CLICK HERE to tell us what you think about State Farm's new program?

Yey!Whatever!!!More crap.

We have never received a "rotational" job from Lynx in 7 years. So it sounds irrelevant to me, personally.

IF ANY ONE SHOP DOES THE CUSTOMIZED OFFER ALL IT WILL DOIS GIVE STATE FARM A REASON TO LOWER THE O&A PRICING. AS SOON AS A SHOP GOES TO 20% OFF FOR EXAMPLE IN JUST A SHORT TIME WE WILL ALL RECEIVE A NEW O&A AT 20% OFF LIST IT WILL DESTROY THE MARKET EVEN FURTHER. AND THEN YOUR CUSTOMIZED OFFER WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTED TO 25% OFF. BECAUSE THE INITIAL ADJUSTMENT WAS 5%. ITS THIER SNEEKING WAY OF MAKING YOU THINK YOU WILL GET MORE JOBS. WE DID THE CUSTOMIZED OFFER WITH LYNX ON SOME COMPANIES. AT ONE OF MY SHOPS I THINK IT WAS A C MARKET AT THE TIME WE LOWERED THE PRICE BY 15% ALL IT DID WAS MADE ME POORER! I NEVER RECEIVED ANY ADDITIONAL WORK AT ALL! ITS ALL BULL CRAP! STATE FARM PREACHES AGGRSS BUT THEY COULD GIVE A POOP LESS IF YOU INSTALLED A PLASTIC BAG WITH BUBBLE GUM AS LONG AS YOU DID IT CHEAP AND THE CUSTOMER DOESN'T ****** DONT DO IT IF YOU KNOW WHAT IS GOOD FOR YOU!

Bob B.: A customer walking in "off the street" (your words) and possibly getting a cheaper cash price could be due to these factors: 1.) We don't have to wait a month or longer to get paid, it's called cash flow. 2.) We don't have to wait on hold with them for 10-30 minutes to get them to say yes. 3.) We don't have to talk to a TPA csr that does not know anything about unsafe mobile installations. 4.) If we tell them they need an OEM molding or if it's a vehicle equipped w/rain sensor they should have an OE w/s installed we don't have to spend 1/2 day trying to get your TPA to kindly allow us to restore their car to pre-loss condition.
Thank you.

GLASGOD,
THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT PRE LOSS CONDITION OR AGRSS OR WHAT IT COST TO ACCTUALLY DO A SAFE INSTALLATION. IT IS REDICULOUS THE REASONS I AM GIVEN WHY WE CANT USE OE GLASS AND MOULDING SOMETIMES. AS FOR THE CUSTOMIZED OFFER, ALL THEY WANT IS US GLASS SHOPS TO FIGHT OVER PRICING SO WE WILL CAN BE AT FAULT FOR THE PRICING ON THE O&A'S. THEY THINK WE ARE ALL STUPID. MAYBE WE ARE WE ARE IN THE GLASS BUSINESS!

That's exactly what my point was....

Here's hoping all shops will be smart enough to see through this ploy to farther erode the insurance pricing.

This is by far the biggest crock of garbage since METRIX. If BB says this is market driven one more time I for 1 will puke in his face! This is certainly a way to see how much the shops want to beat each other up. Now I wonder, what if no shops fall for this crud? ahh but just like metrix, I'm afraid there will be shops that somehow think they will get more work, so go ahead cut your throat some more and while your at it cut the throats of the rest of us. My choice will be to give them my "CUSTOMIZED OFFER". I'M GOING BACK TO BEFORE REBALANCE AND GIVE THEM AN OFFER THAT PUTS PROFIT BACK IN THE WORK I DO. Now if this program works the way BB said than all the work that comes to me from the farm should be at the new price I give them,,, this works both ways. Just like he said, once you make your customized offer all work will be at that rate,,, good,, I will like getting paid better than I have been.....
this is the right time to send the right message to St Farm,,, let's see how many can,,,, GAME ON! ALL THEY ARE ASKING THE SHOPS TO DO HERE IS UNDERCUT THEIR OWN O&A. I challenge shops owners, send a message, put in your customized offer back to what you where paid 2 yrs ago,,, or before the famous rebalance.... Do you think that just might put an end to this wonderful idea??????This is just one man's humble opinion!

S.F. is just handing out the rope for us to hang ourselves.

I feel that SF is following on the heels of all of the others. I have received 2 jobs from SF this month. 5 last month. (2 of those were repairs). One of the repairs I didn't do. The customer wanted his windshield repaired and the damage was in the line of vision. Lynx told me that they had a company that would repair in the line of vision. This shows me that they are not interested in their insured's safety. Only in their bottom line. I will not perform work like that. I am at a point where I feel that it's not worth the fee's I pay every month for the "privilage" of performing work for these companies. I will not be adjusting my discounts in any way.

You can count on the big boys to fall for it; Belron, SGC, Diamond. That's where the the work will go when an insured has no-one in mind and that is still a load of crap. The big boys still think it'll work.

Offering State Farm a deaper discount to get more referals simply doesn't work. Been there done that. Thru tracking we found ALL of our jobs from State Farm are jobs we got ourselves (even when we worked with the Big Boys).

Now there are RARE occassions when a Lynx Rep will call up asking if we can do a job RIGHT NOW for someone. That would be the ONLY time we would POSSIBLY get a "Rotation" call. Still the answer given for our availability and time frame just doesn't work as they always say "I'll let the insured know and we may be calling you back" and that's the end of it.

E-mail sent to Mr. Bischoff
November 10, 2006
(From the deer stand)

Mr. Bischoff,

Thank you for taking the time to read my e-mail...

As a sales and marketing expert I see that your O&A program lacks two very important categories.

#1) Experience
#2) Integrity

At a recent MGA conference in Minneapolis a State Farm representative stated that SF is the largest Insurance company and the current largest buyer of Auto Glass. Congratulations on your success unfortunately Mr. Bischoff you are NOT our largest customer. Even when we tried your O&A program and discovered replacement at "OUR STANDARDS" isn't providing proper returns to make it an intelligent business decision at your "offered" rate.

It's ALL PRICE for State Farm for the entire industry for that matter....Careful...If you put the wrong letter in front of the word safe...$afe...it's not safe anymore! We were involved, our people sat on the committee that decided on the pricing survey. Our rates still reflect our business philosophy and pricing program to operate as a legitimate company creating commerce and jobs for our community! Paying taxes Supporting clubs and organizations not in just one market in Northern Minnesota but three! Now that's down to One man in one shop.

Just as your O&A program requires...

I have a stack of invoices with State Farm on them and I guess we're going to Arbitration...Remember Bob...we have yet to lose!
A good business decision for your company would be to pay your invoices in full...Because when we arbitrate and win you pay more! like 15 to 25% more be a hero for your company Bob and save State Farm some cash!

bebezhig is an Old Ojibwa saying for one-by one. If that is how we are to receive full payment then that is just how we will do it! bebezhig!


Have a GREAT weekend!

Mark XXXX
American Auto Glass Inc.
XXXX Division St.
XXXXXXX, MN

To talk to me directly - 218-368-6336

How many AGRSS compliant shops can afford to give any more than they are already giving? Who is really policing whether the shops are AGRSS compliant? What happens to State Farm the first time an insured is crippled or killed because of an improperly replaced windshield? The deeper the pockets, the bigger the payout. There has always been a big difference between value and cutthroat pricing. "The reget of a poor purchase remains long after the thrill of a bargain is gone" You still get what you pay for guys.

jennifer,

don't you remember the contract, state farm allows the shops to assume all liablity. As you can see by their actions in the tornado suit and the hurricane mess, they will turn on the experts they hired and those people will take the hit, not the farm. As you know the contract covers state farm with their agress language, the liability is all the shops, no matter if the farm will pay for it or not.

M from Minn.

State Farm is not the largest buyer of autoglass,,,,,insurance companies do not buy glass, they indemnify customers losses,,,,,unless they are assuming liability for the repairs, which they obviously do not.

let me remind each and all of the texas court proceedings stating that body shops and glass shops are expected to be the customer's representative to ensure the customer is not cheated. How many people replacing glass are looking out for the customer? How many are cutting corners to meet the insurer's pricing demands? Which is the correct path, and which is the easier path?

advocate,,,,that is the term the judge used when describing the position of the glass shops and body shops.

when was the last time you defended a customer or acted as an advocate? I admit to doing rust procedures but not charging for them, because the insurance company refused to acknowledge it. So i really didn't do my duty, although the customer was protected. i appologize for not doing my part in the bigger picture.

What a wonderful opportunity for me to lower my profits even more. Even though I am in a rural area with high cost involved in shipping glass to my location (75 dollars per shipment) I am still paid at the 15% of NAGS rate that shops in the larger towns who have no shipping costs.

Now State Farm feels that it would be to my advantage to lower my prices even more. I am so thankful that they are looking out for me.

Hello,

My shop could not offer customized offers to State Farm even if we wanted to, as we are not a member of there program. However I would like to comment even though this absolutely would never effect me or the way I do Business.

Every insurance company that I have seen information on in LYNX allows you to change your Customized Offer, if one of the 2 things happens.

1. The Insurance Company Changes the Baseline Pricing.
2. NAGS Has a price change...

Like I mentioned I can not bid even if I wanted to but if I could I would be very carefull to make a bid that did not expire prior to a NAGS change (no shot at NAGS) You never know when some typo could happen like it did with (i think it was 1206 or 1087) and you get goosed till the next NAGS Update..

Somone had mentioned that in 7 years they had never got a state farm job. I am in alot of areas of the country, and the only state farm work that i can honestly say I ever received was from a "Team " and it was paid to me direct and not thru LYNX, and they told me the rates they would pay and they were exceptional..

I have never really had much experience with State Farm, and If they were to stop paying glass claims all together i do not think it would make me any differnce.. But alot of you must do alot of state Farm work, because every stinking meeting I go to there is half of the room whining about them going 2 points deeper, they act like it is the end of the world.

I learned about 4 years ago never put your egg's all in one basket, because you never know what tommorow will bring. I found this out the hard way when Allied Network lost workmans insurance to safelite, that alone was 200 + jobs a month for me :(

Also one other thing i want to point out.. even if 85% of the state farm work has a choice (probably some agent who might prefer a shop for whatever reason.......) 15% of all glass claims with out choice could actually be a considerable amount of policy holders. I would be interested to know how many glass claims they actually handle through LYNX in one month... I would bet it is a whole lot....


Just my opinion for whatever it is worth.. I guess i will stay posted.

AGRR

What happened to all of the questions we wanted to ask Bob?

Just wanted to let you custom offer people know, Alpo is on sale at the local market(if you can afford it).

Lol Alpo... so i can have a nice shiney coat!!

Have no questions to ask him. I think he pretty much stated S/F's strategy. I see nothing positive about this for the AGR industry. If their is, someone please point it out to me because I seem to have missed it!!

I would like to hear Bob's comments on the second article tittled; State Farms claims actions under fire.

Maybe anyone thinking about helping out State Farms bottom line by raising there discounts should read the article too.

Its all a bunch of b.s. if you ask me,they make billions while we make pennies.

I think with the price of gas, insurance(health,business)etc. that those glass companies who don't realize their cost of doing business will get sucked into this custom offer program and volume will not make up the difference. If your losing money volume won't help. I am glad I am near retirement after being in this business for 41 years.
The fun is all gone in the auto glass replacement business

Glasslady

My questions to Bob would be.

1) What is Statefarm baseline pricing and how was it established? I thought NAGS was baseline pricing? How come your baseline starts out lower than the NAGS published pricing?

2)How are discounts getting deeper when cost of doing business has gone up(ie.-Insurance cost)

3)Why do you not pay for mobile service?

4)Explain a safe windshield installation.

after re-reading a little of the interview, i completely missed the claim that state farms does post installation inspections. As i recall, the insurers of this state are required by law to do post installation inspections, i could be wrong. My guess says they look to see if the w/s is clean, maybe they will send out forms for a self check? ha ha.

Looks to me like he is using claims adjusters to do this? Wonder if they are educated enough to do these inspections, i can't believe that they would slant a report if there was a problem with an inspection.

these hurricane/tornado reports are a good indication of their integrity when it comes to inspections.

if state farm is doing after installation inspections, and setting the price, seems to me like they are responsible for the results.

if people submit this enhanced offer, how can it not be steering, since it would seem they are offering to send the price cutter more work, and isn't the promise of more work what got us to this point in the first place?

Ralph, this has come up in the collision industry. Post work inspections are done by the same people that are now purportedly writing the estimates that are deficient to properly repair the car by half. (Remember the CIC Fraud Committee Report of late?)

So, if the inspector who wrote the short sheet also does the inspection, do you suppose that he has ANY incentive to validate his own short estimate in the inspection?

Nahhh, surely they wouldn't do that, would they? On the other hand, there's those pesky verdicts out of Oklahoma, and now these pesky lawsuits in Mississippi that are saying they do....

This is why I believe that the neccessary evolution of AGRSS is actual, physical, hands-on, post work (or during work) inspections.

A disinterested third party must validate what is now written in stone as THE benchmark for a quality installation. We must continue to police our own industry if we ever expect to have credibility with those consumers that we are so diligently working to educate about safe and proper installations.

It must also evolve to protect not only consumers, but repairers as well for performing those proper installations, and for refusing to perform substandard installations, but that's another topic.

From the outside looking in!

I would like to quote XXX "CUSTOMIZED OFFER". I'M GOING BACK TO BEFORE REBALANCE AND GIVE THEM AN OFFER THAT PUTS PROFIT BACK IN THE WORK I DO. That is my best advice to give anyone in this industry.
Please don’t miss understand what I’m about to say next. It’s nothing personal…It’s JUST BUSINESS…SMART BUSINESS…

Company’s that sign up on any network or accept pricing from a buyer…has NOT taken enough business classes. It’s ignorant to say the least! PLEASE! Anyone signed up on the network It’s NOT a personal attack! I’m still searching for justification and understanding of the “REBALANCE” It’s makes NO COMMON SENSE!
Let’s see NAG’s sets a price of what that job requires from parts to installation. Then comes the rebalance…from what I understand shops were to start charging labor separately.
Okay…then Insurance companies through their T.P.A. offer a flat rate or some offensively low rate. The whole rebalance concept only worked for the insurance companies! From the outside, looking in…it looks corrupt to say the least!

I have yet to find another company or industry in the United States that allows a customer to DICTATE PRICING without some type of volume agreement. Then to allow that pricing to dictate all prices for that companies SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).

ALL business in the world have special pricing when it comes to customers paying UPFRONT! DO NOT allow Corporate weasels like Bob Bishoff to turn your own pricing programs into their ability to COMMAND A LOWER PRICE!

Going to court is the best way to show them what you are worth and how it is going to be!It’s obvious Bob Bishoff doesn’t understand the Auto Glass Industry and he shouldn’t cause he is in the Insurance Industry.

Man this string did not go far, i came here to get a good laugh and no one else here got crazy.. ok i want to see some crazy posts be back tommorow.

Hey what the heck happened to my post, where is everyone on this subject i came here for a good read and its like everyone got abducted and i am the only one left.....

Helllllooo Wasssshington!

I do believe that some shop/shops in our area have already submitted an O&A at lower than our territory rates. Or is it just that time of year? In the two+ years I've been the primary CSR for this glass company we've not had a week when we didn't get a minimum of 7-8 Farm jobs per week. This month 4, now we haven't changed anything about the way we do business, so something has changed....I believe that LYNX like the other one S@$ is now steering those jobs to the companies with the offer. However we're standing firm, Farm jobs or no because if we all do it to compete it'll be like someone pointed out earlier, the insurance companies will come behind and lower all rates....again!

louise,

that cannot be possible, lynx does not steer customers, and the farm would never allow that.


ha ha.

I do alott of State Farm work. Had a contract before Lynx. I think they are the best out there.

My only question to him would be "Why are your insurance rates higher than some companies. If customers can get it cheaper elsewhere, why don't you lower your rate to match theirs? Wouldn't that be a fair and reasonable price for your customers then, instead of the inflated prices you are charging?"

Any answer he can come up with would apply to us in relation to glass I'm sure.

JAC

I for one will NOT lower my prices following yet another 5% decrease , in the blind implication that it MIGHT get me a job or 2 more a month . Metryx did nothing to increase my work flow neither did the new pricing nor will the customized offers program that has been banana's up the rear for many a shop.

Hey Bob,

Since you control our industry and our business, I think I'm going to allow you to control me too!! Bend over folks here comes Bob and his genious ideas!!

Just because you are a certified technician in our industry, doesn't make you compliant with the AGRSS-ANSI standard. If you comply with AGRSS you would understand our side of the story and not come up with stupid ideas like this one. We're not as dumb as you think.

Jobs are getting tougher(lower UAD),technicians are not certified, parts are getting more expensive (rain sensors, aftermarket satellite radios, size of glass, moldings, clip kits etc..) updating tools every 2 months, gas keeps rising, insurance keeps rising, Cost of glass keeps rising, and I'm on the phone with you for 2 hours out of the day trying to get all this authorized, yet you send us O&A's for lower rates. Are you NUTS!!!!! Now I hear from some of my body shop customers that State Farm is pushing used windshields. You must be NUTS!!!!

State Farm isn't Compliant with AGRSS, and quit using your customers as the escape goat. If you cared so much about your customers then do your research, and advize your customers that no Adhesive company in the country would approve used windshields and that it could kill them in a crash. Or advise them about the company that you sending them to. Best yet get rid of your HELD-HARMLESS-CLAUSE in our contract and you take on the responsibility!! Then maybe I'll listen.

The point is Bob, My Family has been in the industry for more than 40 years combined and I'm getting sick of all of these so called genious ideas that you guys come up with. So far you have done nothing but ruin the industry. Read your comments bud. All we want is to be rewarded with the service we provide. We are in a business of saving lives, and if you think saving lives is worth a 50.00 dollor profit. You've got something coming bud. It's real simple, pay us like you pay body shops. Pay us for our time.

I am certified in every aspect of automotive glass industry NGA,AGC,Sika,Dow,Adko,PPG, to name a few. I do that for you(State Farm, American Family etc...) and for my customers to ensure them there safety, yet my business is still losing out to the Safelites, Diamonds, of the world who are in and out of court every single year for not complying.

I guess what I'm saying Bob is your not helping the situation, you're causing it. Get off of the golf course and think about what you can do to help. If not send me a check for my daughter. She's hungry!!!

Boo

Amen Brother you said a mouthful! How can the Farm consider that used w/s's would be restoring the vehicle to "PRELOSS" condition? They must have a couple of genious's that do nothing but make up pretzel logic! Oh their day is coming.

We learned a long time ago that customizing your offer to any insurance comapany does not get you anymore business. It only helps to erode market pricing.

I do notk now if i would talk crazy about state farm like that, just ask bachman , they did nothing to a state farm customer now there out crying in a shower somewhere! Hope they do not resolve there differences, just means more work for bid daddy pimp!