Is State Farm’s New Offer One the Industry Can’t Refuse? by Rebecca Barnabi, glassBYTEs.com
A new offer is on the table from State Farm to auto glass providers in its National Glass Program.
Effective July 5, State Farm will offer a labor rate of $42 per NAGS labor hour in Zones 1, 2 and 3. Additionally, the company is offering the following for glass parts: • 41% off NAGS List Price in Zone 1 • 25% off NAGS List Price in Zone 2 • 0% off NAGS List Price in Zone 3 The insurer announced the changes in a letter dated June 28. State Farm periodically changes what it “offers” to reimburse shops for its insurance work. In September 2016, glassBYTEs. com reported an increase from $35 per NAGS labor hour to $38 per
NAGS labor hour. Zone 1’s pricing decreased from 25% off NAGS list price for an auto glass part to 32% off; from 15% off to 24% off the NAGS list price in Zone 2; and Zone 3 remained at 0 percent off the NAGS list price. “It’s a small change that [State Farm] made, but just the whole concept of the idea is a slap in the face,” said Rick Valentine, owner/operator of Intermountain Auto Glass in Boise, ID. As a Zone 1 shop, Valentine said he will see the NAGS percentage off go from 38 to 41%, and labor go from $39 to $42 per NAGS labor hour. The percentage off increasing is what will hurt shops like Valentine’s. The last price change by State Farm was two to three years ago, according to Valentine. Valentine said it is particularly challenging with all that is going on nationwide as well as the lingering effects of a global pandemic and a labor shortage.
Watch Out for Cops in F-150s by Steven Symes, Motorious
We certainly don’t advocate running from law enforcement when you’re told to pull over, but if you do, you might want to make sure the 2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder isn’t on your tail. That, or you better have a Hellcat or something hotter. The Blue Oval has been braggingabout how testing done by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan State Police shows the truck is quicker at 0-60 and 0-100 mph acceleration versus other law enforcement vehicles, be they trucks, SUVs or sedans. Apparently, those law enforcement agencies even tested the police cars on the quarter mile, something you don’t see every day. What confuses us is the old adage that police can outrun you with radios so they don’t need quick cars and how that squares with these types of tests. Thankfully, Ford is here to add clarity. “Vehicle acceleration and speed contribute to how quickly first
responders can safely arrive at an emergency scene,” said Greg Ebel, Ford police vehicle brand manager. “Shaving even a few seconds off response times can make a big difference. Whether responding to an accident on the highway or a distress call from somewhere off-road, law enforcement officers can count on 2021 F-150 Police Responder to get them there fast.” Now do you get it? Police need to speed to get to emergency scenes and to chase down cretins having fun at car meets. Plus, having a truck means they can go bust people in Jeeps who try to flee on dirt roads. Before you start wishing you had this police truck, keep in mind it’s really not that quick. Michigan State Police tests show it does 0-60 in 5.4 seconds. That is 1.2 seconds quicker than the old Ford police truck, but it’s not exactly blisteringly quick by today’s standards. Plus, the thing tops out at 120 mph, which explains why Hellcats get away. Just remember, the police radio is even quicker.
28 AUGUST 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com
He said that, for the first time, he is considering no longer participating with State Farm. “It impacts us significantly when our costs go up,” Valentine says. Intermountain Auto Glass is based in Boise, but has multiple locations to serve customers. “I’ve been through it all,” Valentine said of his company, which opened in 1996. According to Valentine, 80% of the work his business does is through insurance. “I just don’t think it’s reasonable, nor fair,” he said. In the last 18 months, Valentine said costs have escalated and supply issues have become a concern. To his knowledge, only State Farm has reduced what it is willing to pay in the last six months. “All of our costs have done nothing but go up. We counter that by passing that on to the customer,” Valentine said. (C) 2021 by glassbytes.com. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. For more information contact www.glassbytes.com.
Broadly Launches into Collision Repair Broadly, Inc. an award-winning provider of software solutions for local businesses, announced June 17 its official launch into the auto collision repair sector. Broadly’s reputation management and communication tools are already helping thousands of auto body shop owners boost their online presence, attract new customers, engage with the modern consumer and make payment processing simple and contactless. Since launching in 2014, Broadly has helped thousands of local business owners grow successful businesses through a variety of high impact features— including web chat, text messaging, automated review requests and contactless payments—all aimed at increasing revenue and efficiency while delivering meaningful customer experiences. For more info about how Broadly can help grow collision businesses, connect at https:// broadly.com/schedule-demo/ Source: Broadly
