The end of the rip-off economy

The Economist makes the case that the “rip-off economy” — built on hidden markups, opaque pricing, and information asymmetry — is starting to erode as consumers gain tools that even out what they know.

That shift is exactly where OwnWise lives. For decades, the person quoting your repair knew far more than you did about what was wrong and what it should cost, and that gap is where overcharging hides. OwnWise closes it: describe the symptom and your model, and you get an independent read on the likely fault, whether it’s a safe DIY fix or a pro job, a realistic cost range, and whether a warranty should cover it.

Walking into a repair with that information is how you stop being the least-informed party in the transaction — and how the “end of the rip-off economy” becomes real at your kitchen counter, not just in theory.