Don’t Be a Jackass
Writer John Shortell’s opinion on the industry’s left-wing, defeatist attitude and the insurance industry
Why I Drug Test Employees
er hired a private investigator who administered polygraph tests to determine how the pump disappeared and who was responsible. One employee – the most likely perpetrator – promptly quit. During the course of the investigation, however, it was learned that 16 out of 25 employees were regular drug users. And this shop had been suffering
Letters to the Editor
In Better Hands … Without Allstate. Thursday, Oct. 10 Hi Georgina! I think the October Issue might cause some excitement. I’ve had four phone calls in three days regarding the Allstate article [Oct., pg. 86]. Three of them told me the EXACT same thing happened to them. Two were from different states and one from
Should Shops Drug Test Their Employees?
John Shortell, manager Secor’s Collision Technology New London, Conn. Opinion: No I don’t think body shops should start drug testing employees for several reasons: I am, of course, a shop employee. A manager yes, but still an employee. Personally, I have a shy bladder and have great difficulty producing urine on demand. And once I
Protecting the Consumer – and You
Whether it’s health care or the collision industry, the bills California Sen. Jackie Speier sponsors always have one thing in common: doing what’s best for the consumer. As luck would have it, what’s good for the consumer is often good for the repairer.
What’s Happened to Our Work Ethic?
Life changes from generation to generation. When I was young, I didn’t get an allowance. Today, what child doesn’t? Approaching sixteen years of age, kids ask, “You mean I have to drive that car?” or “You mean I’m going to college without a car?” But what about kids who go to a vo-tech school? What do they get? And what do they learn? It depends on many factors, ranging from the person attending, the parents, the school and the teacher.
What to Do With Sagging Sales
In May, we examined how insufficient volume can put you in the red. But volume is only half the problem. Insufficient production also poses a serious threat to your shop’s sales. Luckily, it’s all fixable.
A Reluctant Informer and the Hardest Hit
An Oregon body shop technician’s keen eye and decades of repair experience played a vital role in the apprehension of a driver responsible for the hit-and-run death of a 12-year-old girl. But it was more than knowledge of the job. It was his first-hand knowledge of knowing what it was like to lose a child.
Gore/Bush on a Collision Course to November
Next month, U.S. citizens (this includes shop owners) will have a chance to elect a new American president. Since Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford and Morgan Freeman aren’t running, the choice comes down to George W. Bush and Al Gore. How will the 2000 election result affect your shop, and will the president have the power to keep his promises?
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