SYM vs. Lance

Last week, Carter Brothers, SYM’s US importer accused Lance Powersports of buying SYM’s Fiddle II scooters from SYM’s Chinese supplier via a third party with the intention of selling them in the USA as the “Vienna” 50 and 125. (Are there any European-sounding “V” words left to name a scooter? Yes! But that’s another story!) Of course SYM demanded they not sell the scooters here and… well… let’s try something new. Instead of posting snarky commentary in which 2sb takes sides and gets in trouble and has to apologize profusely for being right, let’s just post their dueling press releases, which are far more entertaining than anything we could come up with, anyway. Enjoy:

Carter/SYM USA CEO Jonathan Arm posted this statement on sym-usa.com on June 15:

“Response to Lance Powersports, Inc. activities”>

Dear SYM Customers,

Carter/SYM USA, along with SYM Corporate Headquarters in Taiwan, would like to make you aware of a very serious situation that has recently come to our attention. Lance Powersports Inc. of Ontario, California, has been advertising and marketing a scooter by the name of the Vienna 50/125 which they claim to be manufactured by SYM’s China subsidiary. The truth is Lance Powersports tried to obtain this product through a China trading company; SYM Taiwan management had no knowledge of this transaction or intent to allow Lance to import this model into the U.S. market. It is in fact a triangle trade through a trading company for product originally intended for Mexico. Note: The Vienna 50/125 will not be sold through Lance Powersports into the U.S. market period; SYM Taiwan Headquarters has not authorized Lance to do so.

Carter and SYM together have invested millions of dollars in promoting and establishing a viable SYM presence in the U.S. We have always promoted SYM as a great Taiwanese Brand and Company that conducts business with honesty and integrity. SYM has always been well known for producing the highest quality scooters in the world which exceed the quality, style and performance of equivalent Japanese and Italian scooters in many cases, and offer value to SYM Dealers and Riders alike! Carter/SYM USA, as well as SYM Taiwan, pledge our continued efforts in making the purchase and post-sale support of your SYM vehicle a pleasurable experience through our extensive and knowledgeable Dealer Network and Customer Service Departments. We take your investment in our products very seriously and endeavor to give you not only products that you love to ride but a company upon whom you can depend to create and support safe and well-designed vehicles that will retain their performance and value for years to come.

We thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support for this truly exceptional brand of SYM vehicles.
Sincerely,
Jonathan C. Arn

Lance Powersports responded today:

Dear Dealers and Consumers,
We are sorry to announce that our anticipated Vienna 50 / 125 will not be available. Carter has put our manufacture in a difficult position. In the interest of all parties involved, we have decided not to continue with the Vienna model at this time.

As you may or may not know, our Vienna model is similar to Carter/SYM Fiddle II. Only difference we offer reasonable dealer cost and affordability to consumers by adding more value for less.

Carter CEO Jonathan Arn sent a memo last week falsely accusing Lance of illegally obtaining Vienna model through trading company. In response, the real truth is we were solicited by Carter’s manufacture to help distribute Vienna in the US. However, this has created tension and animosity between all parties so we decided to withdraw from importing Vienna at this time. We sincerely apologize to our dealers and consumers for any inconvenience.

Besides issuing false statements about Lance and overcharging dealers and consumers, we do not know Carter or have any negative things to say as they are probably a fine company. We do not engage in false accusations or slander a competitor who’s trying to help add more value for dealer and consumers as we navigate through challenging times.

Lance is always on the forefront in offering the best value, best after sales support and competitive pricing so you have the edge to grow your business. Our goal is to make a positive impact for our dealers and add value to the products we sell by offering more for less. Competition is parts of what makes our country great and “when we compete…you win.”

We ask for your continued support so Lance can continue to offer innovative products, great after sales support, competitive and reasonable pricing so in turn you continue to be successful and profitable at the same time offer your customers significant savings and exceptional value.

We thank and appreciate your ongoing support.

Lance Powersports Inc.