‘Managed” Repairs
“Freedom of choice just went down the toilet. Welcome to ‘managed care,’ collision-repair style,” says an Austin, Texas, shop owner about Texas Senate Bill 14 (which became law in ’03 and went into effect Dec. 2004). “The repair industry was blindsided. Nobody knew a bill like this was even being considered, let alone that it
Your Fearless (ASA) Leader
Geralynn Kottschade has gone through basic training and childbirth. Comparatively speaking, her new role as ASA Chair should be relatively painless.
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
Learning to Grow Your Business
Finding ways of dealing with the evolutionary and revolutionary changes of this industry.
Apathy
A massive segment of repairers – wallowing in yesteryear’s thinking and uninterested in learning anything new – are driving themselves out of business. Do you fit this description?
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
Politics: The Art of Friendly Persuasion
Politics has everything to do with the collision repair industry. In fact, it’s the means by which the powerful insurance industry uses to gain more and more control over the repair industry. Meanwhile, the repair industry is allowing this to happen by simply doing nothing in the political arena. Politics, in my view, is the
Lobbying for Your Livelihood
In one of his fables, Aesop tells the story of a farmer who was able to unite his quarrelsome family despite their individual differences. After trying in vain to reconcile his family by talking to them, he thought an example might work. So he called his sons together and asked them to gather a stack
A Few Items on the 2003 Legislative Agenda
Regarding “no insurer mandate on aftermarket parts” for new vehicles in the warranty period.
Steering Customers to the Truth
Collision repair and auto glass specialists continue to suffer discrimination at the hands of insurance companies as well as government agencies.