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I have taken this from 2 other posts in another thread and re-posted it in a new thread since I believe it is important to know ...
While I was on the Alibaba website looking for "Chinese Talalay", I also came across this ... http://www.alibaba.com/member/cm105954858.html which is Whatsthebest Inc. selling Flobeds wholesale. Their address is listed as Cameroon but the rest of it is correct. So I have to ask ... Is Flobeds and Whatsthebest inc the same company? I thought that Flobeds was just a forum sponsor and that they were otherwise independent. Has their relationship changed? Just to put some context into this, there are two discussions on the legacy forum regarding Flobeds sponsorship and how it may affect the forum. The moderators replied in both cases and it seemed very clear that there was no "business connection" or other connection outside of Flobeds sponsorship and it was also clear that all forum sites like this need "someone to pay the bills" ... http://legacy.whatsthebest-mattress.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl http://legacy.whatsthebest-mattress.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl There was also a couple of less specific threads on this forum that mentioned this in passing.... http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/best-foundation-l I should make it clear that I have absolutely no issues with anyone who chooses to sponsor a forum like this (the more the better) and I realize that it is the only way it can be free and accessible to the majority. If anything I would be grateful to Flobeds or anyone else who sponsored it for helping make such a valuable resource possible and by taking a "hands off" approach ... even sometimes in the face of criticism ... and not using their "position" to influence what is said here. However this is the first time in either forum that the possibility of "more than sponsorship" has come up. I would still probably have no problem with this (as long as it didn't affect what could be said) as the moderators are not usually involved in discussions anyway and so would not likely "steer" people towards flobeds however this opens up the possibility that members recommending other companies or vendors could directly affect their financial interests. They have also done a wonderful job of moderating over the years ... but I do believe that it would be appropriate for all of us to know what the current relationship really is since it now seems to go in both directions. Thoughts? Phoenix This message was modified Dec 8, 2010 by Phoenix
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Normally we do not reply to questions like this in the public forum but since we have had a couple email questions about it perhaps this post can be an FAQ of sorts. The web page you were referring to at Alibaba is a creation of a web scraper and a company(Alibaba) that is not interested in keeping their database accurate. When their scraper found our site it compiled and re-arranged anything it could to make search engine bait. There is nothing accurate on that page. To answer your specific questions: -WTB is not in the selling business and as far as we know Flobeds does not wholesale their products. -Flobeds and WTB are not the same company. -The WTB and Flobeds relationship has not changed. We remain publisher and retailer. Have a great day. Craig |
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Thank you for "stepping in" and replying. I think that clears that up. I have seen examples where "lesser infringements" than that have resulted in "trespass" charges (ebay et al). That's disgusting. Thanks again. Phoenix |