Shop Profile: Working Smart
Shop Name: Quality Collision Repair Inc. Location: Rockledge, Fla. Established: 1983 Square Footage: 6,642 Owners: Everette and Sandy Sharpe No. of Employees: 10 Repair Volume/No. of Cars Per Month: 60 cars per month Average Repair Cost: $1400 Shop Layout Working on his business – rather than in his business – has allowed this shop owner
The Insurance Industry Loves Your Apathy
If you continue to sit back and let things happen, when you finally do decide the insurance industry has gone too far, it might be too late to do anything about it.
OE Direct: Friend or Foe?
OED discounts OE parts, making them more appealing to the insurance industry and benefiting the repairer, who might have otherwise had to use aftermarket. But the forced vendor relationships, erosion of parts profits and possible insurer involvement are raising repairer eyebrows and concerns.
Trick or Treat? Money Talks
You know it. I know it. And The Hartford is counting on it.
Creative Estimating: The Controversial Issue of “Cost Shifting.”
The problem was that Nationwide audits all his sheets and when the color white shows a blend, he gets questioned. Simply adding a little time somewhere else in the estimate where the appraiser won’t get questioned is easy enough, and that’s just what we did. An hour moved to clean-up time worked for both of
If It’s Broke, Fix It: Allstate, Sterling, and Your Shop
“We finally parted ways,” says a Louisiana shop owner who – during the past few months – has voiced his concerns to me about Allstate acquiring Sterling and his own business’s shaky relationship as an Allstate PRO shop. “But we’re still repairing cars with Allstate drive-in estimates – and making more money because they’re at a higher labor rate. Go figure!”
Your (sic) An Idiot
Below is an e-mail received by Charlie Barone, one of BSB’s contributing editors: Charlie Barone: Your an idiot. I will not waste anymore time explaining why. Sincerly, Emil Belich Concours Auto Works West Allis, Wis. A few things about this e-mail: Charlie Barone is not an idiot. He’s been in this industry for decades and
The Fox and The Hens
Systems that have checks and balances.
Blindsided: Blind Claim Audits
Blind dates are a whole lot more fun – at least you get to meet the other party,” says a California shop owner about blind claims audits. Not familiar with the term “blind claim audit”? How about “desk review”? A thorn by any other name still hurts just as badly – and, in this case,
Addressing Anti-Trust
Bringing up anti-trust to collision repairers is like bringing up Thanksgiving to a turkey. It ruffles their feathers. For the most part, however, this fear of anti-trust is the result of ignorance. “The Sherman Act prevents us from discussing compensation,” says one repairer. “It’s construed as price fixing. But insurers can discuss amongst themselves how