Opinions please: I have seen several competitors doing this

[Roo]

I have seen several local competitors say that if your damage is larger than what an insurance company will pay for (over 6") then they will charge you an additional charge on top of collecting the insurance payment. Do you guys think this is good business. Why do insurance companies only pay for damage that large or smaller? Is it because the cost to repair the damage is too much and they will not pay it? If so, then this might be a legitimate business practice. Or is it because they feel it is unsafe to repair damage larger than a dollar bill?

I have always told my clients that insurance will not pay for damage larger than a dollar bill and if they do still want it repaired they foot the entire repair bill from me.

I am just wondering what everyone's take is on this

[paulrsf]

Most of the insurance companies I have dealt with do not want repairs made to windshields when the damage exceeds the length of a dollar bill or roughly 6". Also, on many of the insurance referrals I receive, the agreement states that you accept the amount they are offering for the repair. I'm not sure how the networks or the insurance companies would feel if they were aware that the technician was charging more than what was agreed to.

[GlassStarz]

Insurance doent pay for cracks the only way what you are saying could be true is that they tell the customer to lie about the size and pay the difference Even the best salesman in the world has a hard time soliciting fraud from a stranger and I find it unlikly that for under $75 they would. When so much legit buisness is out there you dont need to run the chance of Jail. Im sure there is the occasional but everday practice i dont buy

[paulrsf]

Insurance doent pay for cracks the only way what you are saying could be true is that they tell the customer to lie about the size and pay the difference Even the best salesman in the world has a hard time soliciting fraud from a stranger and I find it unlikly that for under $75 they would. When so much legit buisness is out there you dont need to run the chance of Jail. Im sure there is the occasional but everday practice i dont buy

Not sure what you mean by "Insurance doesn't pay for cracks." I get at least 1-2 referrals each week from the networks specifically asking me to repair cracks anywhere up to a dollar bill in size. I don't accept the jobs because I don't like repairing cracks, (I'm not that good at it) and certainly not ones that are longer than 3". If after talking with the customer I find that the crack is 6" or longer I typically recommend that they have the windshield replaced anyway. I do them the favor of contacting the network and the network almost always asks me if I do replacements. When I tell them that I don't they ask me if I work with a local glass shop, (which I do) and they refer the job to that shop.

Also, I am not sure whom you are talking to about "soliciting fraud" from a stranger but I assume it is not me. In any case, before making such assumptions and from what I read in the original post, no one was suggesting that the customer lie to anyone. I believe you have taken this post in a direction it was not intended.

[GlassStarz]

First any referral you get from the networks is for a chip repair not a crack they dont qualify the customer because your time is of little impotance to them if its a crack they dont pay and its up to the tech to inform them this is one of the reasons I dont take thier referrals one long drive too many to find a crack not a chip. Next time you have one state to them its a 8 inch crack and see what they say lol. Now im sure some guys after driving all the way there cut a corner or two to get paid for thier time and try to get a little extra because its a crack and will take more time and resin and im sure they are thinking "The stupid insurance company sent me here and wasted my time so they need to pay me" but when you signed up with the network you agreed to a certain repair standard and any deviation to file a claim is Fraud no other word for it. All you need is a overzealous claims guy to complain and its gonna cost you a lot more than a repair or two will pay and if they dont charge you with something they will at least drop you from thier list. They will debit any failed repair and cracks fail in a huge way so why bother anyway? Your post said others were doing this and I stated if the are doing cracks as chips its Fraud and I find its hard to believe that they are talking customers into commiting insurance fraud on a regular basis. But after reading your response I tend to believe its as I thought you may have found 1 or 2 cases of questionible acts by a competitor and over reacted the same as you did with your response Take a deep breath and go back to work. Do your Job with as much honesty and integrity as you can and dont worry about what others do some folks are not as honest as others thats just the world we live in and yes its frustrating when others dont live by the same standards a we do but $%&t Happens

[GlassStarz]

Paul I just went back and theoriginal post was from Roo not you your response was correct so not sure how you could think I was somehow refering to you it was Roo who started this thread with the question about what to do with a shifty competitor you answered you dont do it and refer the people to a replacement the proper action

[paulrsf]

Paul I just went back and theoriginal post was from Roo not you your response was correct so not sure how you could think I was somehow refering to you it was Roo who started this thread with the question about what to do with a shifty competitor you answered you dont do it and refer the people to a replacement the proper action

Actually, I was just trying to get you to clarify what you were saying because I was having trouble following Roo's post and your answer.
After reading it through I wondered if I was doing something illegal?? I didn't think so, since the referrals were coming from the insurance company. Sometimes I notice my reply takes on a "tone" of something other than what I intend. I'm usually just asking or replying in a straight forward way with nothing intended other than getting or giving information....

Regards

[SGT]

When I have a referral customer that misjudged the damage on their windshield and that little leg was actually a runnning crack. I immediately call the referring network and advise them of the actual damage. At that point, when they pretend to not know the difference between a running crack and a chip and tell me there system does not differentiate the two, I advise them it must be re-dispatched as a 3 chip repair or I cannot help the customer. If they will not treat it as a 3 chip repair, I advised the customer that they will be responsible for the remaining unpaid ammount. I have even done this while on the phone with a CSR so I do not believe you are in violation of your network vendor agreement or they would not approve it. I have not had to much opposition from Lynx or HSG networks. SGC well I really do not get many referrals and the ones I do get are not even close to my service area so I turn them away. Becareful how you handle this, you will be the immediate point of contact for the customer and you want to ensure that the sour taste they have in there mouth is with there insurance co., the network or our current president!!!!!! Just as long as it is not you. They need to know you are there to help them.

[paulrsf]

Lately when I sense a customer is understating the extent of the damage or if the network referral differs from the customer's description, I ask the customer to take a photo of the damage and email it to me. Most of my customers are honest but others have all sorts of reason for why they misstate the extent of the damage. I have had customers start out by telling me that they have a crack in their windshield which is approximately 3" long. After measuring it or taking a photo, it turns out the crack is twice that length or more. Even in a poor photo I can tell right away if it is a job I am willing to accept. When its not, I call the network back and tell them I am declining the job and why. When there is a problem, I'd say 50% of the time it was the fault of the customer service rep at the network for not getting accurate information from the customer. I also find that customers may under-report the extent of the damage because they are afraid that their insurance will not cover it if they are totally upfront. In any case, when I am not sure, I get a photo and this usually settles any doubt and helps me to avoid driving any distance only to find a windshield that needs to be replaced and not repaired.

[Roo]

Thanks for the replies guys! I am going to continue to do things my way(which I feel is right). Damage larger than 6" can be paid for out of pocket period, not the insurance company paying for the first 6 inches and the insured paying for the rest. Although I don't get that much work from the networks I am appreciative when I do get assignments and I don't want to jeopardize that relationship. IMO the honest worker will get ahead eventually, if not in this world then in the next.

Have a great day fellow chippers!