak Cement has been forced to issue a competitive response to Rock Hard but this is not the issue is it?

  30. David Avatar
    David

    In and Out aka waiting, of course you want to deflect the conversation, jackass.

    @Caswell > > Off course Arawak Cement has been forced to issue a competitive response > to Rock Hard but this is not the issue is it? > > >

  31. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    In and Out….Barbados does not have a functioning judiciary, court system, justice system, bar association or disciplinary committee. What they have is a pit of very nasty vipers masquerading as lawyers with extemely nasty practices and dirty tricks they use against the citizens and the system….and no one, not the CJ, attorney general or the prime minister wants to change any of the nasty things going on in the supreme court buiding.

    When a corrupt DPP can try to intimidate a judge and have her removed because he does not want to answer for his own dirty actions, just imagine what the other lawyers on the lower end of the food chain do to the judges who try to dispense justice fairly to anyone…

    It’s a disgrace, people have to stay away from the supreme court building….as much they can.

  32. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    David

    Lowering the price must be an issue. Arawak is not now selling cement at a loss. They are still making a decent return. They were selling overpriced cement on the Barbados market for years and were responsible for poor people not being able to afford a decent house. Their pricing policy in Barbados forced the Bajan consumer to subsidise the price of Arawak cement sold in other regional countries. Arawak cement was retailed far cheaper in St. Vincent than it was in this country.

    Arawak was ripping of the Bajan consumer and poisoning the people at Checker Hall for years.

    I have hold no brief for Maloney and I am not prepared to ignore Arawak’s continued abuse of the people of this country.

    Sent from my iPad

    >

  33. ac Avatar
    ac

    Arawak wants to dominate the cement market using dirty tactics that are out of sync and agreement with free trade laws and practices. Arawak attempt to monopolize the market is nothing short of dirty and attempting to hijack the economy to be the lone supplier and distributor and that is Wrong and those who wish to back Arawak are deceitful and willing to handicapped the country interest in return for nothing. Maloney giving Arawak a run is causing them several concerns most of which is hurting Arwak at the bottom line

  34. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Caswell…where was the fair trading commission during all of those years of robbery by Arawsk and Maloney, what was the ministry of health and both governments doing to stop these nasty practices against the people….by business people.

    How is it that no black government can control the business people or the guests from other countries who do business in Barbados.

    What are these black governments good for…only bribery and corruption.

  35. ac Avatar
    ac

    Arawak not having the moral integrity to do just and favourable to employees .think Arwak would do what is just and fair for the consumer. This issue only sheds light to a demagoue who has resisted for years any govt interference in the unfair business practices of arawak and underscore Arawak brattish behaviour when Arawak feels challenged or out maneuvered

  36. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Donville claims his ministry is also responsible for consumer affairs, so what is he doing about bad practices.

  37. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    WW&C

    The unions were negotiating with Arawak. One of the union’s leaders got a job for his son there and while we are at it, ask Arawak how much that same union leader paid for cement when he was building his house.

    Why would Arawak behave any differently with ministers of government.

    Sent from my iPad

    >

  38. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    Caswell…there is after all a track record by government ministers, some union leaders and others taking bribes and favors and giving favors in return…after so many years of that dirty practice…it is expected, though dishonest and criminal in every instance.

    Throwing all those matters into the sorry excuse for a judiciary, is also expected, because it’s expected that the lawyers will keep it rotating in the system for decades and nothing is achieved….all of that is expected with people who have no moral compass…what a shame.

    As the ACs said, the criminals are in the driver’s seat because both corrupt governments allow the dirty practices against the citizens.

  39. David Avatar
    David

    @Caswell

    Why don’t you do some research to establish why Rock Hard is able to compete on price.

  40. ac Avatar
    ac

    Why isn’t Arawak concerning itself with good pay for employees and being in full compliance with good enviromental standards and the worrisome negative health impact on the employees long term
    Those issues should be of more concern to all than one concerns and aiding Arawak to block competition in a free and open business market for all

  41. A Very Small Square Avatar
    A Very Small Square

    @Caswell
    The matter with Hard Rock Cement has to possibility to drive a wedge deep between Barbados and the rest of Caricom. It is bad enough that we have to suffer these DLP fools here in Barbados where they cock up everything they touch but it another thing altogether when their corruption starts to impact on the good name and relations Barbados has always enjoyed with our Caribbean neighbours.

  42. A Very Small Square Avatar
    A Very Small Square

    ac
    How very easy the blacks in Barbados are willing to sell out their brothers and sisters, their jobs and security of their families for a few pieces of silver and a pat on the back from a white man.

  43. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    David

    My focus is not on the price of Rock Hard cement, I am concerned that over the years, Barbadians were not given the best possible price by Arawak. Those bastards were ripping us off

    >

  44. David Avatar
    David

    Now Maloney is reducing his operating costs by the support he has received from government for Rock Hard, what is the difference? A rip off by another name is a rip off.

  45. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    But do not kid yourself, if Hard Rock forces Arawak out of business or vise versa , the price of cement will skyrocket to a level not seen before.

  46. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    We so gullible!
    Because Maloney cement cheaper it does not mean he too is not ripping off. Coverley is a $99 a year lease with slab houses built with slabs from Preconco; yet the houses are small and inexplicanly expensive. #justsaying
    As I said in a previous post, only idiots would allow someone to use forex to buy cement to compete with a local manufacturer and foreign exchange earner. If the cost of cement was deemed to be prohibitive to poor people building simply apply zero or vat rate.

  47. Charlie Avatar
    Charlie

    Barbados construction industry has been stabilised over the years/decades by the wisdom of Tom Adams to build a cement plant in Barbados and its continuing presence here. This whole episode reeks of preferential treatment to Mark Maloney at the expense of Arawak Cement.

  48. ac Avatar
    ac

    For Arwark the only bone of contention is a competitor who is driving prices down.nothing more nothing less. If this was an outside investor Arawak would not dare try to put sparks in the way.all the hullaballo about content in advertisement is bull shit. The arawak company now finds it self a liltle bit grinded and mad as shit. Do not know what arwak expect govt to do.

  49. Charlie Avatar
    Charlie

    @ac
    You might want to read BU’s latest piece. This shit going all the way to Ambassador Irwin LaRocque in Guyana or Trinidad or Jamaica or wherever his office is and the DLP and Danville will be left with another failure on their hands.

  50. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    Much BS. My mother’s cou cou is BETTER than my aunts, but they use the same ingredients [possibly in different proportions]. Better is an opinion. It comes without proof. Similarly “New and Improved” is found on many products. The improvement maybe the substitution of ingredients making it cheaper to produce, but it is NEW?
    I think any of my English teachers at Kolij may object to PureR vs more pure, but this is called advertising english, something which will be understood. Another opinion.

    Focus on the CET and other matters which have a regulatory base. This is grabbing at straws.

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