The New NWRA

[Frank EU]

I have my issues with Mike Boyle, but hey, I still think that we should allow Mike Boyle to have his say on this relevant topic right here on this fine board.
The NWRA subject is too important not to be discussed, and this man is the president, like it or not. This discussion will take time, efforts, even frustrations for some people, but again; it is important that we have a debate. It cannot be all that difficult to stick to the topic! Let's give it another try.
Later today I will reply to GlassStarz since I agree a lot to what he said in the post above.

[Frank EU]

GlassStarz...what the NWRA in my opinion at least should do is REPRESENTING THE REPAIR VENDORS (forget the replacement option). Represent and Promote our good work in a fashion that repairs are becoming THE FIRST OPTION at all times. We, the genuine repairers, know the benefits of repairing windshields. So do the replacers, but there is one big difference. Many replacement companies just abuse the repair option to lure the customer towards their business. Once the customer is in their control, the replacer will typically come up with all sorts of pathetic arguments as to why the shield should not be repaired but replaced instead. Remember; the real and big money money for a replacer is in replacing, not in repairs. No matter what they say.

Why is nobody out there able to explain me, and all the other repair only guys, why Novus claimed over 30 years ago that more than 70% off all damaged windshields could be repaired? What has happened to that interesting figure eversince?
Don’t allow the replacers to mislead you, they will say that new regulations came up (yeh, right, who’s are they?), that shields became thinner (fact, but it should be no reason for more replacements), that the condition of our roads worsened, or that the roads became more busy. There indeed are some valid reasons in that, but it does not really explain why the number of replacements has exploded, it also does not take away any of the reasons, nor explain, why insurance companies are not going for the repairs first option. (Where a repairs only vendor is used to determine whether a shield can be repaired or not, if repair is possible, the repair only guy will perform the repair right away, if the shield needs to be replaced, the order goes to another, different, vendor. At no cost to that vendor and no fees or bonusses will be taken by the repair only vendor whatsoever). I am very confident that the current repair ratio will at least improve by 50% (but the total repair ratio could still be over 70% of all jobs) if the insurance industry indeed would go for repairs first.

Joe the plumber has accepted and welcomed the repair option big time. The average guy understands the need for a repair, and they see the benefits perfectly. The insurance companies have also accepted the repair option, unfortunately they’re all in bed with that big ‘’deep pocket’’ company. And that needs to be limited because the insurance companies as well as the insured customers are being ripped off big time. Also; it is illegal to steer (remember who’s vehicle it is) but even when it wasn’t illegal to steer, it is just all wrong to do.

Now, let’s not be too political here, the question is whether the insurance companies are blind, simply unwilling or just stupid. Or is it something else? Many insurance company office workers at the lower ranks, (where your claims are being processed) just don’t understand it themselves, they just wonder why the higher ranks appear all to be in favour for that deep pocket company. I know exactly what is wrong (fact) and I think that we all know, or at least understand, what’s wrong at that level. It stinks, let's return to be political.

Unfortunately, under the current situation, with the NWRA shaped as it is today, the 'deep pocket replacement guys' are involved in ’our’ NWRA and they will always function as a speed bump. Did they ever vote in our favour, or are they just there serving the board for their own political reasons (yes).
The one and only fix should be.....they NEED to be kicked out. We, repairers, than could all join the NWRA without any conflict of interests being around, I for one would even be willing to end up paying more than we pay today ($150 per year) if the NWRA does a better job for us.

GlassStarz ended his post with (I quote): ‘Do we need a real voice? of course is the current NWRA that voice? I don't think so’.

I agree that we need a voice.
And I agree that the NWRA has not been that voice so far or has been that voice at all times. But things can change for the better. As soon as the NWRA transforms itself into an association where the interests of repairs and repairs only guys are being promoted and defended there is a bright future for the NWRA.
We do not need the NWRA to make our job more complicated, difficult or even nearly impossible by developping (or being an aid to develop) our industry into a useless certified bureaucratic thing ran by processes, certificates and other crap.
We do not need the NWRA to promote repairs in the market place, that has to be our job.
We do not need the NWRA for their brochures or stickers, the intention may have been good, but we don’t need all that.
We need the NWRA to be the advocate for our industry, to get in touch with the insurance industry, that is where I think their place should be.

[Layne]

NWRA? Is that National Windshield Repair Association or National Windshield Replacement Association? It seems to me that their interests are closely aligned to those of the big B!

My observations lead me to believe that NWRA does not have a real feeling for the repair independents...

[Chips be-gone]

Frank

I guess I will let you take the credit for my post info.

I am done.

You could have said " I agree with chips be-gone on the REPAIR FIRST "

Oh well.

Gone

[Frank EU]

You are right Chips-Be-Gone. You indeed mentioned that here before in this topic. Also others have said other really usefull things, however it is not always possible to reply and refer (or handy to repeat) to all the individual posters. If we all would do that, all the time, the topic would become a long thing and that would not help in keeping it transparent. It was certainly not an attempt to hiyack ''your thing'', I hope that you can understand that.

[Brent Deines]

I guess I feel a bit differently than many of you about windshield repair vs windshield replacement. It was mentioned once here already, but is worth repeating. There are windshield replacement companies that offer repair for all the wrong reasons and do very poor quality work, but there are also windshield replacement companies who always put repair out as the first option, and only replace the windshield when in their opinion windshield repair is not in the best interest of the customer, or the customer will not accept a windshield repair. I know these shops exist because I used to own one, and have many customers who run very successful windshield repair/replacement shops with the same mindset.

Let's face it, there are plenty of unscrupulous windshield repair only technicians who do lousy work as well. As a consumer I don't care if someone is repair only or repair and replacement, and I don't care if the company that works on my car is a one man operation or an industry giant. All I care is that the work is done properly, the price is fair, and that I receive good service. Part of the problem we have in this industry is the repair vs replacement mentality that is prevalent on both the repair and the replacement side. I think it is time to start taking care of the customer!

As for the founders and former NWRA board members, I have to tell you that without some of the repair/replacement companies who devoted a great deal of time and effort to getting the organization off the ground, there would be no NWRA today. That's not to say I didn't disagree with the board on many issues in the past, but it is quite likely that I will disagree with many of the current and future board members as well. I think we need to quit dwelling on the past and figure out where we go from here.

The NGA has a committee that deals with windshield repair issues, NWRC. I serve on this committee as do a few other repair manufacturers. There are also several repair/replacement companies, but just like the NWRA, the repair only technician is not well represented. For this reason I agree that the NWRA might be best served as a repair only organization, but so far has not been able to get enough support from independent repair technicians to keep the organization going without funding from repair/replacement companies. There has also not been enough interest from repair only technicians to populate the board of directors positions with repair only technicians, which is what I think needs to happen in order to quell the distrust for replacement companies, insurance companies, etc. For the record, I wish the NWRA and the NWRC would quit butting heads on things and learn to work together, but there are some hard feelings on both sides and I'm not sure that will change anytime soon based on what I am hearing.

You all need to understand that no association or committee will ever be able to please everyone. There has to be give and take or nothing ever gets done. That is one of the reasons I don't particularly like supporting trade organizations or serving on committees. It's frustrating! Still, you can't change things if you don't get involved. I am a member of the NWRA because I think our industry needs an organization dedicated to the repair only industry, but currently I'm not sure what is being done that justifies the support of individual repair technicians. I had hoped that the NWRA president would be able to shed some light on that, and that input from forum members would help shape the "new NWRA", and indeed a few good concerns were finally brought up, but too little too late for a response from the NWRA on this board. Still, this board will continue to be monitored, so discussions amongst yourselves will not go unheard.

I'm a member of the NGA and on the NWRC committee because I feel that the repair only industry be represented, and I have to tell you that so far I have been treated with respect and my voice has been heard, as much or more so than in the NWRA. That does not mean however that I always get my way or agree with every decision that is made by the committee, but simply that I do have an opinion that is considered, just as does every other committee member.

The NWRA and the NGA both have members who have personal agendas and who would probably like to seen windshield repair gone altogether, but there are also members who have made windshield repair a very important part of their business and who want many of the same things that you and I do. I know that because I have been involved, and my employees have been involved, which is the only way you will find out for yourself.

I'm not trying to convince anyone to join the NWRA or the NGA, but I am encouraging you to ask questions and offer your feedback, which has now started happening on this board. If there are issues of trust in the current leadership that are keeping significant numbers of people from joining the board should should address those issues and make changes if necessary. The same holds true for any other issues that you bring up. The board should address each and every issue so the membership and prospective members have sufficient reason to support the cause. If the board fails to address those issues declining membership will tell the rest of the story.

Until you get involved with a committee or sit on a board you will never fully understand the challenges that the leadership is faced with. It's not an easy job and someone will always think you are not doing enough, but with extremely limited funding the reality is that there is only so much anyone can do, and the only way that will change is if more people get involved and offer financial support. Most of us don't really want to spend our time and money supporting trade organizations, but without that time and money we can't expect anything out of them. That's just the way it works.

GlassStarz mentioned advertising. Advertising is very expensive, but I agree that educating the general public is something we are lacking in our industry. Delta Kits ran ads in 2007 and 2008 doing just that. The ads were about the importance of repairing your windshield, and the benefits of repair vs replacement whenever practical The ads were run in several hundred online and print publications, including some local newspapers. We have also visited insurance adjusters and agents to educate them on the minimal environmental impact, cost effectiveness, and safety benefits of windshield repair. I agree that these type of issues should be of primary importance to the NGA and the NWRC.

[newvista]

Hello,

If you owned a restaraunt that speciallized in "ONLY HOT DOGS AND HAMBURGERS", ("ONLY REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT")..... would you join a "National Hot Dog Association" or a "National Hamburger Association"........or none......or BOTH?

I am inclined to believe that the currant NWRA fervently favors the "National Windshield REPAIR Association" ("repair only" companies).

BUT... what if a company represents BOTH sectors, repair AND/OR replacement?

Should the NWRA be renamed?

Would the NWRARA (National Windshield Repair And Replacement Association) be appropriate as a name change?

If I, as a trained, skilled and certified WSR technician decide it's neccesary to CONDEMN a windshield as "unrepairable", should I recommend "REPLACEMENT" as the safest option? Should I suggest to the customer that they seek a REPLACEMENT company of THEIR choice?

And, would they (a REPLACEMENT company) return the favor if they knew it could be repaired rather than replaced? (WHAT???!!!)

THESE ARE QUESTIONS, NOT STATEMENTS.....YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE WELCOMED.

In THIS forum, two of the most INFLUENCIAL INDUSTRIAL LEADERS have given WR technicians an opportunity to express opinions, objections and suggestions, etc.

With regard to the newest version of the NWRA, I believe WR technicians should be able to have a voice in ANY AND ALL INVITATIONAL PUBLIC FORUMS. That's why they are defined as "public forums", not "private forums".

Mr.Dienes, I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST that you continue this thread a bit longer. It's your forum, and you have the right to define and enforce criteria and parameters. Also, you have been most gracious and accommodating.

My deepest respect to all fellow windshield repair "surgeons".

After all, that is what we are.

Respectfully,
Rick

[Brent Deines]

This thread is not closed or you would not have been allowed to post on it. You are welcome to your opinion, but every forum has moderators and rules. Moderators of forums delete posts and ban users as "they" deem appropriate. The success of any forum depends on how well the moderators do their job. You can draw your own conclusions from there.

I would say that most members of this forum disagree with me on a regular basis, but the vast majority have never had a post edited or deleted, and very few have ever been banned. I respect them and they respect me, even if we don't agree on everything. Still, I believe that order is necessary and chaos destroys forums and businesses.

I hope this discussion about the NWRA will continue on this board even though the questions can no longer be answered by the NWRA president here, but if not, there are plenty of other forums that claim to be "open", where the same issue can be discussed. Mr. Boyle told me in an e-mail today that the NWRA will soon have their own forum, so it will be interesting to see if "all" posts will be welcome there, and who will do the moderating. Mr. Boyle asked me to let everyone know about the soon to come NWRA forum, which I have now done.

[Brent Deines]

I received an e-mail from Mike Boyle today asking me to join the NWRA board, stating that he had the authority to make the appointment. I thanked him but declined the offer. This is the response I received. "Please let your members and the "many others" that don't trust me (NGA pals) that you decline the NWRA appointment. Thanks for the effort! Mike"

It's this kind of sarcastic remark that would make it impossible for me to work with Mr. Boyle. I don't believe that my membership with the NGA should make me an enemy of the NWRA or vice versa.

Well, I've done as I was asked and let all of you know that I declined the board position on the NWRA.

[screenman]

In reply to newvista, the conflict I see between WSR and replacement is down to money, now suppose sometimes the choice is shall I take $50 for a repair where I could earn $200 for a replacement, it would take a person of extremely high morals to do the repair if the damage was repairable. Over here on a daily basis we get to see very simple repairs that the customer has been told is not repairable by a replacement company, your market may be completely different, another example over here is some glass replacement companies offer bonuses for replacing a screen but not for repairing it, so if the fitter does a repair when he could have upsold to a replacement he is punished financialy.