Allstate "Customized Offers"

[Layne]

Have any of you received this brochure from Allstate? It is entitled Glass Claim Express & Customized Offers.

At first glance, it appears to be directed toward a "pricing war" stimulus for competition among windshield repair providers. Moreover, it indicates that participants improve their opportunity to be on a short list of initial offers to clients that do not express a choice of repair providers. This very closely parallels the "steering" concepts that some of you may have experienced in the past.

The program is optional ---we should all carefully review this document to understand what benefits, if any, it provides those of us that face the harsh elements while performing these much needed services to the policy holders.

My fondest hope is that it has the potential to create a more professional bond between the glass service providers and the insurance industry. But I don't think that this is leading in that direction.

Any comments from other professionals?

[mafsu]

I haven't seen the brochure, but anything that starts a bidding war is a bad idea. All the windshield repair guys in the area lose out because of lost work. Customers lose out because the guys doing inferior repairs are sure to "undervalue" windshield repair more than the guys doing a good job. Insurance companies lose out because they have recommended people get repairs that they will not be happy with. The only one to win in this situation are the replacement shops, through guaranteed future business. A merit based system would be best, one where if you get a valid complaint against your company you drop down in the pecking order. Of course it would be too costly to implement such a program. That is if your only looking at today's bottom line instead of the overall satisfaction of the insurance company's customer base.

[Lee]

I filled out one of those customized offers once. I raised all the prices. They didn't like that. I figured all of those nice people wanted me to make a better living. Boy was I wrong. They wanted to spend less on repairs and replacements so they could build a new 40 story building, the old one was dirty. I won't say The s them word here(phillips or torx) But don't give them anything and keep your prices up.

[Bois]

I received one of those "Custom Offers". I read it and threw it away. I figure if enough people respond lowering their price, that Allstate would eventually lower their offer to all windshield repair. We don't need it.

[Blind Squirrel]

The "Lynx Services" web site has a link where you can lower your price for a couple dozen or so insurance companies with the "suggestion" that this will make you more "competitive" and as a result, get more referrals. I tried it last spring and for about 2 weeks got a "flurry" of 7-8 jobs. After that, it went back to same old, same old. I then went back in to raise my price back to 50-10-10 and found that you are "locked in" and can't make any changes for 60 days. The result here is, any referrals they send you, few and far between that they are, will be at the lowest price you have in their system. I did however, find that the jobs that I initiated could be billed at the standard rate. Needless to say, I immediately re-set my prices to the maximum when my 60 days expired. Since then I have averaged about .5 Lynx referrals per month.
This is a good time to thank David for teaching me how to go out and "cold sell". His greatest honor and testament is that he has become an action "verb". ("Coitstering", LOL).
May everyone have a joyous Christmas, Chanakuh, Kwanzaa, et.al.
and a Happy New Year!
Gary