Insurance billing for someone new to the business

[joelking]

Brand new to the biz, have not repaired a windshield for money yet, and have a question about billing for insurance. Scenario: I drive up to a customer who has comprehensive coverage. I do the repair. Do I call the customer's insurance agent to verify that they will pay? What information do I need to get from the customer? What paperwork do I write the invoice on? Do I give a copy to the customer? Where do I send the invoice?

[Brent Deines]

Welcome to the windshield repair forum Joel. I moved your post because you will get more responses here.

[I102bs]

Hi Joel, The" Short " answer is to have your customer pay you in cash and for you to write an invoice for them to submit to their insurance company. Prepare to spend some time reading this forum to get detailed answers to your questions. The majority of insurance companies will not accept a paper invoice directly from glass shops. It must be electronically submitted to them in their EDI format. To get paid you need to buy an expensive computer program and pay a consultant to set it up or you must go through a third party like A.C.T. to bill them for you for a fee. To qualify for an A.C.T. account you will need $500,000 in liability insurance. Your Customer should have an insurance card. It will have phone numbers to call to get the job pre-approved. They likely won't approve you as a new unknown vendor and will try to steer your client to a shop that they own or have a relationship with. The A.C.T. group or whichever competitor you settle with will help you through the billing process. I tend to talk in generalities and get it wrong a lot so I am counting on other forum members with specific information to correct me. Good Luck!!!

[Dave M]

You by no means need an expensive computer program or hire a consultant to get paid by the insurance companies! There are numerous EDI billing companies to go thru as well as Insurance networks.
You will need commercial liability insurance (should have this anyway).
Here's what I do if the customer mentions insurance if I have not already received a referral from their ins. co. Having joined the networks I know what they allow for a repair. Most are now higher than what I charge for a retail job. (Because of flat rates) Ask the customer which ins. co. they have and explain to them about getting reimbursed for the repair. Charge the customer what that particular co. allows for the repair. More often than not, you'll make out better.

[DKlearGlassGuy]

Hi,
I'm Very New to the Windshield Repair Business, I been working with this WSR Business for 6 months and got very good at it. However, being retired from the military I found out the seedy side of this business and would like to branch out on my own. So where do I start. I receive the sample supply from Brent and boy does it work way better than my work supply. I could neither tell you the name I presently use nor the Injector system I use presently. I'm presently looking over this forum on boy what a great amount of information. I'm presently work at a carwash doing repairs. but looking at posting a gas station. Any advice is apprecitated.

thanks in advance

[GlassStarz]

Act is my choice you do no paperwork and dont submit the bills you call ACT and tell them you have a customer you put the customer on the phone they answer some questions you do the repair and in a couple weeks a check shows up. They do everything for a small fee as much as $12.95 less if you have a aprov already. For me I hate paperwork its the easiest way for me

[GlasWeldTech]

Well let's see.. If I do one chip repair for a SHELTER Insured and they only pay $38 in my area. It doesn't make good business sense to me to pay someone $13 of my $38 to do the filing for me. I do EDI and mine charges me about $2 per job. All I am having to do is fax my invoice to them and then in a couple of weeks my check comes in. I used ACT ONLY when I first started and then we switched to MAINSTREET and this got expensive quick with the software updates and the original price. Didn't take long to find an easier and cheaper way. I have a laptop in my tahoe daily and could probably tether my blackberry and do it on the spot if I so desired. I may have to try this.

[bill lambeth]

ACT only charges 13 if they handle call from the get go.They handle all mine for 2.95 a customer for the billing.All mine have been approved by the insurance carrier.I usually have the customer call in and get it approved.

[cracknaut]

You guys are paying a company $12.95 to do your billing? that is crazy! I do EDI and EFT at a cost of $.75 per billed invoice.

[royalwindshield]

What or who exactly is EFT or EDI? I am new to this also and have yet to do anything for insurance. The few customers I have done work for, (mainly other firemen) have just paid me outright to fix their windshields. COuld someone please provide some details into who or what these things are. Thanks for answering a stupid question
Hammer
BCFD