Can anyone provide some pros and cons to joining this?

I realize this may be a dumb question, and I probably already knew the answer at one time because we never signed up, but have since forgotten it.

I get tired of the BS they feed my customers when we have say a Met-Life job that we need to bill through LYNX and figure if maybe we were a member we wouldn't have to fight that battle?

We have to agree to their prices anyway so what is the downside of joining? I know there have to be some.

THANKS for any feedback.

Don't agree to their prices.

In our experience, NO NETWORK is going to refer very much work to you in actuality. You can expect maybe a 1 to 5% referal rate that are "non choice" customers for insurance work thru the networks, with 95% being YOUR previous customers or customers that know your brand name and choose you on their own.

Just didn't want you to think you would receive a large increase in volume based on being "in network". I do think your claim calls might go a little easier in some cases because you will not be negotiating the price, but in most cases it will make little difference as the procedures are almost the same either way.

We have found the best thing to make it easier for the CUSTOMER is to properly prepare them BEFORE placing the call.

We print a work order and HIGHLIGHT the information we have that the network will be asking them. It really streamlines the claim, leaves the customer LESS CONFUSED, and of course makes you look like HEROES for making the entire process less of a hassle for them. Just honestly look at your process now and determine how you can make it easier for the CUSTOMER, not you so much, but the CUSTOMER, and it will pay off.

Not saying that is easy to accomplish with some networks. There is not much you can do about constant "cannot verify coverage" challenges. But you can adjust the things you do control.

Hope this gives you something to think about!

PPG Pro Star shops will get all the referrals before LYNX is kind enough to "rotate" your shop to the top of the list. LYNX is convenient to EDI through and their website is easy to navigate and get authorizations.
Don't forget you'll have to register for METRICKS, that can be a pain but otherwise you won't see any "rotational" work, just the ones you snag yourself.

Glassgod is right, you wont receive any referrals just the customers that request your shop and to top it off they will require you to pay them $500 bucks to join their network

Don't forget when sign the contract for Metricks, you give up all rights, and they can change price or make you bend over backwards, or do whatever they want, and you have no say about it. Sound like a real good thing to sign up for,,, isn't it??????

THANKS to all for the replies.

We don't belong to any Networks now and loath them. We bill State Farm & a few others that we have to through LYNX & I guess I was just thinking of them as not being one when in reality they are.

We will continue to fight the BS and fly the Independent Flag proudly!!!

One thing I do want to do is create a brochure for our customers educating them on the Network tactics to better prepare them for the phone call. It really bugs the crap out of me that we have to sit there and listen to them put doubts into our customer's heads about our warrantys, ect. while we have their vehicle in our shop. You just want to go postal on these guys some days...

Glass God,

Can we be civil this time? I need to let you in on a little secret. I was a PPG Prostars for 4 years they tossed me out on the street like a crack *****, and i get more rotation now than i did as a PPG PROSTARS.. so being a prostars = no special treatment except a FEW places like NC where NCFB work is almost all PS work

SecrentAgent BTO

You got tossed because you did not buy enough glass.I will never believe that Lynx doesn't steer work to those shops that buy alot of glass.

Pros: You will get a LITTLE work for less money.
Cons: You are still in the Auto Glass Bussiness.

Greg,

Wrong.... I will not tell you how much i spent with PPG but i will tell you they miss my money

We're in the Prostars program and honestly, truthfully, no jive we get very few Lynx referrals.

I inherited the Prostar thing and I can't figure out just what the benefit is.

We also inherited Pro stars but opted out after a phone call to lynx services specifically asking to be directed to a pro star shop, they claimed they didn't know what I was talking about, after explaining they had still never heard of it. Figured the $1000 was better in my pocket than theirs. Have not noticed a drop in figures since and also aren't under contract to purchase a certain percent of ppg glass at inflated prices at the time.

mine was inherited....

I want to start out by saying that I do not enjoy the networks. Most of the time they are a pain in my ass, but I don't agree with everything here. First of all, I am on Lynx and SGC Network, among a few others also. I have never paid $500 to anyone to be on the network. I agree to their pricing and review every referral on a case by case basis. If they don't adjust their pricing to what I consider to be fair(on net priced parts, etc), then we turn down the job. Try to explain to the customer (if we've had contact with them) why we can't bill thru them. Most of the time the customer understands and we can work our way around the network by dealing with the agent direct.
METRYX is a pain in the ass (when you first sign up) It's just alot of red tape paper work mumbo jumbo. Pointless if you ask me. But I don't think there really is a downside to getting on the networks. I've just gotten used to the fact that they're here and we better figure out a way to deal with them as long as they are. My hopes are that they just go away over the next few years. In the meantime, we keep a good relationship with our agents and try to let them know what most of these networks are up to.

The important thing to remember is if you are on the networks, you can turn a job down if they are not willing to pay you what you want. Just that simple.

acg...you're right, you can turn down any network job you wish, this is still America. But read your Safelite contract; unfortunately it states that refusal to perform work due to pricing that is already accepted can lead to removal from the program. That would actually be a dream of mine.

i do about 30 jobs a month for lynx and the rotation works like this. the insured is given the names of three shops that offer lynx the highest discounts. when those three shop can't handle anymore work it then goes to the next shop with the best discount, so on and so forth. So if those first three on the list can continue handling the job load it will go no farther, just stays within those shops. If you want to be in the top rotation you have to lower your pricing discounts.

Is CutThroat saying that Lynx is not rotating, but sending work to the lowest bidder without informing the customer of such?

Is that what I just read?

That would be the way I would interpret his statement. Am I wrong also?

Yes, That has been my experience too. I did an experiment once. Chopped price to the bone on a LYNX off brand Ins. Co. Got a lot of referrals from LYNX on that company. Waited till I was able to change discount. When I did LYNX referrals STOPPED

So they claim we are all committing fraud and "consumers suffer" when in fact the consumer is probably "suffering" more from being sent to the cheapest guy in town?

So how many senators have to die before they will stop ignoring this simple fact, no matter how much money is being "contributed" to their campaign? What a sad, sick, legal system and politics we all live with.

Have to look this up, but I'm pretty sure that Allstate got in to some legal tangles not too long ago for sending their insureds to the "lowest bidding lawyer" without informing their customers of such.

Seems that Allstate had a program in place where lawyers could 'bid' their legal services to Allstate, and when Allstate had to defend one of their insureds, the insured was sent to the lowest priced lawyer.

Caused some pretty serious ruffled feathers, as I recall. I'm wondering how this is different?

If the shop enters into an agreement with the insurer before the car owner ever calls the shop, and the shop uses cheap parts, materials, and labor to work within the insurer's approved rates and still remain profitable, but no one tells the insured what's going on, and further implies that the 'member' shop, meaning the lowest bidding shop's, work is 'guaranteed' by the insurer also, and something goes awry, who will be holding the liability bag? (BOY THAT WAS A LONG SENTENCE...GASP GASP)

Of course, since the insurer isn't actually contracting any repairs from the shop....their limit of liability will be held to not disclosing the arrangement the shop and the insurer had, because the shop signed the agreement with the insurer and network to do top notch (Metryx approved in some cases now) work right?

Do any shops ever read the contract they sign I wonder?

JMHNLO again.....

Yep I read it over and over,,, couldn't sign it!!! My attorney looked at it and laughed, but yet said, "what a sick industry"! YEP!!!!