A Sharing Place

Y“You’re NOT the only one” – when ABAT first started, way back in 2014, we set out to help shops combat the ideology that had been instilled in us by the insurance carriers who constantly insisted that every shop charging fair rates for the work they performed was “the only one.” They brainwashed many shops to believe that we couldn’t charge for OEM procedures, that aftermarket parts were just as good as the originals and that we needed to fall in line and just accept the “prevailing rate.”

I’m happy to say that was all a bunch of hogwash, and shops all across the Lone Star State have embraced some truths of the business, starting with the fact that these are OUR businesses and WE are the ones who decide how they run.

We know there’s a huge difference in the safety component and aspect of a vehicle based on the type of parts used; OEM parts are designed to absorb energy in a certain way to ensure the occupants’ safety. Vehicles that are repaired using structural aftermarket parts simply aren’t as safe.

As a professional repair facility, our goal is to repair every vehicle to its pre-accident condition, and the only way to do that is by following the OEM recommended processes and procedures! You cannot properly repair today’s vehicles without following the manufacturer-specific guidelines. This is how we ensure that a customer’s vehicle will perform as it was intended if there’s another accident.

And we all know that the concept of “prevailing rate” is nothing but a hoax. A shop’s rates should reflect the cost of doing business in that particular market. Yet, insurers use the concept of prevailing rates to strongarm shops into accepting lower rates… or charging the customer the difference. And customers shouldn’t have to pay more than their deductible; the consumer already paid their insurance premium, which is meant to pay for restoring their vehicle after an accident. A consumer not getting what they paid for is under-indemnification, plain and simple.

Burl Richards ABAT President

Knowledge is power, and we are all learning more each day, strengthening our shops and one another. I saw powerful evidence of this recently when I received an email from a Dallas shop owner who had put necessary processes and procedures on their invoice only for Farmers Insurance to claim “you’re the only one.” Well, this ABAT member has really invested time and energy into learning our craft over the years, so they shared all their p-page research to show how clear coat time is capped at 2.5 hours, but when we have to paint inside the door jambs or paint the uniside, now that vehicle spends twice as long in the paint booth, and that additional time is a notincluded item. He did a great job detailing the information about this continued on pg. 22