I tried adding my business to the safelite's referal program and was told that they could not add my biz coz my area has enough shops providing the same service. I talked directly to them and they told me the samething and asked me to check with them again this time next year. is this legal and has anyone come across this etc, etc....thanxs

First I have heard of it! How many glass shops are in your area do you suppose? You might contact a few and see if they have had the same experience recently.

Consider yourself lucky

Thank Goodness!!! I agree!!
Sounds like a Direct Billing ONLY situation!
The insurance companies cannot 'refuse' your bills now!!! lol (really, i'm not kiddin)
good luck

I Call Glasssgods hand and raise you 1 AMEN!

I had almost the same thing happen. I tried to get on American Family's preffered list because I knew a lot of agents. I also knew the claims manager and he told me to just contact Safelite and if you agree to the pricing, they'll put you on. I would be accepting less money per job, but I though it would be good because of all the agents I knew personally.

Safelite sent me a letter saying that "American Family" had enough shops on their list and "they" would not be adding any more at this time. What a CROCK!

Poor me. I still get all the business, but I get to charge more than if they put me on the list. They really showed me.

JAC

I would send a thank you letter...

I would like to see this letter

happen to me 3 times already. once a year i apply,still same thing. just give up since last year.

Anyone who even remotely considers signing up with that network needs both a refresher course in grade school level recent history and a crash course in business basics 101 entitled: Dealing with Competitors.

Run a Google search on that unnamed company circa twelve years ago and experience a flash of sparkling insight.

I refuse to specifically identify that conglomeration of reprobates for two reasons those being a potential lawsuit and the fact that I just brushed my teeth and refuse to allow their name to pass through my lips...

The present ever-lasting and eternally ongoing lawsuit against them for steering will never be settled. The only way to fight them is to refuse to deal with them PERIOD and to directly charge the insurance company glass desks for jobs initiated by your shop.

When enough shops decide to practice that procedure, it will eventually spell the well-deserved doom of that pack of hyenas misrepresenting themselves as objective insurance company dispatchers.

The only people who benefit from their leads are those whose business is located outside the area that their own shops service.

As far as any individual jobs generated by your business where someone is stupid enough to run the invoice through them is concerned, why not just give them the key to the files that contain the names of your customer list while you are at it?

Either get smart or get out of attempting to run a viable business with a future.

I wouldn't deal with them even if I had a ten foot vaccinated crow-bar and completely inoculated against bird flu disease and the Nile virus . Four years ago my company told them to take a long walk off a short pier in writing and they had the audacity to then inform US in a return writing that they were dropping us because they had enough shops in our area.

My written reply probably burned itself to ashes in transit before it reached their corporate HQ located somewhere within the depths of hell.

Don't argue about it between yourselves while taking no proactive action. That's precisely what they thrive on. Divisiveness.

Just ignore 'em and deal direct.

Sure, it's a paper cut but worth it in the long run.

Shop Owner- If you really want on their list try calling Dave McPhaden at SGC. I am sure he would be able to assist you! Or simply forward the letter along with your invoice to the insurance company you are billing.

I have to totally agree with Jim on this one. Why would anyone WANT to be in cahoots with them? Sgc makes no cents at all, it's a go broke contract! They are such a hoot. Had a customer today needing a w/s, talked to the agent, found out what co, had her call it in,(as we all know they no longer allow the shop to set up a claim. Faxed her a quote she requested at the same price we did one for that same co. SGC calls, said we would have to accept the job at -18 off nags,, I laugh, and explain we do not discount from nags, she says she has no authority or cannot review pricing, we continue on she gives me a bottom line they will pay, which is right about what I already faxed to agent. she gives me an 800 # to call and sends us the work order,, guess what,,, it was right what I sent in the first place, nags list plus a flat labor with additional per nags hrly,,, What a joke, they fish for the lowest price but then accept what is a little more fair then they offer. They pretty much know our customers are very firm. I think they just keep testing the waters to see how low shops will go. Back to this post, I would take them turning you down as a direct invitation to DIRECT BILL!!! Going on a contract with them I guarentee you will be working for no profit if not immediately, very shortly!!!! good luck you need even more than that!

Dave McPhadden is the man!!!

Jim, Great post.

You people are unreal! It still blows me away of why you would want to support the networks and support low pricing. If you can't market your product without joining the networks for free handouts then you should get out. The same people on this post that are complaining about not being able to join the network are the same ones complaining about pricing and steering. Get a clue!! Never have been a part of any network in my 15 years of business and we have no trouble getting work or making money. Shops that look for free handouts because they have no business sense to market their product don't belong in this industry. You're supporting eroding pricing and hurting the shops that have been fighting for fair pricing for years. Some of you just need to get out and go away.

Thanks DL.

TM. I agree with you about those who "support" the networks but the fact is that the networks are here to stay. (At least for the foreseeable future.)

After eighteen years in this business, I sold off the commercial,trucking et al accounts and semi-retired in May of 2005. Three years ago, we completely ceased doing replacements for many reasons one of them relating to NAG pricing structures and asinine, unrealistic insurance company discounts.

Thanks to the quality of our work and the fact that we convert almost 98% of our dispatches from three networks into repair rather than a replacement, we receive more leads from those networks than we can handle and end up turning down @ 25% of the dispatches offered to us.

Surprising considering that two of those networks are owned by glass manufacturers. I believe that they are finally considering their future tremendous liability because of shoddy installations not only by some recognized franchises but fly-by-nights as well.

So, there are SOME advantages to belonging to SOME networks.

I DO want to stress that we will NOT deal with the Safelite network under ANY circumstances. There is a vast amount of difference between a "network" and a Black Widow spider web and we shouldn't make the mistake of confusing the two.

The judge in the foot-dragging Diamond lawsuit against Safelite's alleged steering certainly must be a complete airhead living in La La land and totally divorced from reality and facts. Safelite's steering practices are so evidently obvious and rampant that even a wino Bowery bum could decide their guilt in less than a New York minute.

Safelite is the spider web to go after and not the networks in general.

But, their disappearance into oblivion would actually disappointment me. I enjoy making fools out of them when we generate a claim from an insurance company stupid enough to be represented by them; laugh out loud when we catch the Safelite rep trying to steer; bill the insurance company glass desk direct; and foul up the EDI process for both.

Ah. The spice of life.