Ryanair’s questionable business model which goes a great length to minimize costs reminded me of a news segment which I saw years ago. In 2005, W-FIVE of CTV news investigated the safety of U-Haul vehicles, and they found that many of them did not meet provincial safety standards. During roadside safety checks made by the Ontario Provincial Police between the years 2002 and 2004, almost half of the U-Haul vehicles which were examined failed the inspection. According to CTV news, there has been at least one incident where the back tires of a U-Haul vehicle came “flying off” when the vehicle was traveling at a speed of 100 km/h. Certainly, it is important for a company to minimize costs, but at what point does it become unethical? I believe that the well-being of customers should be valued more than profits, thus U-Haul is wrong for providing unsafe vehicles. They are simply violating the trust which their patrons have given to them. U-Haul must make a greater effort in maintaining their vehicles because the lives of their customers are worth much more than $19.95.
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/WFive/20051021/wfive_uhaul_051021/