Getting Paid for Paint and Materials
Reader’s Choice question: “Why is paint and materials tied to paint labor rate? It should be invoiced and marked up accordingly. How do we change this? We went from a 35 percent profit on paint and materials to 2 percent in the last two years.” – Jim Patrick, collision repair manager, Langs Chevrolet, Beavercreek, Ohio
Insurers Challenge Rhode Island’s Anti-Steering Act
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) has sued Rhode Island Director of Business Regulation Paul McGreevy and Attorney General Peter Kilmartin in Federal Court, challenging the constitutionality of Rhode Island’s Anti-Steering Act, online legal journal Courthouse News reported. The act prohibits insurers from recommending repair and body shops to customers and third-party claimants
Texas AG Rules Insurers’ ‘Proprietary Information’ Public Record
The Office of the Attorney General in Texas has ruled that information contained in a survey of insurers by the Department of Insurance (DOI) should be made public record. The survey sheds light on several insurers’ DRP practices and how auto repair reimbursement rates, including labor, services, parts and materials, are determined. The DOI requested
State Farm’s George Avery to Keynote 2010 BodyShop Business Conference
George Avery, a claims consultant with State Farm, will be the keynote speaker of the 2010 BodyShop Business Conference to be held Sept. 17-18 at the Hilton Hotel & Suites in Indianapolis. Avery is well-known throughout the collision repair industry as an engaging, insightful and humorous speaker. As a representative of the nation’s largest property-casualty
Employee Retention is Key to Continued Success
Companies that build and maintain a superior workforce will have a long-term competitive advantage in their marketplaces. Here are some strategies for doing just that.
Nationwide Collision Centers Joins CertifiedFirst Network
Nationwide Collision Centers has been selected to join the CertifiedFirst network of top-rated repair shops throughout the country. CertifiedFirst member companies are chosen after a vigorous and lengthy process that includes audits, customer surveys and an Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) facility inspection. CertifiedFirst facilities use highly trained technicians, modern and well-maintained equipment, and quality paint refinish
Insurer Influence Still Repairers’ Primary Concern, SCRS Study Concludes
The results are in from the Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ (SCRS) second annual survey, and repairers have spoken loud and clear that they’re still concerned about insurer influence. The survey, conducted by CSi Complete customer satisfaction indexing, echoes the concerns revealed by last year’s survey. Some issues, such as "insurer dictating the repair," "lack of insurance field staff training," and "database
The Consumer-Centric Solution
With DRPs losing favor and shops in desperate search for profitability, creating a consumer-focused business model may be the answer.
State of the Industry 2006
State of the Industry 2006 Too many shops, not enough work, not enough profit, too much insurer involvement and not enough business expertise on the part of shop owners are all contributing to the sorry state that is the collision repair industry. When repairers are discussing the state of the collision repair industry, I’m always
Industry Unity Finale: What Have We Learned?
As our Industry Unity series comes to a close, we look back at our examination of major industry issues and key in on what we’ve learned.