Customer surveys

[Dave M]

I was talking to a customer (repaired her w/s about 3 weeks ago) who informed me that her ins. co. called her the other night with a follow up customer survey. She was asked many questions in about a 90 second period....was I professional, on time, curtious, was the windshield clean after the repair was finished, did I explain what the repair would look like when finished and was she pleased with the repair?
This was Liberty Mutual, so maybe others are doing the same?
This was the first customer that made me aware of this survey, so I assume it happens all the time but we just are not aware unless we talk to a former customer.

[Bois]

I've had a few customers tell me that the ins. co. called them to find out if they were satisfied with the repair. But, no one indicated an indepth survey.

Dale...

[Dependable Dave]

I love to hear that the insurance companies are interested enough in our service that they would follow up with the customer! This is one more step in ridding our industry of fly-by-night operators.

By the way, I keep hearing the term "free windshield repair". I don't think we should use the term because this service is really not free.

Has anyone heard of C.L.U.E.? It's the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange and it's pretty much kept under wraps, or so it seems. C.L.U.E is a collection and sharing organization for the insurance companies. If you have a comprehensive claim, that information is shared with other insurance companies thru this organization. I believe that even a call to your insurance agent about some time of comprehensive damage will be sent on to C.L.U.E. In the end, rates go up. The question not yet answered is, does a windshield repair fall under the scrutiny of C.L.U.E.?

It's time to toss the phrase "free repair".

[pbaker]

I agree. What are some good phrases that suggest this kind of "free" that is available to the customers through ins. without scaring them away? Most people see "free" and automatically think its a scam or somthing.

[Layne]

Why not say "no cost"?

[JAC]

Dave:

You're a little off on a few of your theories. C.L.U.E. or the fact that insurance companies share information about claims is not under any type of wraps and I would guess 95% of consumers know claims are reported by insurance companies and shared amongst them. It's 2006. It's pretty hard to keep information from consumers these days.

Second, a call to your insurance agent or insurance company does not get you an entry into your C.L.U.E. report. The C.L.U.E. system tracks claims. There has to be a claim filed for there to be a claim entry. A call or question, or even telling your agent about an incident you may have had that you don't know if you want to file a claim for, does not make it to C.L.U.E. unless a claim against your policy is filed. Unfortunately, even a claim that ends up not being paid, denied or didn't meet a deductible, still ends up on C.L.U.E. . It's referred to as a "zero pay" claim and there are companies that will hold that zero pay claim against you when they do there underwriting on you.

Finally, windshield repair and replacements do get reported to C.L.U.E. in most cases. The reporting of a claim is voluntary and not all insurance companies subscribe to C.L.U.E. . Also, State laws and specific Insurance Company rules differ from State to State. In some states, windshield repair or replacement can be counted as a chargeable claim. In others, you can have unlimited windshield claims and your rates will never go up, because it is not a chargeable offense.

You or anyone else here can get a free copy of their C.L.U.E. report. It is the same report the insurance companies see. It is available once per year for free under the Fair and Accurate Transaction Act (FACT) of 2003. The same act that allows you a free credit report once per year. You can go to http://www.choicepoint.com and order it online or call the toll free number provided on the website.

JAC