The Rental Runaround
At least that seems to be the thought process behind Progressive’s latest tactic. Undoubtedly the most despised insurer in the industry these days (Allstate once held the title), Progressive has clearly sunk to an all-time low: attempting to collect from body shops for what it’s calling “excessive rental.” Although repairers aren’t obligated to pay for
An Incident at the Courthouse
Eighteen years ago, this stay-at-home mom got an auto body shop in her divorce settlement. Today, the story seems funny. Back then, not so much.
Kaizen Part II: Pulling the Value from Waste
Simply put, the objective of a lean business is to continually identify and eliminate waste. As waste is eliminated, more value is produced, which means a more efficient model.
Do Database Times Really Matter?
Point CounterPoint
Insurers Take Back Door to Parts Discounts
Since when did one single vendor set the pricing for OEM parts? And since when did we, as shop owners, stop buying OEM parts from our trusted vendors and start buying them from insurers’ “preferred” vendors — who actually charge us more?
The Body Shop According to Jack
If you’re going to hire a consultant, make sure he’s got collision repair industry experience. If not, you’ll end up with Jack #@*!.
How Crash Parts Suppliers Stack Up
Survey yields surprising results about shop owners’ and managers’ satisfaction with OEM, aftermarket and recycled parts suppliers.
DRPs, Here We Come?
Our second month in business, we landed fleet work with two major car rental agencies. We used this same strategy when visiting our first three insurance companies.
Working with Boron Steel
Ultra high-strength steel alloyed with boron is lightweight and hard – really hard! But there are some tradeoffs to its strength and weight savings that repairers need to be aware of.
9 Steps to Protect Your Shop from DV Claims
Post-repair inspectors, on average, see proper repairs one time out of every 100 inspections. Sloppy repairs are on the rise – and due to insurers forcing shops to carry liability insurance policies often exceeding $1 million, so are attorneys looking to hold shops accountable.
Held Hostage by Your Credit
I was flabbergasted the day my local Dodge dealer questioned my ability to lease a new Dodge Dakota for one of my shop employees. Turns out, all sorts of inaccurate, slanderous information can be put on your credit report – all without your knowledge.