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.
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.
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.
On Your Terms
As of late, insurance companies have staunchly positioned themselves on the offensive, launching all sorts of new “customer-driven” programs to get them in good with the motoring/car-crashing public. Insurers being on the offensive, however, puts the repair industry on the defensive, forcing shops to react to whatever insurers throw their way. Problem is, being reactive
Get Your Head Out of the Sand
Unless an insurance company chooses the “repair” option in the insurance contract — making it fully liable for its repair choices — it has no legal right to be involved in the repair process.
The Return of Competitive Bidding
The time has come to examine the basis on which shops compete. To do this, you must first ask yourself: With whom am I competing? An insurer and its “phantom” shops or other actual shops in my local market?
At Their Mercy: Progressive Has Been Opening a Lot of New “Concierge Centers”
You may have noticed that Progressive has been opening a lot of new “Concierge Centers” lately, where customers deliver their damaged vehicles and, within 15 minutes, are out the door and assured that a claims rep will handle the repair process from start to finish. The insurer has opened 11 of these centers since April
DRPs, Here We Come?
DRPs are expensive. And once financially dependent on DRP volume, you’re no longer in complete control of your business. That’s why we ask ourselves two key questions before making any DRP purchases. Part 4 of a year-long series.
Profiting from Customer-Pay Repairs
Afraid to make an insurance claim, many consumers are paying out-of-pocket. This trend not only presents some challenges for collision repairers, but also some opportunities.
I Lost My DRP!
State Farm’s recent announcement that they’re testing a new direct-repair program and that they’ll be reducing the number of shops that participate has left repairers scratching their heads and pondering the same question: Is there life after Service First?