ETG angered by TDK treatment

The distributor alleges it has been badly treated by TDK?s PC card division

TDK?s PC card division has sacked one of its four UK distributors, sparking a row and accusations of underhanded behaviour and customer poaching.

The vendor decided to stop using ETG as a PC card distributor in December following a meeting between ETG MD David Fuller and three TDK representatives.

As PC Dealer went to press, ETG had not received formal written notification of the termination of its contract, but the distributor alleged TDK has approached its former customers to notify them of the change.

Fuller said: ?In the meeting I was led to believe that if we were to be canned we would be contacted in writing.

?We have received no such letter but we understand that TDK have been talking to our customers and letting it be known that we?re no longer one of their distributors.?

When asked about the issuing of formal notification, TDK marketing manager Guy Tweedale initially stated that a letter had been sent to ETG putting the distributor fully in the picture. ?Of course we sent them a letter,? he said.

Tweedale later retracted this statement, saying no letter had been sent because of administrative hold-ups.

?Some of the paperwork remains unfinished, that?s why we haven?t actually sent them a letter yet. There were genuine commercial reasons for no longer wanting to use ETG, but I don?t want to go into the details of them,? he said.

Tweedale also denied that any former ETG customers had been approached. ?We have no active desire to start telling people that ETG is no longer one of our distributors. It is in our interests to be seen to be completely clean in this matter.?