How to Get Paid, “What’s The Most Effective Approach to Get Insurers to Pay My Labor Rate?”
Labor rates have always been an area of contention between shop owners and insurance companies. From time immemorial, the two camps have been divided on the issue, and monumental arguments have arisen any time this subject is broached. So before we can arrive at any real answer to the labor rate question, we must first
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
Perplexed by Paint
Turns out this topic is much like the famous Bill Clinton quote: “It depends on what the meaning of is, is.” Paint brand popularity and exact market share are touchy subjects among the refinish paint companies. No one wants to be quoted in print as having less market share than the next guy, and there’s
You’re Not an Order Taker
I’ve always said to ‘write our own estimate.’ But recently, something came to my attention from an insurance rep and then I checked with my attorney: If the check has the shop’s name on it, my attorney said that makes the adjuster’s estimate a contract and all the methods, procedures and parts choices are to
Reaching Out: Bill Laber Has Passed Away
Throughout my life, I’ve been blessed with several mentors, and Bill Laber was such a mentor to me throughout our 14-year friendship. Today, I was shocked to learn that he had passed away over the weekend. I remain dazed, angry, confused, deeply saddened and remorseful that I hadn’t seen him in person in more than
Incompetent Drivers Cause Traffic Jams
A new study by L. Craig Davis, a physicist at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, has revealed shocking news: Most drivers are idiots, and these idiots are the cause of most traffic jams. NO! I never would have guessed! I thought the oh-so-hard written exam for a temporary license would have weeded them
Show Me the Savings!
Insurers are writing for partial paint times on repaired panels, claiming it doesn’t take as long to apply color to part of a panel as it does to the whole panel. We all know this is bogus.
Waste Not, Want Not: Eliminate “Waste” in the Business
The overall objective of a process-centered enterprise is to eliminate “waste” in the business. In doing so, you can more effectively deliver what customers want — and reduce your costs.
DRPs, Here We Come? If We Want Our DRPs, Insurers Need to Respect Us
After a short period of kowtowing to insurers, we came to our senses and realized that if we want our DRPs, insurers need to respect us. Enter: our “house rules.” Part 2 of a year-long series.
Going Head to Head
Collision repair consolidators seem focused on customer service as opposed to offering insurance companies even lower repair costs. They’re also concentrated on honing their operations to a razor sharp state of efficiency (which, incidentally, will lower repair costs).
Matching Tricoat Pearls: Think Groundcoat
Making a let-down panel doesn’t solve the problem of matching tricoat pearl color. There’s got to be a better way – and there is: an invisible foundation-coat repair. If an automotive painter were asked what he did for a living, it would be fair for him to say that he’s a master illusionist. Citizen Jane
Doggone Drivers
A dog caught illegally driving a pickup truck that smashed into an O’Reilly Auto Parts store will not be charged with any driving violations, say Springdale, Ark., police. The owner of the truck opted not to press charges against the offending canine. Police say the owner of the truck, Michael Henson, entered the parts store