Chapter by Chapter: AASP/MA Returns Face to Face

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic made inperson gatherings obsolete, AASP/MA has begun returning to areas all across the Commonwealth with local chapter meetings bringing education and valuable networking opportunities to collision repairers in every zone.

“The pandemic kind of killed off the chapter meetings for a while. But it’s been long enough, and now we want to bring them back. We want AASP to be more accessible to our members than just two statewide meetings a year,” according to AASP/MA President Kevin Gallerani (Cape Auto Body & Service; Plymouth). “We think that the local meetings are good for bringing shops of an area together and sharing new information or trends. It’s also a great opportunity for us to bring in new potential members.”

“AASP/MA is bringing back chapter meetings for a few key reasons,” AASP/MA Vice President Matt Ciaschini (Full Tilt Auto Body & Collision; West Hatfield) contributes. “One reason is that we want to touch those shops that may not be able to come out to statewide meetings. Another is our desire to build comradery in our markets to help everyone realize that a rising tide lifts all ships.

“We also would like to grow our membership, so making it easier for non-member shops to go to a local event allows them to see all the hard work our ‘Alliance’ is doing to better our industry,” he adds. “Some may not be aware of all the hard work we are putting into the legislation that will greatly benefit our industry. Lastly, we have more localized vendors who can attend chapter meetings, so area shops know who they should use because we encourage members to support those who support us.”

Chapter meetings began reemerging last month with a Zone 4 (Northeast) meeting held on April 5 at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School in Danvers before moving west for a Zone 3 meeting on April 25 at Dean Vo-Tech in Holyoke. Next, Zone 1 (Boston South) will meet on May 10, followed by a Zone 2 meeting in the Worcester area on May 24.

Each local meeting adheres to a similar format, which includes an opportunity for some face-to-face interaction while enjoying refreshments followed by vital information for attendees. The April and May meetings serve to provide updates on AASP/MA’s legislative agenda, including its labor rate reimbursement bill and movements to reform the Auto Damage Appraiser Licensing Board (ADALB), as well as an update on the Division of Standards (DOS) Notice to ensure attendees understand what it really means to them, especially if they are considering or charging a copay (flip to page 30 for more information on the association’s response to the DOS).

Attendees can also expect to participate in a review of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ (SCRS) recent paint blend study in addition to learning more about ADAS to identify potential knowledge gaps related to this complex topic. Each meeting ends with a chance to network with members of AASP/ MA’s Board of Directors as well as local industry peers, providing a chance to discuss the most pressing issues they face in their businesses.

“Hosting local face-to-face meetings has always been important to the ‘Alliance’ because it gives us a chance to share valuable information that enhances the value of membership and can be used in the shops to improve their daily operations, but just as importantly, these gatherings offer an opportunity for shops to get together and develop an atmosphere of comradery,” shares AASP/ MA Executive Director Lucky Papageorg. “We want shops to recognize that they’re not ‘the only ones’ and get the opportunity to witness how hard the association works on behalf of Massachusetts shops and consumers.”

Enhancing the visibility of the association and what it does for Massachusetts shops – both members and non-members alike – serves as another important objective in AASP/MA’s return to hosting chapter meetings around the state.

“We need to have better visibility for some shops,” Gallerani stresses. “Lucky will have a chance to travel and get out and visit some shops in the areas where he is holding the meetings. I’m looking forward to Lucky getting out there and showing his face all over the state. I’m also looking forward to our members being able to get together with their zone peers and interact. It’s good to hear ‘you’re not the only one out there’ once in a while.”

Registration for local chapter meetings costs just $25 for members in good standing and $50 for non-members. Any nonmembers who attend and join the Alliance within 30 days of the meeting will get the $50 fee applied to their 2023-2024 dues. Additionally, $5 from each entry fee will be entered into a cash drawing which one attendee will win at the end of the meeting (must be present to win).

AASP/MA also plans to hold a General Membership meeting on June 17. For more information or to register for any of these upcoming events, visit aaspma.org/events agree to replace the part?!?” Then I get a little chippy with the guy, “So, what you are telling me is that you can quote OEM procedure and I need to adhere to some loose interpretation of what you think it says, but when I display something in black and white in multiple documents, it means nothing?!?” All this appraiser could do is lean on his thin insurer-based training, stick to his guns and insist, “What you are asking for is not industry standard.” And that was it. He refused to do the right thing for his own insured.

Have you felt like you were in this twilight zone before? You are not alone!

There are a few key lessons from this story – a story which is common to all of us in the collision repair business. The main lesson is we should always repair the vehicle to standards the OEMs, paint manufacturers and collision educators provide us despite what an insurer refuses to pay for. In our case, we got out in front with the customer on the case above and had them reach out to their insurance company. Ultimately, our customer paid out of pocket for the procedures required but not paid for by his insurer after we suggested the customer reach out to the appraiser and the adjuster directly. We try to always give our customer the opportunity to get reimbursed by the insurer. Our customer also promptly left this insurance company for one recommended by our shop and his local insurance agent.

Another lesson is having documentation for how a vehicle is or should be repaired can never be wrong. Doing the right thing and displaying it to your customer will earn a customer for life. We can all do this. In fact, we all must do this to ensure that we are being properly compensated as well as doing proper, safe repairs for the consumer. The last lesson is: Don’t be part of the problem! Don’t let the insurers tell you what the “industry standard” is. THEY ARE NOT THE INDUSTRY, WE ARE! We fix cars; they pay bills. We can’t let them force substandard repairs upon us and then perform those repairs. That is wrong, and will never work for you or your customers. So don’t let them tell you “just blend the clear there” or “you don’t need to replace that panel and cut the whole car apart” or “that vehicle doesn’t need a pre-scan” or just simply “we don’t pay for that.” Those words are all absurd and not what your customer deserves.

Stay out of this twilight zone that the insurers try to put us in by being up front with your customer about the proper repair and everything it involves so that the next time that price-cutting appraiser comes into your shop and starts the denial process, you are already armed and ready to combat them alongside of your customer.

If you’re not already a member of AASP/MA and you like the sentiment of this article, you need to join us! Becoming a member of the “ALLIANCE” will only help you and your business grow. If you are already a member and need some help, reach out to us. That is what we are here for as THE Alliance that supports the collision industry in Massachusetts.