Network Questions

[SGT]

Well we finally decided to try the networks. We are being open minded about this but I see isssues already that leave us all vulnerable. I have pointed one out that has happened to us recently and one that could happen to us all.

If you do a job for a networked assigned customer, explain what the windshield repair process is all about and what to expect to customer, customer agrees to have work done, then you do the job and have it come out incredible, customer says they are happy, customer then later tells insurance company they are not happy but they never get the windshield replaced.

What do you do, you did the job and customer was happy but decides they do not want a claim in against there policy, now your out your time, supplies and never got paid and customer who is happy gets a free windshield repair?

Where are the checks and balances?

Next scenario, say you do a repair for a network provided customer who is happy with the repair, you get paid and a month or any period of time goes by and the customer calls insurance company and tells them the repair failed to get a replacement, you have to refund the network there money but you really do not know if it failed or what is going on?

Where are the checks and balances?

[JAC]

The check and balance against a dis-honest customer in your first scenareo is the invoice that you should have had them sign when you completed the work. It should have had the claim information, customer information, assignment language and a line that says if the insurance company does not pay, they are responsible for it. They sign it after the job is done and they are happy. You now have a legal document that guarentees you payment. Worst case you go to Small Claims court and you win the amount plus filing fee.

The second one is a little tougher, but I would think you would have the right to see the repair before being charged back for the repair. That's one reason I'm going to be adding a picture of a windshield to my invoices. A mark can be placed on the exact spot of repair so you can always go back and find where you repaired and where someone else might have.

JAC

[SGT]

You are right, but when dealing with lynx they tell the customers that they have the right to get it repaired 1st and after if they are not happy they then can get a replacement. We always educate the customers on what repair is and what to expect. We also ask if they want us to proceed based on the knowledge they have been given. We also have the customer sign a customer satified section after every job. Lynx does not care about that though, if the customer ends up telling them they want a replacement after the repair, even if the customer said they were satisfied to us, they wont pay you.

I am not sure how the networks handle the second issue though but we measure location and over document everything right down to glass temp and cure time for those purposes.

I guess I will just have to chalk it up to doing business with the networks. I knew before I affilliated with them that there would be pitfalls. Shame on me for selling out. lol Just kidding, Lynx has been good to us, in first week we signed on they sent six jobs are way. The others sent zero to date as we expected.


Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Thanks for the response JAC.

[GlasWeldTech]

Brian,
I really do not think this is a big issue. AT least not here in the South. People here will do backflips to try and save the ORIGINAL WINDSHIELD. We haven't been contacted by any networks wantung refunds. We do not do a big bunch of retail either. This could be the reason. Here the general public are not really aware that their insurance will pay for this still.We get maybe 1 referal a month from Lynx and 1 from Safelite.

[SGT]

Glasweld,

I wish people were doing back flips to get there windshields repaired in my neck of the woods. Here on the east coast, at least in my area it has been my experience that most people never even knew that repair was a viable option. Most either wait until there is no choice but replacement or want a replacement right off the bat. What we have found in addition is that the mind set with some even after a little repair education is that they still expect that it is going to be like a new piece of glass. There are many though that are greatfull for the svaings. Can't please everyone all the time but as a perfectionist I must try.

Our biggest hurdle here is getting the public aware and having them feel comfortable with some minor scaring left over from the repair. In the end I think even after a little education, customers still have cosmetic appearance as there #1 factor. Sometimes even if the repair is as good as it can be, I can't blame them.

Any way a little off track there. Thanks for the reply GLASWELDTECH

[Bois]

SGT,
Don't blame the networks. It's the customer. I've only had one customer call her insurance company to say that she wasn't satisfied with the repair. Her husband brought the car to me for the work. He was satisfied and signed my invoice saying so. If she would have been present upon completion of the work and said she wasn't pleased, I would not have filed with the insurance company.

GlasWeld,
I wish the people around my neck of the woods would be like yours. The people here in north-central TX are like those SGT discribes. Out in the country with many dirt/stone roads, people are use to having rock chips. So they wait until a replacement is justified (many chips). Many times I hear people say "I'll just get another one in a week or so."

Dale...

[SGT]

Bois,

I agree in this scenario it was the customer. With that said though, there are still areas that are out of our control. We never get to verify if the windshield was replaced when a customer says they are unhappy or if they say the repair failed. The networks do not give you the opportunity to verify. They just give the customer the benefit of the doubt. If they are unhappy we should not have to refund payment untill insurance has paid for a replacement, also we should get to inspect all failures prior to replacement and then refund accordingly. Thank goodness there are more honest people than dishonest but imagine if it were the other way around! I guess this is what we bought in for when we agreed to the terms and conditions. Anyway thanks for the reponse sir.

On the positive side, Lynx is sending business which I never expected. I just wanted to be able to use the network affiliations as a marketing aid.

[mrchip]

Hi .. the scenario sgt described is not the norm it happened to me just once
i went for years not using the networks with no regrets; however last year i
signed up again, before metrix.. and it still wans't worth it to me.. i never signed up for matrix...moved to nc.. and friday was my first day
i"m not planning to sign up here either It really annoyed me that the glass
shops that I did their road calls got a lot of ins work and i got almost nothing
probably because they did replacements and had a fixed location or
whatever none of the shops cared about repair and they got the work
go figure

[northidahotim]

I've had no problems as of yet. I haven't gotten any work form sgc but lynx sends me 5-8 jobs a month. I've been doing this for about 4 months and have probably 30-40 fixes. I'm already starting to get referrals and actually have had two return customers already.
I've cleaned up after 2 jobs where the customer had someone out to fix their chip and called back to get someone else out to fix it. The two that I've been on, and I don't know if it's just happenstance that I've only been doing this for 4 months and have had 2 of these, but anyway if I were the customer I would have been unpleased to say the least. They were horrible looking fixes. Hatchet jobs. I don['t know how anyone could walk away from these fixes and feel good about charging for them. I can't imagine that happening too many times and Lynx sending any more work that way.

My biggest gripe would be that it takes just as much if not more time to process the job on the phone as it does to fix the chip. If there is any way to expedite this process please, please let me know.