Professionals Auto Body, with collision repair centers in
Altoona and Duncansville, Pa., reportedly enjoyed a banner year in 2010 by realizing a
17 percent increase in sales and adding seven new customer service and
technical positions.
Owner Ron Perretta says these increases allowed him to
invest over $300,000 in new technical and service equipment that gives his
technicians access to the latest information for most late-model vehicles. The
new equipment has also allowed his techs to quickly repair customer vehicles
back to factory specifications.
"The only people that could fix a collision-damaged
vehicle or put one back together faster are the manufacturers’ robots,"
said Peretta.
"Myself and my staff refuse to let our customers be
inconvenienced by unorganized and inefficient automotive collision repair
processes that seem to be the norm in this industry," Peretta said.
"I’m proud to state that our turnaround time averages are two to three
more times faster than the industry average. We can do this all while
consistently maintaining quality and paying attention to the details."
Among the processes developed and implemented at the
collision repair centers is a report that allows the company to repair a
vehicle according to factory specifications, an on-site rental vehicle and
loaner car pick-up and drop-off service, and over a million dollars’ worth of
in-stock parts for most late model vehicles.
"Plain and simple, we want to take care of our
customer from the time an accident happens to when they leave here with their
freshly washed and repaired vehicle," said Peretta. "Even when
they’re not here for a repair, we’re continually offering training seminars to
them on how to change their oil and how to properly clean their vehicle at no
cost.
"Insurance companies have given us an ultimatum:
either make their priorities first and give them value or choose the consumer.
Well, that’s a no-brainer – our customers are our neighbors and friends and depend on us for
consistent quality, value and speed of their repairs. We’ll always choose our
customers first. And truthfully, we bring insurance companies value as well by
performing repairs quickly and efficiently and saving money on repairs and rental
vehicle bills. We’ll always stay the course and continue to bring our customer
nothing but quality collision repairs and service at a reasonable cost."
At one point, Professionals Auto Body had 28 DRPs. It currently has only six, by choice.
"After 32 years in the business, I’ve seen insurers on the program pay for everything, and at another point pay for nothing," said Peretta. "I can’t play those types of inconsistent business practices. It throws everything out of wack: quality, speed, consistency and my staff’s focus when handling their customers. On one hand, everyone wants me on their program because we can perform. On the other hand, they want the performance but don’t want to pay for it."
The privately-held Professionals Auto Body was established in 1979 in
Altoona, Pa., and has 30 employees. Its sister company, KarPro, was founded in
2009 to provide automotive mechanical repair and service to its
customers.
More information:
Professional Auto Body Facebook page
