Q. Where, in an auto insurance policy, does it state that the insurer gets to decide how much it can be invoiced for a specific service?
A. It doesn't.

Insurance companies should be setting premiums based on prevailing rates which vary and the chance of a loss occurring etc. (not based on illegally established and depressed rates.)


Q. Where, in an auto insurance policy, does it state that notices of loss must be made by calling a competitor of the insureds chosen repair facility?
A. It doesn't.

Q. Why do glass repair facilities call their competitor to make the FNOL?
A. Beats the he11 out of me.............

JB you are so on the money with this.

Insurance policies have a "limit of liability" that states just what it suggests. Many simply say they will pay, "The amount necessary to replace or repair with like kind and quality". Others stipulate they will pay based on the prevailing price. Either way, the language is ambiguous, and doesn't stipulate a dollar amount, which is why shops with a proper assignment of proceeds continue to win in court or arbitration.

I can't for the life of me understand why a shop would call a tpa to report a loss. Call the customer's agent or call the insurance company to report the loss. I refuse to talk to tpa's.

The ONLY way to go, Smiley!! We haven't called a job into a TPA in almost 2 years now. Those who don't "see the light" are simply intentionally blind.

I finally got time to get in here. I am real glad to see more posts about this fight we are in.

I too since the 05 re-balance have RARELY Called my completion to file a claim. IT MAKES NO DANG SENSE WHATSOEVER! Once in a while on chip repairs I will go with flow, just because Time and trouble. But even on many chips I can tell my customer to call the number on their card, tell them what to expect, and when they are MY loyal cusomer I do not worry about them getting steered or stolen away, most, even fleets will not budge from who they want, and I am as busy as I can handle. Don't need more, we just go after profitable work.

Oh and Smiley, that section of "limit of liability" is where the rubber meets the road. SMACK!

really good info. I just went to work for my self i refuse to accept cut throat rates my self. So far have had success with some companies. Tomorrow i Have a Progre**ive job for a customer i have not called it in to claim yet. I usually show up see the declarations page to see if it has comprehensive, then just start the job and have them call while a molding is already off. Is there a better way please let me know. Thanks

Unfortunately, the best way is to get your customer to sign a post-loss assignment of proceeds (benefits)from their insurer to you. That is the only way you have a chance of prevailing when the insurer welches on the deal they made with the insured and tries to pay you in 1995 dollars instead of 2015 dollars.

Correct. Any shop not getting an assignment of proceeds from their customer is 25 years behind.

I currently have a good AOB i had composed by my attorney. My question would be. Would you send progressive invoice directly to sgc? Or to the insurance?

FNOL never goes to a TPA from our shop. We do not recognize them in any way during the initial claims process. Always bill the insurance company.

So this all sounds GREAT and we are all SO SICK of the TPA crap, but my one question is for those of you that do this?

Do you have a relationship with Agents that refer business to your shop?

I question how taking insurance companies to court to collect would end up jeopardizing Agent referrals...

Dear Midwest Shop,

The next time you talk to one of your insurance buddies, have them go on Safel1te's web site and get a quote for their price to find out what 2015 prices actually are.

dw2000 cash price safelite was 5 dollars over our cost on website. labor was not listed so it must be included already. predatory pricing anyone?

do they actually recognize the invoice or do they forward it to sgc?

Your name says it all! Most consumers want to know how much they will be charged including parts, labor and taxes. They do not go to Service Glasses website to find out how much a piece of glass costs. They go to Safelite AutoGlasses website to get a quote for the entire amount.

If you get a quote for chip repairs they quote high double digits or even triple digits for the first chip and they charge for additional chips instead of accepting $0 for additional chips. They also put in small print that the quote does not include taxes, supplies and other service fees like mileage fees for mobile jobs.

If anyone is a predator, it is the TPA that waits for the phone to ring so they can pounce.

I understand your question, I really do.

Someone I know answered that question with a question, and it really made even me think for a moment, and then a moment of clarity happened.

He asked: Does the agent refer to you because of the quality of your work and customer service, or because you are 'on the network' and do whatever they tell you to do?

If the answer is the latter of the two, does that agent really matter to you if all he values is that you'll do the work for the lowest price they quote you and not make waves for him?

The answer to your question depends on the answer to my question.

Personally, I always viewed agent referalls much differently from that point on, even now, several decades later.


To answer the other post, yes, we have seen quotes that do not contain labor, tax, or moldings.

HTH and, JMHNLO

it was JB's idea. it was the installation wing that gave the price, and that price was lower than my acquisition price. didn't give the brand, just the number. try it. i don't buy from service, and don't have access to their costs.


Agents referring on quality or price. can't make this stuff up.

The only way agents will refer jobs is if the customer insists on us or we agree to tpa pricing. There's no way we will agree to tpa pricing so no, we don't get many agent referrals. Why would we? Agents don't care if there insureds get a quality job. They're just worried about keeping their job. So we litigate EVERY short pay. But think about it, one retail job at f&r pricing equals about 3-4 network priced jobs. To me it's a no brainier. Make a profit or spin your wheels for nothing.

For the most part I agree with smiley, but for me, living in a small rural area, and I left the big Metro to be where I am, I have a Great relationship with my local agents. It is allot tougher in a large metro area that's a given. Been there done that.

I was a network shop until 2005 then when we saw what was going on we started to educate our agents. I sat down with them either over lunch or just at their office. This has been a process. I showed them in simple, black and white examples as to what was going on. Some even begged me to not rock the boat and stay on, with St Farm we tried. But once we clearly showed them, they were like WHAT? how can you stay in business????? Well I explained we could not be here to serve our community, if we just caved in.

THEY GOT IT STRAIGHT OUT! Many of my agents still call regularly to ask how is the fight going? Most all my agents, tell our mutual customers, just to go see us we will take care of them. My agents trust me and so do MY customers PERIOD! We do not get network referrals only customers who have requested to use our shop, and I am completely good with that. I am not looking for networks to refer garbage to me , but I have a right to service customers who have chosen my shop as I am their preferred shop.

I don't have time for low non profit work, I have more than enough profitable work. Why should I give in? Makes no sense. And those Ins Co's I have to fight to get paid, well it just keeps getting easier every day.

Most of my agents DO CARE about their customers getting a quality job , because they do not want the headaches from pee d off customers. They lose every time.

Do I believe the agents are getting pressured from Higher up to not use me??? YOU BET THEY ARE. It just further validates what I have been showing them.

I made my decision back in 05 and I am still here and have not closed my doors, and I love going to the bank on Fridays! They will not beat me! enough said!