Cost Shifting in Auto Body Estimating Is Bad Business
Not getting paid properly? Cost shifting is not the solution, and is just plain bad business.
Reader’s Choice – Raising Rates Without Losing Business
“How do you raise rates and tell insurance companies what they should be paying for without losing business?”
— John Thompson, estimator, West Herr Collision Center,
Hamburg, New York
Blend vs. Full Paint
“Why is blend time 50 percent of the time as full paint time?”
Shifty Business: Cost Shifting
Not getting paid properly? Cost shifting is not the solution, and is just plain bad busiess.
Parts Pricing: Your Business, Your Call
Parts prices listed in estimating systems are the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices. Despite what insurers would like you to believe, you can price parts based on the gross profits you desire.
Tow the Line: Making a Profit Is Considered Fraud?
When a Progressive adjuster wanted to see the invoice given to me by the towing company (he didn’t want to pay my markup), I asked: “Would you ask a grocery store clerk for the invoice from his wholesaler to see what the store paid for that can of beans you’re about to purchase?” Did you
Profiting from PDR: Paintless Dent Repair Is a Great Option and a Great Service to Your Customer
Paintless dent repair is a great profit opportunity for any body shop. In parts of the country where hailstorms are common, many of the insurance companies are advocating PDR. It’s a big moneysaver for them, and it speeds up repairs because the notorious “hail teams” blow in and out of town like the storms that
What’s Good for the Goose: A List of Preferred Insurance Companies
Take a gander at this idea: I have a list of preferred insurance companies that I steer my customers to. Not only have we been the reason many customers changed insurance companies, but we deal more now with the insurers we like — and less with the ones we don’t
Ask or You Won’t Receive
Sometimes appraisers lie — so if you buy everything they’re telling you, you won’t make enough money to buy much else.
Barking up the Wrong Tree: Contact Your State Attorney General with Insurer-Related Complaints.
Because state insurance departments are merely taxpayer-funded bodyguards for the insurance industry, you need to contact your state attorney general with insurer-related complaints.
Bottom Line: Database Differences Cost You
If our estimates match in content but a “database difference” hoses me out of money, I insist the insurance appraiser split the difference with me.
Gearheads vs. Poindexters: The Best Way to Answer This Question Is to Be Blunt: We’re An Industry of Ignorant Bodymen.
Now I know that sounds insulting and rude, but read on and see if you don’t agree with me.