The Ethics of Pricing

The auto repair industry tends to take a beating when it comes to pricing.  You hear people complain that it's "highway robbery" or "they've got you"  when a repair seems excessively expensive.  Some people even think we just add money to pad the bill.  Well, that just isn't true here at Integrity.

For starters, ethics is about choices.  When you're being robbed, or strong-armed, or tricked, it is usually because someone has limited your choices.  Being robbed with a gun to the head is about limiting your choices.  A deceptive sales person will limit your options to trick you into picking their product.  So ethics is only about putting all options on the table and letting the customer pick.

Pricing in only one part of those options.  The other parts are longevity, convenience, comfort, and quality.  For example, I could do $5 oil changes.  

Would that be ethical?

Well, it depends on what is included.  If I used corn oil from my kitchen then the answer is no.  I could also do $200 oil changes.

Would that be ethical?

Well, it depends on what is included.  If I used a 200,000 mile oil with a super duper life long reusable oil filter the answer is yes. 

So ethics is not pricing.  It is what you get and your ability to choose what you get.

Here's what I want you to think about when you are choosing a repair shop to take care of you car or truck; if you pick a shop that doesn't tell you everything that is wrong with your car, then do you actually have all of your choices in front of you?  It's hard to choose to fix something you don't know is broken.  And, if a repair shop chooses to use cheap parts because they are afraid you might not fix your car due to the expense, then they aren't even giving you the option to use better parts.  Once again your choices have been limited.  Is that ethical?

Ethical shops give you the truth, that your car is broken and there are some great parts out there than will last for a long time if you fix it.  Unethical shops limit your choices to what they want, your money, even if they have to put in chintzy parts and hide known issues from you so they can fix it when it breaks later.  Now that's unethical.  Don't be confused and substitute prices for ethics.