The Coalition for Collision Repair Excellence (CCRE) has decried the lack of industry outrage regarding the conviction of a former Allstate adjuster who admitted to accepting bribes from several Illinois members of Allstate’s PRO network. The shops claimed that Robert Groebner solicited cash to keep them on the DRP. The CCRE believes that shops kicking back to Groebner should have been indicted, as well.
Groebner pleaded guilty in December 2007 to filing a false income tax return, a felony. He was sentenced to 10 months’ home confinement with electronic monitoring, one year of probation and restitution of $119,680.
The CCRE says that insurer-repairer bribes are common and need to be addressed by the industry.
“The abuse has great potential to result in improper, possibly dangerous repairs, adversely impacting vehicle owners and honest repair shops,” a CCRE statement read. “CCRE Ltd. denounces the direct repair system of collision repair, as DRP agreements inherently tend toward promoting a variety of fraudulent activities, as certain shops seek means of acquiring greater market share at any cost.”