Insurance company and so-called waivers

[desertstars]

I've been in this business for over 16 years.

Recently, I've had customers ask me how much their policies would increase because of so-called "waivers of liability" for repairs.

Previously, I've been truthful in assuring them there would be no increases whatsover.

Lately, that is not the case.

The reason that I can no longer assure them is because of the fact that the insurance industry is a pack of secretive liars.

They will not tell an insured exactly why their rates are raised in most cases.

They now talk about "incidents" like "you had two incidents last year".

"What incidents are you talking about?" is your next logical question.

"I don't know" is the usual response from the idiot on the other end of the line.

Those "incidents" could be so-called "waiver of liability" repairs or the result of an uninsured motorist rear-ending you.

Just today, we had a case where a customer needed replacement of a $1200 list driver-side windshield on an RV Bounder and a replacement on his personal vehicle. He is afraid to turn both in and wants to pay cash for the car from his pocket.

His neighbor paid cash for a w/s repair while we were there because of the same reason.

You can bet we didn't get $60 for that repair even though he was "covered" by insurance.

Until the repair industry organizes under the umbrella of an effective and proactive group that separates us from the interests of the replacement industry, we will never be considered anything other than one of their in-bred cousins and nothing more than a $50 repair "incident" comparable to a $500 replacement "incident" passing across the glass desk of some insurance company network paper shuffler.

The increasing attitude of insurance companies to group repairs as something to be grouped with replacements as another "incident" isn't innocuous and won't be in the long run.

It is another case of the IGA and the replacement industries attempt to stifle and destroy the unorganized repair industry.

Unless we sit on our duffs and allow that to happen.

We are saving the insurance companies tons of money every year and we have been since the day that windshield repair was invented.

If they weren't in the position of conveniently passing their incompetence onto the insured with higher rates each year, they would be forced to seriously consider the efficacy of repair rather than replacement.

We had better think about organizing the repair profession and we had better consider organizing it soon.

I'll tell you this. Sixteen years ago, they laughed at us as though we were nothing more than mosquitoes crawling up an elephants leg with rape on their mind.

Today, they look at us differently.

[desertstars]

Excellent points, Gary.

Just so there is no confusion, I also agree that the network concept is valid and here to stay.

My bone of contention is who comprises these present two major networks.