I'm so tired of my customers getting steered elsewhere. I've had at least three this week, and particularly had 1 which really grinded my gears. Customers setting up appointments and calling their insurance company then calling me back to cancel. These customers have told me that their insurance company has told them they must use someone "in network," and they will have to pay more then their deductible, no warranty, blah blah blah. My complaint is if i'm getting the calls, and the much larger company who owns the TPA is telling them this garage, how is this not steering?? I've been in the business for 10 years, and it's getting absolutely ridiculous!

This is like setting your buddy up to testify for you in court, you have to prep your customer for what they are going to be told, and know what to expect. Secondly why not 3 way the call? And 3rd I had a customer tell me that Safelite refused to use my shop. I got all ****ed off and call Dave McPhadden he pulled the call and that is not what happened at all, the stupid customer NEVER once mentioned my shop, said they had no preference, then I called the customer out on it for making me look like a fool. Ever since then it's 3 way calls...

Don't believe anything you hear and only 1/2 of what you see!

Larry,

I get it and have tried the whole 3 way call thing. It works sometimes when i have a customer and tell them we will call their insurance company when they get to our shop or when we come out. Boom, customer calls insurance company right after they hang up with them. Lost job. Customer calls for a cash job, hangs up calls their insurance company and lost job. It's all he said, she said, blah blah blah. The wording is what it is, and it puts doubt it the insureds mind.

Larry,
Don't be so hard on your customers. When a policyholder calls their insurance company and Safelite answers and proceeds to drill the Safelite brand name into their brain, one cannot be faulted for concluding that their insurance company must want them to use Safelite, that they must use Safelite and that it won't do any good to even mention their preferred shop of choice.

Uninformed consumers are deceived into believing that they must use an insurance company "preferred" provider. If a consumer does express an interest in using an "out of network" provider, they are deceived in to believing that if they don't use a network provider that they will somehow be balance billed and their insurance company will hold it against them and possibly cancel their coverage or increase their premiums.

Most States have laws against deceiving policyholders especially during the claims settlement process. Unfortunately, there is no enforcement.

At the end of the day it takes collesion between us independents vs the big companies..problem is some of us have the money and capital to fight n some of us dont. We're prepared to fight with our earnings and investments in auto glass and other ventures...u complain about short pays? Then lets go after the insurance companies