Well, at least that's what the company's internal numbers indicate. As a matter of fact, Jiffy Lube International, a subsidiary of Houston-based Shell Oil, claims to service 25 million vehicles each year, so when five Los Angeles-base Jiffy Lube franchises were caught recently by a local news undercover operation charging customers for work they never performed, it might seem like an isolated anomaly.
Unfortunately, it seems as this really just opened the floodgates to a number of disgruntled customers in at least 17 different states.
The Jiffy Lube franchise business model is simply ripe with interpretation and just begging for controversy as it is one of the most prominent places where petty greed (some honest, some dishonest, if there is such a distinction) and auto service (some necessary, some preventative) come together in a world so grey, it would make a pachyderm's bottom pale in comparison.
It seems the company's success (and "quick lube" industry's, really) can be attributed to a combination of price, convenience, and popular misunderstanding of automobile mechanics (the physics, not the people). Because most people have a limited knowledge or care of how vehicles actually work, they like to entrust the services of what they consider a professional. One thing most do understand however is that the car is a complex conglomeration of components and systems, which are depended on regularly.
This creates a notion that people want to do something nice for their cars when they can, and having a trusted service provider uncover some dirty (neglected) filter here or loose tie rod end there can be appreciated. The rub is, with so many vehicles and so many service operations, this idea and trust has been exploited. So, for an untold number of customers the news and accusations of some variation on the "switch and bait" campaign at Jiffy Lube stores doesn't come as much of a surprise. In response however, to this most recent investigation, Jiffy Lube International has instituted a company pledge and "operational initiatives" in an attempt to prevent fraud at their stores.
A step in the right direction for sure, but when the pledge fully admits that the company will consider customer's vehicles to be operating under "severe conditions" and that they may recommend services outside the OEM's standard procedures, you know this is one franchise that will likely see a wide variance in customer "care."
Heaven knows that if there ever were anyone in this world who could get some mileage out of a name like "Jiffy Lube," it would have been Jerry Garcia. Should the company wish to add a tune to go with their new corporate edicts, I might actually suggest something a little less like the Grateful Dead's "Touch of Grey" and a bit more like Depeche Mode's "Policy of Truth."
To read an article on the investigation and some of the stories that have come to smear the industry, click here.
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