Note there probably are no duties on computer equipment, but if there are you can work on about 7%.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am forwarding this complaint to you out of concern for the consumers in South Africa.

I have been looking to replace my laptop computer recently. I have an Apple MacBook Pro laptop, a premium brand.
I went to the international Apple website to peruse what was available, to view specifications etc… …

The model I am interested in retails in the United States for $US1699.00 That is equivalent to R13445.00
However, when I went to the Apple South African website, I noticed the retail price is R20999.00
That is a difference of R7554, or the equivalent of the same product retailing in the United States for $2653.00!!!

That is a difference of $954.00!!!!

I phoned up The Core. This is the official importer of Apple Electronic products to South Africa to query the above pricing discrepancies.
The Core trades to the public and has a website. The website address is http://www.zastore.co.za I could not get any answers.

I then called up a couple of local South African resellers of Apple products. They tell me they have to purchase their stock of Apple products from The Core.
The Core dictates to these resellers what the recommended retail selling price is.

This is absurd! The Core firstly has a complete monopoly on the import of Apple computer products to South Africa. Looking at international pricing, it is clear to me that
they are abusing this monopoly by adding excessively large margins to their stock.

Secondly, The Core is controlling the retail selling prices to the public. As the official importer, they are also retailing to the public, thus competing directly with other resellers
in the market AND controlling the prices these other resellers retail to the public at. This is price fixing.

If a reseller objects to The Core’s activities or pricing, it is akin to business suicide, as The Core is the only official importer and can make their lives very difficult.

To summarise. I feel very strongly that The Core is abusing their privileges in South Africa. They are being extremely greedy and monopolistic.

The example I quoted is not merely a case of one item being grossly overpriced. The entire range of their products is priced this way. Therefore all prices for any computer, or appliance, accessory or software program is controlled by The Core.

I phoned up South African Customs to ask if import tariffs exist for these types of products. There are no import duties levied on these products. All they have to pay is VAT and transport costs.

Even if I had to import this one item myself from the United States, if I include VAT and transport costs for a quality courier, I would pay approximately R16514.00 This is still R4485.00 cheaper than The Core.

If you consider The Core pays wholesale price for the same product, buys them in bulk along with all the accessories, software etc… … their transport costs are drastically reduced per item.

It is a shame companies like this have been allowed to fleece the public for so long. When will our culture of greed in South Africa stop?

Yours Sincerely

You can/must add as much documentation as you can and a letter explaining your complaint.

fax the complaint to 0123940166 or fax it to ccsa@compcom.co.za

get as many people as you know to do this. the more the better. it is not only core who are guilty of this excessive greed, it’s a common trend in south africa and need to be sorted out.