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Car makers like Jaguar Land Rover and Peugeot have been accused of using special software to raise spare parts prices.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/06/04/car-makers-used-software-to-raise-spare-parts-prices/
Ever had the nagging suspicion that your car's manufacturer was charging outrageous prices for parts simply because it could? Software might be to blame. Reuters has obtained documents from a lawsuit indicating that Jaguar Land Rover, Peugeot, Renault and other automakers have been using Accenture software (Partneo) that recommended price increases for spare parts based on "perceived value." If a brand badge or other component looked expensive, Partneo would suggest raising the price up to a level that drivers would still be willing to pay. It would even distinguish parts based on whether or not there was "pricing supervision" over certain parts (say, from insurance companies or focused publications) to avoid sparking an outcry.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 05 2018, @08:35PM (3 children)
This is exactly how voluntary exchange is supposed to work.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 05 2018, @08:53PM (1 child)
It becomes a whole lot less "voluntary" when Tyson Foods Inc. teams up with Pepsico to make food prices insane. Ever head of "company towns"? You are so naive, it'd be cute if it wasn't so stupid.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 06 2018, @01:37AM
Do you have examples where this is a problem because I have traveled extensively and not seen it. Are you talking about places like Barrow, Alaska?
(Score: 2) by sjames on Friday June 08 2018, @01:38AM
Actually, no. In a capitalist system, competition is supposed to drive the asking price down to the marginal cost of production. It's the seller asking himself (how much less is the other seller asking).
In many cultures (and the U.S. used to be one of them), asking too much more than the cost of production is seen as shameful and the people who do so seen as morally compromised at best.