Eastman Chemical Accused Of Selling Faulty Window Tint

[Counterpart]

According to a recently filed court document, a South Korean distributor has filed a lawsuit against Eastman Chemical Company for allegedly knowing and selling defective window films after one of three key ingredients was removed in an effort to cut costs. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court Southern District of New York on Saturday, April 15.

 

SHSC alleges that Eastman wanted to cut costs, and, therefore, removed one of the three key ingredients in SunTek automotive films. The documents reads, “ … Contemporaneous to its acquisition of the Suntek product line and the business of Commonwealth Laminating, defendant Eastman Chemical undertook a post-merger ‘profitability review’ of the Suntek product line.

 

Han claims that Eastman acknowledged the defect in an attempt to suppress negative press from spreading throughout the U.S., and sent him replacement films. He says these films were, too, defected. He also alleges that the defected products have cost him a loss of profit, a loss of customers and business opportunities.

 

http://www.windowfilmmag.com/2017/04/eastman-sued-by-asian-distributor/

[Counterpart]

After acquiring Commonwealth, Eastman Chemical reviewed the profitability of the Suntek product line, and its upper management decided that “cost-cutting measures” justified no longer using one of the three principal ingredients in the manufacture of the Suntek tinting film, Sae Han says.

“Shortly thereafter, it began to manufacture the Suntek tinting film and held it out to the market, not only within the United States, but throughout the world, as ‘the same’ yet missing a key ingredient,” Sae Han says.

In 2016, and maybe even earlier, customers began complaining of a “lunar-crater type of mold” found on the film covers that made them unsuitable for sale, according to the complaint. By the last three months of 2016, Sae Han says, Eastman Chemical’s officers and managers were aggressively trying to contain news of the defective film products being sold in the U.S. and overseas.

In October and November, Eastman Chemical claimed it had shipped new replacement products that were free of any defect, but those replacements still had the same defects as before, which were admitted to be known internally in the company as defective, Sae Han alleges.

Source: https://www.law360.com/articles/914146

[Counterpart]

This is what they bought for over US$430million. Steve Phillips is a happy man.

[Sisqouc]

Back in the nineties I remember DTI reps dismissively referring to their Asian and Latin customers while grinning that they used those markets to dump inferior product.

They called the defective film "export grade".

But what is not ok is Samsung shipping to the US market defective products.

 

I personally would think acceptance in the Asian market would be bragging rights and not try put one over on them.

 

 

[F1windowtinting]

Export films were lower quality and lower price in 90's

Now that the market has changed good quality film should be flowing through there.

[b_faulk75]

This kinda makes me want to puke!  Damn greedy people!

[TomTint]

I can clearly remember in the late 80s early 90s, buying pallets of "export" film for 15-20.00 per 20" roll. Often it was 45.00 per ea 60" roll. ...  Apparently this practice still exists. 

[Counterpart]

On 4/21/2017 at 5:36 PM, F1windowtinting said:

Export films were lower quality and lower price in 90's

Now that the market has changed good quality film should be flowing through there.

 

The best films are sold to countries that tint the front windscreens.

[Counterpart]

On 4/22/2017 at 3:28 AM, b_faulk75 said:

This kinda makes me want to puke!  Damn greedy people!

 

The Korean file the lawsuit because of the indifference and arrogance of Eastman.

 

Indifference - The replaced tints continued to have the same mould-issue.

 

Arrogance - The suit was also filed in retaliation against Suntek's continued betrayal. Sae Han was a good old faithful distributor in Korea but Suntek churn the sales volume before the Eastman takeover, Steve sold films into Korea through two FL and CA distributors. After Eastman bought over Suntek, the Asia HQ went on to cross-sell between countries for their own pockets and Eastman further demanded Sae Han to accept some unfair terms in the distributorship contract.

[Counterpart]

On 4/22/2017 at 10:50 AM, TomTint said:

I can clearly remember in the late 80s early 90s, buying pallets of "export" film for 15-20.00 per 20" roll. Often it was 45.00 per ea 60" roll. ...  Apparently this practice still exists. 

 

Those were the days when CPFilms took over Gila and offloaded the old Gila stockpile.