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| The BridgeLine To find BridgeLine information for your location, visit https://www.bridgestone.com/responsibilities/bridgeline/.BRIDGESTONE INTEGRITY IN THE MARKETPLACEQ: A shift supervisor has told us to skip a quality control procedure. I think this violates company policy, but he is the supervisor. What should I do?A: Don’t skip the quality control procedure. If you think the supervisor is breaking the rules, contact your supervisor’s manager, your company’s Quality Assurance Department, or contact the BridgeLine.Competitive InformationQ: Sometimes a customer will complain that our prices are higher than the competition. Can I ask the customer for copies of our competitor’s proposals to confirm that the competitor’s price is lower than the price we are quoting?A: Possibly, but this is a tricky area. Contact a member of the Law Department for advice on how to proceed.36Q: I got a call from a former coworker who works for a competitor, asking if Bridgestone was planning to bid on a particular program. He suggested that if we skipped this one, his company would skip the next one. Frankly, we’re too busy to finish this bid in time anyway. Should I accept his offer?A: No. This offer is bid rigging, or collusion, and it’s illegal to accept his proposal. Our company’s decision not to compete for this business must be made for valid reasons, not as part of a “deal” with a competitor. Be very clear with your former coworker that our company would never consider this kind of offer. Contact the Law Department immediately.Q: One of our largest dealers emails me all the time complaining about another dealer’s pricing. He says he wants us to talk to them about their “pricing philosophy.” I don’t want to offend him. What can I do?A: Politely but firmly explain that we cannot involve ourselves in the pricing decisions of our customers. Each dealer is free to set its own prices in the marketplace. Contact the Law Department for additional guidance.Product Safety and QualityFree and Fair CompetitionQ & A