WHEN METRYX WAS INTRODUCED I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE INSURED COULD GO INTO THE LYNX WEB SITE AND ACCESS METRYX, TO HELP THEM FIND A QUALITY GLASS REPLACEMENT SHOP USING PUBLIC INFORMATION ABOUT SHOPS SUCH AS CERTIFICATION EXPERIENCE,LOCATIONS, HOURS OF OPERATION, MOBIL SERVICE, ECT. I HAVE BEEN TO THEIR WEB SITE AND CAN NOT FIND ANY INFO ABOUT THE GLASS SHOPS THAT ARE SIGNED UP WITH METRYX. AM I MISSING SOMETHING ON THEIR WEB SITE OR WAS I MISSED INFORMED ANY FEED BACK WOULD HELP

I was never personally under that impression. I always thought it was a resource for Lynx and the insurance companies. It's really more for statistical purposes and to cut out some of the unscrupulous shops with fake locations.

I GOT THAT IMPRESSION IN THE LYNX LETTER (ALL ABOUT THE NEW LYNX INDUSTRY SERVICES REGISTRY) GLASSBYTES JULY 14TH 2005. IF THAT IS NOT THE CASE WHY NOT LET THE PUBLIC SEE WHO THE REGISTRED GLASS SHOPS ARE AND WHAT SERVICE THE CAN PROVIDE.

I also was under the impression that it would "benefit" the consumer eventually, but was never told they would have direct access to it. But keep one thing in mind. METRYX is a tool developed by PPG for PPG to profit by one way or another. And I think we would all agree there will most likely be other "METRYX"s to come in the near future from other sources if METRYX makes the impact PPG hopes it does.

At the AGRRS convention in Las Vegas, Steve Shaw( marketing manager for LYNX) commented that he hoped to see METRYX listed credentials be available to conusmers calling LYNX if they asked for them in the near future.

For example - insured calls LYNX and has no choice of shop. Insured does know something about autoglass and wants to use an AGRSS registered shop with NGA certified techs, or any other selection of criteria that METRYX supports (such as other consumer recognizable identifiers). The LYNX csr could pull up a list of shops in the insured's zip code that meet those criteria in order to help the insured in their selection of a shop. This could be very helpful for insureds not in their home zip code for instance, which I am sure is a very small percentage of claims.

Why LYNX needs to administer this is another question. But I think you can see where METRYX could go. Now whether it will go that way is open to debate.

I'm pretty confident that we'll see LYNX attempting to take METRYX and push it out to body shops and other mobile service fields over the coming years.

Lets stop and take a look. If a customer doesnt't have a choice and there is a prostar shop in the area who do you think is going to get it? This will lead to one price across the country simply because larger shops in metro area will mobile to rural areas for their price and the smaller shops in rural areas will be forced to the larger shops prices if they want that job. Everything the TPA's and the insurance companies have done are not in our favor. Do you think this will change. The slippery slope just got rained on..........AGAIN.....................

The Metryx was sold as way for your customer's to find out information about you. But now it is not. At least not yet. I also heard it was a way for PPG to get rid of ghost shops, but have had glass shops tell me that a PPG rep told them if they had an installer in a 2 or 3 market set his address up as a location and the installer as the tech for that shop. I think it will be one price everywhere also.

Stingray- Metryx was built by LYNX for the body shops and collision claims, they are trying it out on the glass business before they try to sell it to the insurance companies.

Consumer access was in the propoganda.

It was never to be; you cannot have consumers given free information to make free choice of shops. Networks would fold if you did.

Lynx wants consumers to have the information that Lynx wants the consumers to have, and nothing more. The consumer is given just enough information to make the choice WITHIN the parameters that Lynx WANTS them to make.

NO other industry has this system, not even collision, but it's coming to them also, as was said.

Imagine someone stopping you outside of Target to tell you that if you go into Target rather than WalMart, you may have to pay a difference. That says it all.

Well said Mark. I think Lynx is already steering work. Have heard of a few cases of an insured asking for a shop and being told there is a shop closer to the insured. That's not supposed to happen. Once the insured make's a request it is supposed to be honored.

They are also saying the shop you want is not on our approved or certifed list,therefore we cant enforce your warranty.But our shopps you have a written warranty.Would you like your shop or ours,also we have a fair price anything over you must pay.

Check out what METRYX did yesterday/today.

They now are letting you manage your "in-shop" service area zip codes, well sort of. Funny thing is they are greying out most of them. Only letting you manage the zip codes in a predefined radius.

Seems backwards to me. I would think anyone in the country should be able to select my "in-shop" service if they so choose. Why only a few zip codes in my immediate area are selectable for "in-shop" service I do not understand at all.

Any ideas?

Guess it is time for another call to LYNX.