[happytiger]

We dig the coal out of the ground, refine it, ship it to where it’s to be used, but we don’t encourage you to use it so that makes what we do ok.

Not an attack, but isn’t that almost the same logic they’re using?

[alistairSH]

Not sure what coal mining has to do with price fixing?

My very simplistic take on this...

- offering a sampling of current rents in the area for $50/month [not price fixing]

- offering a sampling of current rents in the area for $50/month, and then facilitating collusion between land-lords, and also pressuring landlords to adhere to rent rates [price fixing]

Obviously, there's a lot more nuance there, and I'm not a lawyer, but seems to be the gist of it.

[krainboltgreene]

> Not sure what coal mining has to do with price fixing?

You don't recognize an analogy?

[alistairSH]

Not that one, apparently.

[happytiger]

Just… thank you.

[deelowe]

Not at all.

The issue at hand is that the company required at least 80% compliance with their pricing suggestions as a stipulation of using the service. This gave them the ability to influence the market. If you didn't accept their listing recommendation 80% of the time, they kicked you off the platform.

[happytiger]

Good point.

[scarby2]

maybe. But the thing here as well is not just that they suggest pricing but that it's not necessarily prioritizing occupancy. If you have the ability to pressure more than one party into allowing lower occupancy you can set an artificial floor on pricing or slow the amounts rents should fall during a downturn.

[happytiger]

It’s a simple case of conspiracy price fixing. It’s just our laws haven’t caught up to the distributed nature of the collusion.