Does Association Membership Benefit a Collision Repair Shop?
Richard Lata, owner Martinsville Collision Martinsville, Va. Opinion: No We’re on DRPs with 12 different insurance companies, and we’re not even a big shop – I’m only 6,500 square feet. I’m an independent, and I’ve only been in business five years. In that five years time, I’ve learned how to go out and get work
Build a Better Mousetrap, and the World Will Beat a Path to Your Door
7 strategies for quality-driven shops to maintain profitability in a marketplace fixated on “fast” and “cheap.”
Shrewd Player, Poor Payer: Progressive’s “Concierge” Program
Despite Progressive’s hardball reputation, it’s had no trouble recruiting shops for its “concierge” program – which eliminates all shop/customer contact and makes Progressive liable for repairs.
Paint the Town Red: Aaron Clark
As a child, Aaron Clark wanted to paint everything in sight – and he did. That determination to fulfill his dreams has helped him to overcome adversity and to achieve his goals. Aaron Clark began his body shop career in his mother’s and step- father’s shop at the age of 8, literally growing up in
Itemizing Estimates: Where Do We STOP?
If you’ve been involved in this industry as long as (or longer than) I have, you may still remember the days when handwritten estimates were a way of life and computers and computerized estimating systems were still just Buck Rogers science fiction. Since estimates were handwritten back then, they were often as few lines as
Out to Bid: Why to Shop Around for Shop Insurance
I saved $40,000 in annual premiums – yes, $40,000! – by going with a different insurer for my shop’s insurance. Not to mention the thousands more I saved in my personal lines.
UV Coatings: Curing at Light-Speed
Increase productivity and boost your bottom line. UV curable coatings reach full cure in two to three minutes – and that’s with no mixing, virtually no VOCs and no heat.
Jagging Rights: Jaguar’s Exclusive Aluminum-Repair Network of Authorized Shops
This shop spent $100K to gain entry to Jaguar’s exclusive aluminum-repair network of authorized shops. While developing technologies from the world’s automakers have left most shops out in the cold, they also present risk-takers with some real opportunities. Fairless Hills, Pa. – Hunt Auto Body is at first glance, a typical independent body shop, tucked
Repairing Aluminum-Bodied Cars: Nepotism vs. Capitalism, Pete Petursson
Consumers are clueless they’re “captured,” insurers are angry they’re captured, and shops capturing the work are unsure they’ll ever recoup their investment. Yet OEM-authorized repair shops are a reality … for now anyway.
Is It Ok to Cost Shift to Help out the Adjuster and Get You Paid?
I find the practice of cost shifting morally repugnant. Why is it morally wrong and illegal (fraud) if I as a repairer charge a customer differently than the actual repair performed, but when an adjustor "bends" his company’s rules (even if it’s for our "benefit") that it’s somehow OK? I don’t understand the double-standard. The
