I really doubt that they will follow procedures. Should AGRSS really trust Diamond to police themselves? I know in my market they are the bottom feeders doing work not charging for labor or kit for Safeway insurance. How can they say they are committed to quality and safe installations when they give labor away for free? I am forced to charge Safeway customers $120 on average out of pocket even if they have full glass coverage because these bottom feeders ***** the price to get the contract. AGRSS watch out you may lose any credibilty you have!

Evolution without Post-work Inspections will equal zero credibility.

Especially with the self-compliance checks in place.

The program must evolve to include inspections to see if the credentialled parties, or any party for that matter, are meeting the requirements in actual real world installations.

Like it or not, it simply has to happen. Every installer must believe that at any given time, in any given place, or any given customer, that they may have the job they perform inspected. Otherwise, poor installations will continue to take place.

It's like this in every other industry, why would this one be an exception?

Training is great, AGRSS rules are great, NGA or Carlite or PAG training is great. But the only way to deal with someone that knows the rules but is breaking them to favor speed, is to inspect the work, find the shortcomings, and do something about it.

Agrss is seeing $'s that has alot more to do with it than we think.O'but its an none profit org,right!

There you go again. Diamond takes another step to move the industry quality and you attack them. They have a consistent message and have made A LOT of changes for the better to back-up what they say. Is your shop registered? If not why not? You should focus on your own company. This industry is full of so many immature "businessmen" it is no wonder things are in the state they are in.

Well I think we should all keep our eyes on Diamond and the Belron owned U.S. companies and we might learn some new tricks. I think all these guys are trying to do is set an example and try to better the industry and the company. Maybe if we would listen more to what these guys have to say we might be able to better our own companies and be able to turn a profit.
After all we should all be doing safe quality work and if we start with that than it brings more profit with less come backs and happier customer . Then we all sleep a little better at night.

Safelite & Glass Doctor are the ones I dont trust
we should watch these guys at gun point .Everyone that decides to start a AutoGlass biz alway trys to model it after Safelite and most fail within the first year.

Some people Lie about AGRSS Certification... Hi Liars!

Does this mean I won't see D/T trucks go by on rainy days to mobile install in driveways? What about in the winter in under 40 temp will the outside mobiles come to a halt? Hey all you guys from Missouri, What do you think?

Diamond = smoke and mirrors.

AH-A/G, I dont understand your point about Glass Doctor. They are modeling themselves after safelite? GD is basically a collection of independents that bond together. From what I have seen they are nothing like Safelite, in quality or business model. Please expand on your point.

Wake up!!!!! Now that D/T has joined it helped legitimize the program. Lets see if Safelite belly's up now, or other regionals/nationals. I know that most area's with D/T over does it with ASAP.

Owner - I have had lots of problems with safelite showing up on jobs our company was supposed to do. I also had this problem twice with GD and also after talking to Nathan ( seems like a good guys ,very helpful) I had a GD tech show up and set across the street from our shop and tell our customers as they walked to the store that they could do the job cheaper and better than us . (sounds like safelite to me)

I'm not saying all GD shops are that way but I know atleast one in texas is.

DOES THAT SET UP ACROSS THE STREET THING WORK BECAUSE I KNOW I AM THE BEST WHERE I AM AT BUT I TRY TO SELL QUALITY. AND SOMETIMES I WILL GET CUSTOMERS TO PAY A LITTLE MORE FOR HONESTY

Well I got my BB gun and the next time i see a G.D. truck across the street from our shop he will have to replace all the glass in his truck.

AH-A/G -

You don't by chance live in Roanoke, VA do ya?

Roanoke police are investigating a B.B. gun shooting spree

NO! I 'm in TEXAS .

I am with Mark 1 on this issue.

Unless and until every installer and every company they work for, has some measure of concern that an independant body (agrss, state inspectors, etc.) will be policing(vehicle post replacement inspection) any standards, little will change.

Sadly most companies will take their chances that (1 noone will ever notice if the windshield falls out anyway as few law enforecement officers ever check this in an accident report, (2 if one is noticed there are a million reasons that can explain away why it happened (simply blame the installer), and (3 they will make a fortune before that, and simply file bankruptcy when and if they ever get caught.

I hate to say this, but I think this is how some companies and corporations conduct business. A risk vs. reward factor? Sadly, at present, the rewards of hastily done improper installations greatly outweigh any risks that a company might assume.

jim you must be one of dt fired employees

Jim is definately one of those disgruntled ex-employees. I can't wait till Jim is quiet. LOL

LOOKS TO ME AS IF MOST OF DT'S WORK FORCE IS OUT HERE POSTING HOW GREAT THEY ARE BECOMING. Do leopards change thier spots?? It may still come down to turd polishing!!!

Keep laughing while Diamond changes the industry. They are serious and taking great action. Your high school smear tatics will not stop them in fact it makes them realize even more how right they are to clean-up this industry.

Thanks CCC.

And to Randall Barnes: nice letter to AGRR on the subject of actual inspections.

I agree completely.

And again, as to Big D, they have apparantly taken a hard look in the mirror, and all around them, and are attempting to make a change. It will take time. But anyway you slice it, even the attempt to change is good for the industry. There is really no direction to go but up at this point, and I think they see this. The question will be is if they can overcome the forces that wish the status quo to remain as it is.

Glassguy, Are you a DT employee? Doesn't matter just curious.

Yes I am a DT employee and I can see the rapid changes everyday. Its nice to have a lot of the negative people out of the company.

One thing everyone keeps overlooking.Its not the company that makes your company,but the installers.I have seen it everywhere.Doesnt make a difference who or where they are.Some D/T shops may have bad installers and tactics.Other locations may be better than anyone else.If you are sitting there complaining and trying to do something about it pay your employees better and give them better training.Once a hacker always a hacker.:)

No never employeed by Diamond. Just one of the little guys who kicked their -ss in my market. Or should I say out of the market.

I agree with smartglass. It is the installers that make the difference, but it is also how the company structures compensation for employees. If the company pays people bonuses for getting more work done in a day chances are installers are going to cut corners to get more jobs done. My personal opinion is that 6 jobs a day is a fair estimate on how many jobs a tech can do safely in a day, some days maybe a little more depending on the jobs and travel time some days a little less, but the tech that are doing 10 to 12 mobile jobs a day are not spending enough time on each job.

I wonder what D/T company average is ?

I think the goal is 5 a day for DT shops and might be higher for shops with Auction work.

Come on, glassguynow. Who are you trying to kid? I just interviewed a kid with two years experience who is a current DT technician. He tells me they are expected to complete at least 10 jobs per day (solo) and more if they want to recieve a bonus. You make a great cheerleader, its just too bad your team is so awful.

Watch what the kid is telling you...those are the goals....and I do not make a good cheerleader. I know some branches are able to do 10 a day if they have them set-up at an auction other than that 5 is the goal.

Biggy benny!!

They tell you 5 is the goal. But it was rare to get a day with less then 7 or 8. And they don't care a lick about drive time. Most of the time they would tell you your overtime hours were drive time hours and that they don't pay for drive time.

Just wanted to say that DT is not all bad. Most of the problems are on the corporate end. Those college grads in the suits behind the desks are the ones who create the problems. Most of DTs "working" staff are great people. I met very few people that I didn't like.

back in my younger and dumber days when i did a short stint at safelite i worked the auction in denver for a week, there were 5 of us out there, 2 cutting out, 2 replacing, and 1 doing paperwork. we pulled no cowls or wipers, we did around 90 shields in 5 hours. great quality, i'm sure. and we got paid $10 per job.

I guess that may be why S/L would never become AGRSS certified!

Before I started my own biz I interviewed with the regional manager over Oklahoma city and Texas (Frank P.) We told me that I would be at the dealears auto auction and I had to do at least 10-12 a day but he insisted on pulling the cowls . A few yrs later I hired a tech from DT and he said that if they didnt do 10-12 a day then they didnt keep them.

I left a good company to go work for them awhile back.Big mistake,I was new to the industry and all that I saw was big $ to switch.I remember doing 250 plus miles a day was average,and 9-12 installs a day.I did that strong for 3 years and it wore me out to where I knew I had to slow down,or I would be shot to do this job for a career.I always hated the feeling of not knowing if you were going to be fired the next day or not!Even if you were doing a good job.I sure hope for their techs they stop that,and the customers.I smartened up and went back to a good company.In the midwest triump is brutel to work for,at least 5 years ago.

Bye the way,I to knew frank perone and a few other dolts.But there are some there that know what they are doing,some.

I am not sure where everyone thinks they are getting their numbers or so called facts from. I know that that 5 a day is the the minimum that is asked @ DGC. DGC does not ask their installers to do 9-12 a day every single day. Yes there will be days were this happens, but this will be at an auction or where everything is lined up for them or if the work is there; it needs to get done. But DGC does not ask for 10 a day. If an installer can do 10 a day and do it right, perfect, if he can do 5 a day and do it right, perfect. If you "others" want to bash DGC, come up with some truth and not what happened 10 years ago or from what you heard from your local gossip.
"Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth or the only truth." C.A.D.

I work for DGC and you guys are rediculous if you think that DGC requires 10 a day. The requirement is 5 a day and alot don't even hit that. Stop talking about things you know nothing about. How many people have you interviewed and than hired because they say they do 10 a day. All lies. Most of our guys leave with 6-7 a day but on average 5 a day get done. This company has alot of wonderful people working here. Hard working people that really care about what they do and the quality of work they produce. It's about time you all stopped knocking this company. Sorry to disappoint you all but I don't see any bottom feeders and DGC. Top of the line employees only need apply. You all wish you could be like DGC.

WE'LL STOP "KNOCKING THEM" WHEN THEY STOP LOW-BALLING HERE AND DRIVING ALL PRICING LOWER AND LOWER. THAT'S ALL WE WANT.

Stop doing mobile installs in unacceptable weather conditions.

I didnt hire the guy because I didnt want to have to retrain him on how to install windshields the right way. The kid had no reason to lie to me, and I have heard it from other techs as well. You're not dealing with the uninformed general public here. We all know DT is not known for their quality. We all have to follow you guys when a customer comes to us after you have supposedly fixed the problems they had with your installation. Ive seen it all from Triumph Autoglass, cut dashes and headliners, glued down cowls, reused mouldings with the back cut off. I would acutally prefer a Safelite install to a DT install.

ah, to live in a dilusional world....

OWNER
What is the name of your glass company? It is easy to make such statements against an industry leader without letting eveyone know who you are. Is your shop AGRSS regisitered? Are your techs or yourself for that matter NGA certified? I would love to know your reputation in the market and specifically what others think of YOUR instalation quality. DT is for real with quality and the direction they are going you and your company will not make it in this new world or quailty and service. I can tell that from your negative attitude. Post your resume and maybe I could put a good work for you at DT (If you get your bad attitude under control)

You're kidding, right Karen? My shops are just fine, thank you. We do the job right and we charge accordingly. You do neither. Come talk to us after you implement the changes you are talking about, because it is the same old Triumph crap installs for crap prices in this area.

I worked for belron then vistar and then safelite and I can attest to the high quality of the installs our techs did at the locations around here. All of us were professional and followed all of the proper procedures on EVERY job. Thats not to say that other stores were the same, but to lump all techs at all locations together is ridiculous. Around here some of the certified techs and registered shops do work that I would have been ashamed of as a rookie! When I worked for SGC, we were expected to install an AVERAGE of 4.5 w/s per day in any given month and descent bonuses started at the 5.5 job level. Our boss was also understanding that some jobs can take all day and drive time was factored into our work load. The problem some techs complain about SGC and DT is more a local supervisor being a jackazz, rather than an overall vast corporate conspiracy. The guys at the top don't pay attention to the techs enough to really understand what is really going on.

Owner,
Still cannot say the name of your company or answer some simple questions? I guess that says enough about you. And the last time I checked I looked nothing like a Karen. I have been in the business for five years now and am NGA and Sika certified and care about my company. It gets me mad when guys like you feel the need to attack other companies but I guess thats just the way it is

What,you think by getting uniforms and getting all the stores to look alike are going to help?I guess this is the first step.If you guys stop low balling and play fair you and everybody else will make more money and you will get alot more respect!That should have been the first step.I know guys that have been there for 15+ years and your right,not all are bad.It is not dt telling the techs to do 10+ a day,its the dm's, csr's and managers putting pressure on the guys.That bonus program is to get the techs to do more work,so that does not help.You so called dt guys need to wake up!I agree,its not DGC,its the **** poor managment in some locations that ruin it!Start cleaning some more house and you will get better.Just ask and I will be glad to give you names!!!I will chack back in a few days.

Hey Glassguy stop posturing and challenging others. D/T is what it is, Me thinks thou doth protest too much.

I think that if you complain to much about the job you have, you are in the wrong profession. If you dont like it leave.