DCR IP Company Signs Agreement with Cooks Collision Centers Affiliate
DCR IP Company, LLC has entered into a long-term area development and master license agreement with newly formed entity 6LK Collision, LLC. This strategic partnering will allow DCR to quickly expand its infrastructure to the Western states. Under the agreement, 6LK Collision, LLC will license the company’s “lean” collision repair production system and grow DCR
List of Auto Body Trade Associations
NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS Alliance of Automotive Service Providers (AASP) Minneapolis, Minn. Tel: (612) 270-6696 www.autoserviceproviders.com Automotive Service Association (ASA) Bedford, Texas Tel: (800) 272-7467 www.asashop.org Coalition for Collision Repair Excellence (CCRE) Bainbridge Island, Wash. Tel: (877) 700-7743 www.theccre.com Collision Industry Relief Mechanicsville, Va. Tel: (888) 667-7433 www.collisionindustryrelief.com Independent Auto Body Association (IABA) Raleigh, N.C. Tel: (336)
New Jersey Again Considers Right to Repair
The New Jersey General Assembly recently reintroduced the so-called “Right to Repair” bill after the 2007 session ended without its consideration. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the Automotive Service Association (ASA) and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM) are against Assembly Bill 803. New Jersey had joined Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York and
State Steering Regulations
Alabama None Alaska A claimant may not be required to travel unreasonably either to inspect a replacement motor vehicle, obtain a repair estimate, or have the motor vehicle repaired at a specific facility. If a person adjusting or settling a claim elects to have repaired a claimant’s motor vehicle and chooses a specific facility for
Are Insurers Above the Law?
“Until insurance companies have to play by the same rules as all other industries, collision repairers and vehicle owners will continue to have conflict with them. How can insurers’ exemption from antitrust laws be changed or eliminated? – Mike Hogan, body shop manager, Tulley Buick, Nashua, N.H.
Pointing Fingers: DRP Agreements Attempt to Shift Liability
Recent concern has developed in the aftermath of Avery v. State Farm that a DRP agreement attempts to shift liability from the insurance company to the shop in the event of a lawsuit brought by an unsatisfied consumer – or, worse yet, an entire class of unsatisfied consumers. Is this concern valid? Are shops becoming scapegoats?
Behind Closed Doors: CARA Collision & Glass Bankruptcy
Since CARA Collision & Glass filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, many in the industry are wondering what the heck is going on. Though the future is unclear, a few things are certain: Employees are out of jobs and former shop owners who took stock in the company are out of luck
Price Fixing or Price Negotiating
“Why do insurance companies control a shop’s labor rates? Isn’t this price fixing?” –– Ron Humphress, former parts manager, Good News Auto Body Shop, Salisbury, Md. Black Law Dictionary, 7th Edition, defines price fixing as an “artificial setting or maintenance of prices at a certain level contrary to the workings of the free market.” Price
Class Action Re-Action: Snider vs. State Farm Verdict
The Snider vs. State Farm verdict got the attention of repairers, insurers, consumers … and many, many lawyers — who didn’t waste any time filing copycat lawsuits. But with the spotlight now on insurance companies, should shops also be concerned?
Liability For Sale
With more than $3 trillion in assets belonging to the insurance industry, the acceptance of liability must be a valuable commodity — and the sale of liability must be a profitable business. So why are you only charging the wholesale time it takes you to do a task without financial consideration for the liability you accept?