Gary, Please go back and reread. I didn't say Safelite had a monopoly.
I said Safelite Solutions, LLC did. You don't have to have 100% to be considered a monopoly or to have "monopoly power". In my opinion, Safelite Solutions, LLC has enough of the auto glass claims administration market (not repair and replacement market) to qualify as a monopoly. I based my opinion from a sample of thousands of 2013 claims and found that Safelite handled 78%. This entity operates a network and controls who can participate and is known to reject applications if in their opinion "the region already has enough repair and replacement facilities." (Barrier to entry, discrimination, anti-competitive to say the least.) Way too much control!

Gary, where are you getting your numbers? If Safelite Solutions, LLC doesn't handle the largest claim volume, then which of their TPA competitors does? I think State Farm only has 18-20% of the auto coverage market and they only waive deductibles for repair in TX and a few other states that require glass coverage riders to be offered, so I stand by my statement. Remember total claim volume includes both repair and replacement claims.

GAI? Guaranteed Average Invoice. The winner of this scheme is the one that does the most repair claims to bring down the average. Of course the insurance companies have done their best to depress and retard repair pricing. Some in recent years moving to flat rate.

Gary, When someone comes into my shop for service, it is none of my competitors (or their affiliates)business. The names of my customers are my business not my competitors. What kind of service I provide for my customers is my business not my competitors. How much I charge for my service is my business not my competitors. The insurance company didn't contract for my services. Their policyholder, my customer did. The insurance company has no business forcing me to deal with a third party that has financial ties to one of my competitors. I rest my case.

AH Gary, this is a week late a a few million short. Those of us in the trenches who found this and have spent the last 4-5 days working on this day and night, have stayed away from posting this because we caught it and maybe just IN THE NICK OF TIME TO STOP IT. I guess at this point maybe we don't care if the parties involved who are trying to slip this piece of crap into a FRAUD bill, can't stop the opposition. But those of us involved have stayed away from posting on an open forum for a reason. We didn't want them to know we were on to this crap. They wanted to catch us sleeping and didn't. Tomorrow will tell.

Any Mn shops who care about the future better show up at the capitol at 10:30 am Go to IGA website to find the scoop.

This will make a difference ALL over this country whether independent shops can survive.

This is the biggest event for the industry to date. It will make or break MN shops and all others will fall in the after- math. NO JOKE!

Bottom line any independent shops within driving range to the Twin Cities of MPLS and St. Paul better show up At the Capitol well Before Noon. GO to IGA and get details.

I have over 35 Mn representatives that have been contacted. Bottom line: If we succeed we have a chance. if we fail, auto glass in MN is doomed for all independents.

I was wondering who was going to post this first. We might be just in the nick of time or it will be too late for ALL independent shops.

Time will tell..... stay tuned...

jb I don't think anyone with any common sense would disagree with what you are saying including our senators & congressman our system is corrupted by special interest and lobbyist, no one will ever convince me that a direct competitor will not use proprietary information to their advantage (collecting personal info e-mails etc.)having all this info creates many advantages like knowing where to concentrate your sales force advertise etc. We here in south Carolina got a law passed that had some workable language in it,but no one seem's to care that it's being ignored.The first thing the tpa is supposed ask is do you have a shop of preference I ask people all the time if they ask and say they ask if they want to use the company that there insurance company uses, and if they do have a shop of preference they start a commercial of all the advantages of using the company there insurance company uses. I've tried to convince people that customize offers and network participation hurts our argument against unfair treatment but I have to tell ya no one really seems care. after 34 years I'm on the home stretch of my career but these guys in their 20's 30's and 40's better have a plan B for making a living because if people don't wake all that will be left for independents will be r & r's and used car lots.

Gary,

Are you still there?