Saturday, January 19, 2013

The business model

As most of you know (or don't know), Jiffy Lube is a business that performs oil changes and other preventative maintenance work to automobiles in a short amount of time.  No repair work is performed here.

Jiffy Lube as well as other quick lube operations fill a necessary void.  They are open seven days a week, open early and close late.  It is always preferable to have any type of maintenance work done to your automobile by a professional repair shop.  However it always isn't practical.

For instance, let's look at the reputable shop that has been working on your vehicles for years.  They typically open at 8am and close around 5pm during the week.  On Saturdays they may close at 1pm (or may not be open at all).  Typically none are open on Sundays.

We all know that having your vehicles oil changed is a necessity for long life.  But if you work from 9am-5pm Monday thru Friday, how easy is it to take your vehicle there for an oil change?  Obviously we can't afford to take a day off from work when this needs to be done.  Sure, there are Saturdays (if you have weekends off).  But we all know that we have to jam everything that we need to get done in our lives into the day or two we have off from work.

This is where the quick lube shops come in.  Some like Jiffy Lube charge more than your local mechanic would charge for an oil change.  But the extra few dollars gets you the convenience factor.  Opening early and closing late, plus being open seven days a week makes it easy for us to have our oil changed.  Plus since basic maintenance services are all that these businesses perform, we can have the work done in a short amount of time - under a half hour in most cases.

What's not to like?

Unfortunately - lots of things.

People will often choose Jiffy Lube due to name recognition.  After all, a business that has over 2,000 locations can't be all that bad, right?

Well, Jiffy Lube does not own one single location.  All of their service centers are franchisees.  The franchisee I work for is the largest in the country.  Some may have only one or two locations..  This of course means different standards of work from one franchisee to another.

Yes, Jiffy Lube Inc. does have set standards.  The franchise I work for has standards as well, and I am sure that the other franchisees do as well..  But are they followed 100% to the letter?  Not at all.

In upcoming posts, I will tell the truths about what you really get when you take your vehicle to a Jiffy Lube location.  In the meanwhile, I would love to hear from you!!  If you have a story to share, good or bad, please email me at JiffyLubeBeware@gmail.com  I will publish all your stories, and I will protect your privacy.  Current or former Jiffy Lube employee?  I would love to hear from you as well.  Your privacy is guaranteed.

I will talk to you all again real soon.

JiffyLubeBeware@gmail.com

Welcome to Jiffy Lube Beware

Hello and welcome to Jiffy Lube Beware.

This site has been created to alert people od the dangers of bringing their vehicles to Jiffy Lube for preventative maintenance services.

About me:  I am an employee of Jiffy Lube.  I am disgusted by what I see there on a daily basis.  Lies, incompetency, substandard service, unnecessary services, etc.  I have decided to tell all here - the good and the bad.  This way you the reader can make an informed decision as to whether or not you should bring your vehicle to Jiffy Lube for preventative maintenance services.

Because I am a current employee, I will remain anonymous.  This will ensure the safety of my job, as well as protecting myself from the legal department of Jiffy Lube as well as the legal departments of their franchisees.

I welcome your personal stories, whether good or bad.  I will post them here for all to see, and I will guarantee your privacy.  Please email your contributions to JiffyLubeBeware@gmail.com

I intend to keep this site updated on a regular basis.  Thank you for reading, and I sincerely hope that I can help you to make an informed decision as to if you should use Jiffy Lube or not.

Sincerely,

Jiffy Lube Beware