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Allstate Announces ‘Process Changes’ Designed to Improve Network Cycle Time Back on July 11, Allstate Insurance Company announced to its DRP participants that shops will be required to
Tracy Tramm, Allstate Claim Service Manager, announcing process changes via video
honor completion dates or assume all related costs, expedite estimate and
upload completion times, and extend their hours of operation, when necessary, for the convenience of Allstate customers. Now Allstate’s customer service initiative for 2011 has been expanded. The new program requirements were introduced to shops in a series of cycle time web conferences held recently. Those unable to view the web conferences are encouraged by the company to contact their local performance managers. Allstate is making “several key process changes” within its Good See Allstate Process, Page 12
Shop Owners Share Frustrations Renegotiating Contracts with Information Providers by John Yoswick
The experiences of a number of shop owners around the country serve as a reminder to make sure you always understand the terms of any contract you are signing. Failure to read the fine print—or negotiate clauses for additional rights to end even something as seemingly innocuous as a software contract—have cost some shops tens of thousands of dollars. A shop owner in California, for example, has been disappointed in the response he has received from one of the Big Three information providers to his requests over the past 18
months to renegotiate his software contract. The shop owner, who asked that his name and the provider’s not be used, said he purchased a complete package—hardware and software—from the provider, but realized shortly after he did so that he did not intend to the use the shop management module of the package. “We’re not a large enough shop to benefit from the time I’d have into using it,” the shop owner said. While he wants to continue using the company’s estimating system, as his shop has for more than 15 years, the information provider has refused See Contract Frustration, Page 18
VOL. 1 ISSUE 5 AUGUST 2011
Reorganized Lehigh Valley Collision Repair Association Now Serves Eastern Pennsylvania By David M. Brown Special to Autobody News
The re-energized Lehigh Valley Collision Repair Association is serving eastern Pennsylvania, including cities such as Allentown, Easton and Bethlehem. The one-year-old group comprises 18 auto body repair facilities, jobbers, parts suppliers, information providers and rental car companies, says its president, Matt Dewalt, AAM. “Our mission is to promote the professional image of our industry through safe, quality and ethical repairs,” explains Dewalt, vice president of Scott’s Collision Centers, which is celebrating its 40th year serving the Lehigh Valley. “We want to educate and lead our members to better themselves by al-
lowing the free exchange of ideas and assist with ongoing training,” he adds. “It is truly an organization made up of members who want to better our industry.” His father, Scott, a past and current member of LVCRA, started their business in 1971, and today the two locations, in Easton and Stroudsburg, comprise 34,000 square feet and generate about $5 million in annual sales. The original LVCRA has roots at least 50 years deep and was very active in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, sponsoring golf tournaments, hosting monthly meetings and holding I-CAR and other classes, Dewalt says. At the time, Scott participated with his early shop, but membership dwindled and meetings stopped about 10 years ago.
REGIONAL STORIES in this issue...
See LVCRA, Page 6
Keenan Auto Body Raises Funds for PA Charities . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 4 Allstate Continues Fraud Lawsuits in NY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 4 Brooklyn DA: Body Shop Inflated Insurance Bills . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 4 AASP-NJ Announces 2012 NORTHEAST™ Dates . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 10 PA Lawsuit Seeks GM Repairs of Recalled Impalas . . . . . . . . . . .p. 11 Crashes Increase at New York State’s Roundabouts . . . . . . . . . .p. 39
NATIONAL ARTICLES in this issue...
Chevy Cars Get Highest Brand Share in 20 Years, GM Says . . . .p. 11 Detroit 3 Meet with UAW on Feds New CAFE Standard . . . . . . . .p. 15 Comprehensive Review of Distracted Driving Research Released .p. 32 Automatic Braking, as Implemented by Volvo, Does Prevent Crashes .p. 38 The Devil in the Details—Measuring Metrics Properly . . . . . . . . .p. 44 Dealership-based Body Shops Down by 24% Since Recession Began .p. 48 California Appeals Court Rules Consumers Can Sue Insurers For Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 53
COLUMNS in this issue...
Williams — How is a Dealership Selling Wholesale Parts Distinctive? .p. 16 Sisk — E.J Henry and Sons in DE, Specialists and Generalists .p. 24 Weaver — How to Keep Your Cool With HVAC Diagnostics . . . .p. 31 Insurance Insider — Don’t Become an Insurer’s Puppet . . . . . . .p. 36 I-CAR — Thin-Film Technology Comes to Collision Repair . . . . .p. 40 Sisk — Egon’s Auto Repair: Custom Work in NJ . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 42 Sisk — Reedman-Toll in PA, Dealership’s Parts Bottom Line . . .p. 48 Chess — Are Your Repair Methods Ten Years Out of Date? . . . .p. 49 Evans — Lesson Learned: Re-Painting a 57 Thunderbird . . . . . .p. 52
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