Unauthorized Practice of the Law: Are You Guilty?
Watch out when negotiating with insurance companies and appraisers.
Choosing Sides
t’s official. The industry is equally divided: 50 percent of shops are on direct-repair programs and 50 percent aren’t.
Training Techs – A Guide for the Do-It-Yourselfer
Our workforce is incredibly knowledgeable, skilled and talented. But this didn’t just happen. Someone had to train them; someone had to be their instructor or mentor. The ways people learned the craft are probably as varied as the number of techs out there. Schools trained many, but probably not as many as you might think
No Problem: This is How We Deal with Tough Adjusters in My Shop
By David M. Rowe I recently had a customer, who also happens to be a part-time employee in our service department, who was in need of a quarter window for her Ford Focus. This customer is insured with the "Good Hands People" at Allstate Insurance Company. My shop is also an Allstate PRO DRP. You’d
He’s No Johnny Come Lately: Padula’s Body Shop
A shop owner since the age of 17, John Padula runs his shop on his terms Shop Name:Padula’s Body Shop , Inc. Location: Tallmadge, Ohio Established: 1947 Square Footage: Main shop 4,000 square feet; detailing building 2,500 square feet President: John Padula No. of Employees: 8 – 1 body tech, 1 body tech helper, 2
Are You Willing
Have you ever had work steered from your shop to a direct-repair shop?
Have you ever tried to get on a DRP and were told the insurer “isn’t looking to add any shops right now”?If you’ve been in business for more than three minutes, you likely answered “Yes” at least once – if not twice.
Getting Noticed: Choosing the Best Marketing Strategy to Attract More Cars
ng local relationships and keeping their name in front of insurance claims management. When I was an Allstate adjuster, a body shop that was out of my territory had a reputation for dishonesty and tough negotiations. Management and field staff joked about how this guy was always looking to be an Allstate DRP shop and
Insurer-Owned Shops: Anomaly or Trend
er relationships?”– Johnny Reyes, operations specialist, Pacific Collision Center, Inc., Placentia, Calif. Question answered by: Charlie Barone Among the greatest concerns of body shop owners in the United States is the possibility of a developing trend toward insurance company ownership of body shops. While the advancement of the Sterling/Allstate venture appears to be rapid in
Scaring Off New Recruits
n on their business. Much to my encouragement, I’m seeing a slowly increasing trend toward addressing these issues by some of the best shops in country. And that’s good for this industry because a slowly rising tide lifts all boats. Scott Irwin – the BodyShop Business reader who asked about our industry’s viability – is
“We Pay Up To $350 per RO for Paint, Period”
What is paint capping? Paint capping is a practice instituted by an insurance company that arbitrarily limits the amount of money they reimburse a repair facility for paint and materials on a specific repair order. To fully understand paint capping, you must first understand how paint and materials are calculated on an estimate. The standard
