nonbias plz

[splitpit]

Which does better work Brent, a monkey or a nancy???

Kidding

[Brent Deines]

I guess we'll have to get together one of these days and find out. Wait, which one am I again?

[dave525c]

Brent..sir,,,hey have you gone through the ultrabond website,,,what do you think,,,honest, and can your systems do 18 inch repairs..i do not know as i have no experence as of this time,.thx

[harrellbenjamin]

I feel the same way as Screenman and the reality is if you could not make PDR work what makes you think that W/shield repair is going to be any easier?You have to sell it first...If you can not sell the repair you will not get the repair.It makes no difference what system you use(I use delta )if you are at a stop and cant make a good sales impression and someone else can you will not get the work period.The quality of your equipment will not get you work but will allow you to keep your accounts by doing good repairs.Its time for a gut check............................

[GlassStarz]

I have to agree PDR is a viable buisness and if you spent the time to learn and actually could do the repairs rite and then failed to make a living at it something is wrong with the pic. WR is the same type of product and selling it is the key to success lets face it there are alot more WR guys on the road than PDR WR is easy to learn and PDR isnt. A couple days doing WR and you can go to work it takes a whole lot more than that to learn PDR

[Brent Deines]

Brent..sir,,,hey have you gone through the ultrabond website,,,what do you think,,,honest, and can your systems do 18 inch repairs..i do not know as i have no experence as of this time,.thx

Dave,

I have not visited the UB site recently. In fact, I rarely visit competitor sites, as I find it to be a waste of my time, and until I took over the windshield repair forum earlier this year, I didn't even spend much time on the Delta Kits site. Oddly enough I am not a big web guy.

Yes our system can do 18" cracks, but our technique is very different than the one taught by UB, or so I am told. I have not actually ever seen a UB video or instruction manual. Also, my philosophy is very different than Rich's. Just because a system is capable of repairing long cracks does not always mean that is in the best interest of the customer in my opinion. We don't spend a lot of time teaching long crack repair at Delta Kits, and other than in locations where the finished repair will be very inconspicuous, such as in the wiper area or in the shade band, we do not recommend repairing cracks over 6" long. The main reason for this is simply because I believe a technician can make more money in a shorter period of time by repairing damage that does not include long cracks, and because I believe in working with the glass replacement industry instead of in opposition to them. I will probably take some grief from the repair only crowd for this, but I have always believed that windshield repair and windshield replacement compliment each other, and it is silly for the two industries to always be feuding.

I wasn't going to bring it up, but since you asked me a very specific question I need to fill you in on a little history that this forum has had with UB. There were a number of positive posts about UB on this forum, but the first time someone said something negative about them, the owner demanded that the post be removed. I don't believe it is fair to remove all the bad posts and leave only the good ones, so all posts that mentioned the name UB were removed. Long time forum members know the history here, which may be the reason why you have received such poor response to your question.

Recently the owner of UB contacted me and said it was now okay for people to mention UltraBond on this forum, to which I responded that I would allow it, but only if he could accept the bad with the good. I never heard back from him, so I'm not sure what his decision was. I imagine we will find out soon. If I am asked to remove any more posts about UB I will once again remove all posts, and this time it will be a permanent change.

Let me be perfectly clear about this. I don't know Rich very well, but I have absolutely nothing against him, and in fact have a great deal of respect for the time and effort he has put into his business. I hope he feels the same way about me. That said, I disagree with him on a number issues related to equipment design and effective techniques, however because I am trying not to let my bias be reflected in this tread, I will not go into those differences on this forum.

I have a very good relationship with most of my competitors, and a mutually respectful relationship with almost all of them. There are one or two that have given me reason not to trust them, but I see no point in bashing even those. I believe there is always room for another honest windshield repair supplier, just as there is always room for another honest windshield repair technician, and there is no reason we cannot all get along.

If you really want to know why I believe a Delta Kits system is superior to all others I would ask that you give me a call and if you want to know why a competitor believes their system is superior to ours you will need to call them. Unfortunately I think everyone is biased to some degree, as no one wants to say they are using a system that is inferior to the one used by their competitor.

I know I'm not being much help here, but I'm trying very hard to honor your request for an unbiased opinion, and the down and dirty truth is that unless you believe a Delta Kits system is the very best in the industry, I don't want you to buy it anyway. You don't need a system that you don't believe in, and I don't need a customer that doesn't believe he is using the best equipment regardless of price.

[splitpit]

Brent, what is your take on Novus, their equipment, repair tecniques and resins? How do you think they stack up against the other systems including Delta Kits? Any history with them in regard to this forum? Do they attend the trade shows and demonstrate their equipment? I am seriously considering moving back to my old hometown and I heard that a Novus business was for sale there. I know it's a franchise deal opposed to being an independent but my cusiousity is up.

[Glassdoc]

SpiltPit I know you addressed this towards Brent. but one question for you as i have to ask. Do you make sooo much money doing repairs that you are willing to pay a franchise fee or a user agreement fee to someone that is going to make that weekly trip to their mailbox and get their paycheck from you.. I used to be "under contract", i paid a HUGE price and 4 years of my life to get out of it. Would I ever do it again knowing what I know now? No... Independent means everything i make is mine and Uncle Sam's.. i don't share with the Insurance Industry (and yes I've read the posts that its so easy). been there one that. Now i set my prices, and if the insurance companies don't want to reimburse their customers thats between them and the customer. i get mine on site.. Can I tell I lost any financial gain from being Independent. No, if anything I can actually say i make more get paid quicker and have less stress of being sent on a call that may not pan out.. Anyways back to the original post.. There are many companies selling WR equipment.. I have used 3-4 of them, and I was trained by UB for long crack repair.. I'll tell you like Brent did.. Its not worth the time to spend on an 18 inch crack.. Even if your very good at it it would take 30-45 minutes (my average) or longer to successfully fill and cure a long crack. I can do (2) 6 inch cracks with 10 minutes drive time between them in an hour and make alot more money off the 2 jobs than the one long crack job would pay.

[Brent Deines]

As a former franchise owner (not windshield repair) I'm not big on franchises either but that doesn't mean they don't work for some people. The one thing that helps franchises succeed is that when you pay that much money just to open your doors you are very motivated to work your butt off. That is one pitfall to the windshield repair business as a whole. People buy a windshield repair system, but can't find time for training, and won't spend any money to promote their business. That isn't the way a franchise works. Franchises also tend to offer more support materials as they have more of your money to work with.

Most people have heard of Novus which is helpful for advertising, but doesn't allow you to build a brand identity. No matter how good of a job you do Novus gets the credit, not you. It's a trade off that has to be considered when buying a franchise.

I have a tremendous respect for Novus and although I don't agree with everything they do, I would put them near the top of the list as far as equipment and resins go. I think they also have a good training program and are very professional in the way they do business. They do attend some trade shows but I have not seen them do demonstrations, which always surprises me a bit. I think their systems are much better than many of the others on the market, so why not show them off? Who knows?

You have to crunch the numbers to see if it pencils out for you.

Dang, now I'm doing commercials for the competition.

[chips1144]

Brent I love your Honesty and Common Sense thinking.

Splitpea, Wow Id never buy into a franchise, Ok Never say Never but its highly unlikely, I don't think WSR customers care about franchise names except when they are buying Burgers etc.

I should also say buying a franchise is no guarantee of work, but its a guarantee you have to share more of your hard earned money, and have to work under their rules, who's to say you couldn't move back and just take a share of the pie anyway, and with NO barriers of where you can an cant work.
Being in a franchised area only protects you from your fellow franchisee's, everyone else can legally steal you're work.
Once youve bought your franchise area and paid out start up costs you have to work hard to break even, then you have to pay royalties, 5-6% or more depending on company, I thought the idea was for you to have money.

For what you would pay to buy into a WSR franchise you could knock out a real advertising campaign, to say nothing of the monthly royalty fees.

Advertising is Image and Perception, at least thats my opinion.

I know some people who have done well with franchises and others who have failed.

When I look at the cost of a franchise it reminds me what a Great deal Delta Kits offers, By the way I didnt buy from Delta kits, Im one who wished I had.