Anyone charging overtime for work preformed on sat.,sun.,and after "normal" working hours?What about insurance work. Do they pay it or is it considered to be just customer service?

They aren't even paying properly for labor and/or parts NOW, what makes you think they will pay for emergency situations? Nice thought, but I wish we could get paid properly for "Normal" time. What is normal in this industry,,,,,,,, steady erroding pricing! Customer service,,, glass shops get it,,, ins co's don't get it, and don't have to,,, they have us all,,, over a barrel!

Ummmm.....yes, we do. Always have.

Do insurers pay it? Yes. Do they like it? No. What else is new?

I should restate that last paragraph: Do NETWORKS like it? No. Do insurers pay it? Yes.

Insurers seem to understand perfectly the issues about after hours and weekend service. After all, they have policy language to require an insured to mitigate their loss. That means keep their loss from becoming any worse. The also understand the quick customer service aspect quite well. THe problems only arise (well, except for co's like Progressive) when the network gets involved.

Problems you avoid by mitigating the loss are ones like keeping the water/snow/dirt/broken glass from causing more damage to the car or from causing an accident or injury and a PIP claim, heaven forbid.

What's the sure fire way to mitigate a loss? Fix/repair the glass quickly. It also keeps many insurers from having to supply a rental under the policy or paying for loss of use while a vehicle is down.

So to answer your question, Yes, we have charges for "emergency service", and from talking to insurers (not networks) I believe that the big boys all do also.

We also charge,bypass network,document why emergency charge and say for instance rain tonight or customer going home class shattered.Take pic if possible, 95 % of time we have bo problem,stay hard dont give in.They may send ltyytr saying mext claim you must wait and call.You can win.

By the way our charge is $125.00 with 2 hour min. even if we just tape up so customer can drive home.

Auto-No, not sure there is a real need here for overtime or after hours installs. This would be the 'exception' rather than the rule.

Property-yes, if need emergency board up or repairs is needed, we need it 'now' to make property safe or secure. We do anticipate special charges for this type of service.

This does not relate directly to overtime but does tie in with the thread I think.

We priced a glass using NAGS for an insurance company. It was one of those where the dealer part was cheaper by something like $110.00. The insurance company said they would only pay for the dealer part.
I stored the car inside to keep it out of the weather and ordered the part through the dealership as requested.(I could have had the part from my normal glass supplier same day, but is was netted and cost me more than the dealer list price.
The insurance paid for a rental for the customer.
Three days went by I continued to check with the dealer. Finally was told it was on "NATIONAL BACKORDER" could arrive at any time but not showing a date yet. Told insurance company status but wanted to wait since I could not sell my part that cheap.

Finally 14 days later I received part and installed.
Ins paid me 445.00 paid rental car company something like 900.00. I know this is an extreme but we deal with adjustors that use similar logic often.

By the way I did not even charge for indoor storage of the vehicle for the 14 days while we waited on the part that I could have had same day.

Just amazing to me how sometimes people will spend $100 to save $10.

I had a friend that does vehicle fleet maintenance, and has for over 30 years.

He recently argued with a fleet TPA over a part that he wanted $2 more than the TPA would allow. Then when he inspected the rear brake drums the passenger side needed replaced, drivers side was absolutley fine. But the Fleet TPA forced him to replace them both.

So they fought over $2 on a small part, but spent an extra $200 on replacing the drum that did not need replaced. He still gets a good laughs about that one to this day.

I was just about to agree with our friend HAL, but just 5 minutes ago I got a call from a customer that wanted us to do a replacement on Saturday and another one on Sunday for him as he works all other days out of town.

So... maybe after hour fees should happen on occasion.

Just thought that was funny HAL as we were posting about this topic.

I live in an area where it has been raining for over 20 days straight. Some people think it is an emergency to get a broken window in their vehicle fixed right away. We have greater potential for rust problems as well as electrical damage. Security of the vehicle is also important to the insured. They were already broken into in most cases.
Most shops have to pay their employees overtime for working on the weekends as they are already putting in 40 hours or more during the week.

GREAT EXAMPLES PEOPLE. TRY THIS CALL THE PLUMBER,ELECTRICIAN, DOCTORS, HEY EVERYONE ELSE GETS PAID MORE FOR OVERTIME AND WEEKEND OR SPECIAL SERVICE. EVEN AT NITE. HEY HAL DO YOU GET PAID MORE FOR LONGER HOURS AND GOING INTO THE OFFICE ON WEEKENDS??? ALTHOUGH WHEN YOU GET 6 FIGURES AND BETTER I SUPPOSE IT DON'T MATTER!!!!!!!

Thanks for responding Hal.But i do think that there are cases where after hours or weekends do need to be considered.For instance;cold weather in the northern states.The best place is a warm shop.The replacement is done at night so the customer can have their car by the next sunrise.This holds true for sales people on the road all the time and can't wait around for the installation and then the drying time after.Weekends are for the soccer moms and dads.Again;why should the glass industry not receive what all other service professions receive?Tempered glass is not broken on weekday mornings all the time you know.IT's just that it seems that this happens more often than not.

Hal, it's Friday night, 7PM, and you just found your door glass broken in the parking lot. You have a 50 minute commute to get home, and it's about to rain.

Now, do you expect the installer will come back to work, install your glass, or put a temporary over the hole, for normal rates?

OK......let me rethink that one.......you probably do have the number for someone at Safelite that will be sure you have a tech there in fifteen minutes with the glass and a hug for you at a nice discount because you butter their bread......but NORMALLY for JOE CONSUMER.......

How willing would you be to come back to work after YOUR working hours to deal with a customer for normal pay? Bring yourself down to the level of the blue collar working guys (and GALS) that are SATISFYING YOUR INSUREDS before you answer that question Hal.

And let's not forget about overtime pay laws before you decide for us that there should be no need for overtime or after hours charges, OK? If Safelite asks me for POP on that one, I'll just send them a copy of state wage laws, OK with you?

All good comments!

While the Insured has an obligation to mitigate their damages, we can understand that there may be true emergencies. These would be reviewed on a case by case basis and handled accordingly.

However, we will generally decline to pay these extra 'convenience fees' which are not part of the loss.

I would think that sound business practices might require store hours to be adjusted to fit local customer traffic patterns, which might include Saturdays or early evenings.

Hal, that is a lame response. With all do respect to your position, you are out of touch with the reality on another topic. Besides dictating prices,you think you now need to tell glass shops how to staff their employee's and hours of business to accomidate the insurance company's. Come work for me. I'll give you the keys and you can do it for me, right?

Hal sound business practice? How can we have that with with the current system? Maybe a review of policy language is due? I guess you tell the insurance co adjust your damage to conform to normal hours.

Yeah try to get a plumber to come fix a busted pipe at 7PM at night and see if you can get safelite to set the fair and reasonable yardstick next to that trade's expectations of service rates. Bravo .

Hal case in question,Dec.24 1989.Customer driving down I20,someone on overpass throws glass meter cover off.Passwnber wife cuy,need w/s so can trvel 9 more hours.You dont think charges fair/Even rainy,windy times what if plastic blows off.My question is which loss is greater.If documented I have never been told when explained that it was wrong.No proffesional will not charge for late hours and we are proffesionals.

I thought my previous response was on point.

"While the Insured has an obligation to mitigate their damages, we can understand that there may be true emergencies. These would be reviewed on a case by case basis and handled accordingly.

However, we will generally decline to pay these extra 'convenience fees' which are not part of the loss.

I would think that sound business practices might require store hours to be adjusted to fit local customer traffic patterns, which might include Saturdays or early evenings."

Many Insurers run 7x24 Call Centers to help with insurance related issues. We also schedule after hour appointments. If I ran a retail operation, you can bet I would consider Saturday hours and eanrly evening hours of operation rather than a M-F 8-5 schedule.

Hal, I understand your point, but if you ran a retail operation and worked evenings to acquiese your TPA's, you would find yourself with these two problems: 1.) All vendors pretty much close at 5PM, where you gonna get a doorglass for an Audi at 6:45 Sunday night? 2.) Let's say it's 4:55 and you just made it to PPG to pick up a Cavalier door glass for 75 bucks, now you have to run downtown to an underground parking garage with no light or power, then you get to bill Progressive or Farmer's $155.00. You just lost money, especially after paying time-and-a-half for your $22.00/hour tech. You'd be closed after your first month, sir.

As I said it earlier Hal, come and get the key and do all of what you are saying that can be done for the price we are being "allowed" to charge. We have to have a life too, or do you wish to tell us how to do that too?

What's interesting is that the profit level of the overall auto insurance industry is pretty good, and much, much higher than the overall auto glass business. In the highly regulated insurance industry, each state basically allows insurers to make a greater markup on their costs than glass shops are allowed (when total claims costs average 60% of premiums charged, that is a 67% markup on costs). Hal, I guarantee you we are not getting such a markup. But if I did, I could afford to do a lot more in the way of customer service.

What Hal is so delicately trying to say is, that because Safelite does it, we all should do it.

In my opinion, that means he thinks we should all follow Safelite's bankrupt business model.

Hal, if operating glass shops 24/7 (or whatever extra hours) was profitable, don't you think we would be doing it?

Please don't compare call centers to service. Those call centers are there for steering, not just FNOL.

Now, you refer to 'convenience' items. Tell me, if you think an insured should pay for taping up a window to keep the weather out, interior dry, why is that not PART OF THEIR LOSS?

Is your time free, Hal? If not, why do you expect that the insured's is? WHat if he misses time from work because he's late from stopping to tape up his window? Is that not part of his loss? Of course, this could go on and on, and policy language is the key.

Courts say, if it isn't denied in the policy, it's covered. Ambiguity always favors the insured.

HAL-
As we do not do any work for your company in this area I am just curious if you lowered or raised your NAGS discount this time around.

As you are on this board, you know our costs have increased, you know we are being charged "delivery or fuel surcharges", so I am most interested in what your company did.

Hal; please tell me of another service industry that does not charge any overtime.I myself do not have the employee to do extra work.I'm all alone and after hour appts. are the only time my customers seem to be able to leave their car.Yes i give all the amnities like shuttle service,pick their car up and so on.Still at least 30% of my work is done after 5:00.I DESERVE TO BE PAID FOR MY TIME.Last i knew it was a right and not a privilege.

Karl, Hal called it a 'convenience'.

Convenient for him, he's not gonna pay for it, but you sure keep his customer happy.

Hal looks good, Safelite looks good, the customer is happy, only you are unhappy for getting short paid.

I wonder how a judge would view this, being that every other industry charges for this?

if my house is broken into at 3:00 in the morning and they break out a window, I can have a glass company come out and do a board up, and turn in the bill to ins co. and the pay the bill, surcharge and all. What is the difference when it's a $40,000. car with glass all over the interior and no was to safely sucure car.