The Federal Antitrust Consent Decree, which was written
and signed in 1963 to eliminate insurance company manipulations of the
collision repair marketplace, now has its own Facebook page.
"Our mission to enforce the 1963 Consent Decree is
about the citizens of the United States and their ‘right to choose,’" the
site reads. "This statement is as American as the Declaration of
Independence. One’s right to choose a collision repair facility is as sacred as
one’s right to choose a doctor, a hospital, a church or which bank to use.
Unfortunately for the American public, the insurance industry has gained
entirely too much power. This ability to manipulate the consumer’s marketplace
is evident by the way our nation’s state insurance departments appear to be
willing to safeguard the same industry they were empowered to regulate."
In 1963, the U.S. Department of Justice, under the
direction of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, investigated the concerns of
the collision repair industry and found that 265 insurance companies were in
violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. To put an end to this behavior, a
Federal Antitrust Consent Order was signed on Oct. 23 of that same year.
Many collision repairers feel, however, that enforcement
of the Consent Decree since 1963 has been nonexistent, and as a result,
insurance companies have been able to control the prices they pay for collision
repair and also violate consumers’ rights.
"I guess it’s like a 50-mph sign, and the cops sit
in their squad cars watching people go by at 100 mph and just go, ‘Ho
hum,’" read one post on the Facebook page from a collision repairer.
A special note on the site reads: "This site is
totally dedicated to serious discussion in respect to enforcement of antitrust
laws written to protect citizens of the United State of America. Other sites
are available for gossip, technical expertise and the day-to-day trivial post.
Please respect the purpose of our mission and keep the frivolous post from
these sessions."
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