It is unfortunate that the rate of inflation feels insurmountable. It is going to level out eventually. We can’t stop the inflation train and we all must bear it. We try to keep our rates fair, but like most businesses we are in the business to make money. We also understand, as I am sure most of you do, price is a direct reflection of value. The cost is worthy if the value can be seen. Value doesn’t mean inexpensive. It means getting what you pay for, knowing that who you pay will stand behind what they offer, and that they will explain it clearly and concisely as needed for you to feel comfortable handing over your money.
We appreciate all our customers and want them to feel comfortable with us. We are all in it together and understanding that there is a constant rise in costs for everyone we try to buffer best we can. We must charge with a reflection of our costs such as the expense of keeping quality employees that will follow our high standards is more expensive because their costs and needs have gone up. Our family of misfit toys are a great band of people that harmonize to deliver value to our customers, and we want to support them to enable us to continue to deliver that value. Making sure they have the coverage of benefits has been an added cost to maintain a happy, healthy staff. We also pay a premium in having highly trained technicians. Independent shops are often left behind in training where we seek out the best training we can get for our people.
Costs of any petroleum product has risen dramatically as you all know. Our industry is inundated with petroleum-based products. That is a factor for all vehicles including electric vehicles and hybrids. Unfortunately, we cannot absorb those additional costs most of those products profit margins just won’t allow for it. That is also causing the costs of deliveries to rise, therefore causing parts costs to go up. What was once $20 to ship across the country is now sometimes as much as $100+.
To maintain a 3yr/36K mile nationwide warranty our costs doubled. Some of our consumables increased at a rate of 7% per month over the course of about 18mths, we didn’t go up on our prices until almost a year into it and haven’t gone up since. Just a few examples of the costs associated with us. We aren’t telling you this for you to get angry or feel sorry for us, but to let you see the costs of us being able to offer the best service we can to our beloved customers. Thank you for taking the time to read this.