From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Commercial and reputational implications of recommending alternative lubricating oils.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 144\1\ scan0097 | |
| Date | 4th April 1924 | |
| To Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} from BJ. Copy to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} BJ16/H17.4.24. ALTERNATIVE LUBRICATING OIL. Wor{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}7/M4.4.24. With reference to Hsl/LG3.4.24, I note that Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} considers that we could now recommend two or three alternatives to Prices, but I am not clear whether he considers the alternatives are better than Prices, and if so, whether he considers it desirable that we should recommend these instead of Price's. The fact of our selling oils of a particular brand at a profit does not seem to us to differ much from our recommending customers to use certain makes of tyres, etc., which we also sell at a profit. We usually find that customers are very glad to take our advice in regard to such items, as they realise that it would not be to our advantage to advertise anything that was not the best possible for Rolls-Royce cars, as our reputation is at stake, and customers appear to believe that we are too big to run the risk of recommending inferior goods for Rolls-Royce cars in order to make a profit. B.J. | ||