right to repair
Counterfeit Conundrum
Our Right to Repair series of articles has focused on many areas, primarily the right of a
consumer to choose his or her repairer, and to make this choice from an informed base.
Therein lies the problem, because consumers are sometimes vulnerable because of lack
of knowledge or a lack of oversight from various bodies.
I
t is because of this that aBr
advocates that consumers,
when their vehicle needs repair
or servicing, take their trusty
steed to the dealership where the
vehicle was purchased, or to a
reputable franchised operation,
or a workshop that carries the
seal of approval from institutions
such as the RMI or the AA. With
this process of verification, the
consumer can have substantial
peace of mind, but this assurance
is not ironclad, because even the
most astute and knowledgeable
workshop owner can make
mistakes, particularly in the
purchase of parts.
associations: the American
Bearing Manufacturers’
Association (ABMA), the
Federation of European Bearing
Manufacturers’ Associations
(FEBMA) and the Japan Bearing
Industrial Association (JBIA).
The WBA promotes the
common, lawful interests of the
world bearing industry, such as
open economic engagement,
sustainable development and
the protection of legal rights
of compa nies. To achieve
this, the WBA has created an
Anti-Counterfeiting Committee
within the World Bearing
Association to address the
problem as a team, and this
committee cooperates with
local law enforcement around
the world.
A good example of this is the
proliferation of fake bearings
on the market. This is not just
a South African problem. It is a
global problem. And this issue
goes beyond the automotive
industry. It is also an issue for
industry, mining, and wherever
bearings are used. So why is
this an issue? Firstly, you’re
not getting what you paid for.
Secondly, fake bearings may
pose a danger at the operational
level, at the financial level, and of
course it is a danger to human lives.
A primary goal of the WBA is to
assist purchasers and resellers
across the supply chain to
identify counterfeit products,
and participating WBA
companies are actively focused
on protecting their customers
from unsafe fake bearings.
The real problem is that it is often extremely
difficult to tell the difference between a
genuine and a counterfeit bearing, even to
the relatively well trained eye. And from an
ethical and moral level, the purveyors of
fake bearings are part of a chain of illegal
and unethical practices. The simple truth is
that the purchaser is not getting the product
that they have assumed that they have paid
for. When someone decides to purchase a
name brand premium product, they have
high expectations that they are buying
quality, durability and dependability. And
when you pay for premium and get average,
or even downright faulty products, you get
cheated. Whilst the onus of the workshop
or the spares shop is to make sure that
they, and their customers, are getting their
money’s worth, it is sometimes, as we
have said, difficult to be absolutely sure.
The best advice is to always rely on trusted
sources for all their bearing purchases.
This is where the World Bearing
Association (WBA) comes into play.
Working across cultural and corporate
boundaries, the WBA focuses on the
promotion of the common lawful interests
of the world bearing industry. The WBA
is a non-profit and unincorporated
industrial association, founded in
2006 by three major regional bearing
| words in action
36
october 2014
For more details on
individual company
initiatives, details can be
found on the INA FAG,
Koyo, Nachi, NSK, NTN
SNR, SKF, and Timken
websites. Additional
information can also
be obtained from
the WBA Counterfeit
Campaign Website:
www.stopfakebearings.com.