The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-11
OWNERS ASK WHAT
 |S THE FLAT RATE.
Information Given As To How It Conductive To Ef-
 ficiency
By PERCY CHAMBERLAIN


 Many owners, in all parts of the United States, have asked this writer what the Flat Rate" is. Probably no subject connected with the auto mobile is more interesting, or more important, to the average owner than his repair bills.
 The Flat Rate, as it is known in the trade, is the method developed within the past three or four years whereby the automobile repairman can tell the owner the exact amount of the repair charge in advance, coy- ering a stipulated amount of work. 1t is rapidly coming into universal use because it is in accordance with all accepted practices where the ele ments of labor, material and over head charges are concerned.
 During the development stages Of the industry, when repairmen were learning how to make repairs an ad- 1ustments, the trade fell into the per hour" method of charging. It was the only way it could have been done in those early stages of the business.
 From the customer angle 1t was not satisfactory because price Is foundational. The question, How much will it cost?" Is fundamental question. It could not be answered in the automobile maintenance de- partment. Careful analysis of cus- toner complaints covering R period of several months showed that or per cent of all complaints had to do with the charge for labor in some form.
 Of the same complaints less than per cent. when honestly traced. re- suited from downright poor work manship.
 This proved conclusively that the complaints were not because of poor work, in the main, but because of the t@N- sold to the public.
 For a year this writer kept perform ance and cost records from which the Flat Rate was evolved. Gradu- ally the idea spread through the trade until now almost every automobile factory has done q great deal of work on the Flat Rate with the idea of assisting it's dealers installing it.
 Thousands of dealers are using 1t on all makes of automobiles. It is generally conceded that 1t will be in universal use in comparatively short time.
 The Flat Rate combines speed with accuracy in repairing. In many work depar tments the workmen are being paid on the same basis-a flat amount for standard repair opera tion. Such men guarantee their work. If 1t is returned, they do it on their own time.
 Thus 1t will be readily seen that the tendency in the trade is toward better service at lower costs. It has been conciusively proven that the average owner will put out less money for the maintenance of his au- tomobile under the Flat Rate for a given period-say six months-than under the per hour method of charg ing.
 Many who purchase automobil lose sight, originally, of the cost of maintaining them. This cost Is very slight in the well-built automobile of today, provided the owner will take care of his purchase as 1t should be taken care of.
 Most repairs are made necessary because of abuse. Yet most owners will not admit that they abuse their utomobiles-many are honest in thinking so. Abuse is of two kinds active and passive. One has to do with improper driving the other w>>h neglect of those unseen parts whi< are so vital to proper opera tion.
 Coupled with simplified engineer ing, the development of time-reduc-