It’s been quite a week here in the glassBYTEs.com™/AGRR™ newsroom. One of the biggest stories to break this week has been that of the passing of a different sort of bill in the state of Michigan’s Senate. While many of the bills we’ve seen and covered on glassBYTEs.com over the last few years have related to third-party administrators, the latest one in Michigan actually proposes a code of conduct for third-party administrators (TPAs) that also offer retail services.
What’s even more interesting to me than the content of this bill is that no one seems to be completely happy with it; some independents seem to think it’s a bit lenient, as it’s endured quite a few changes from the original version, while Safelite officials say it is concerning, with the reporting requirements it would mandate, along with an openness of the company’s network.
I’ve often heard that give-and-take is important in these types of situations—and it seems in this case everyone’s getting a little of what they want. But as both groups have made it clear they’re hoping to get some changes made in the state’s House, it will be interesting in the coming weeks to see what occurs.
How’s My Driving?
On a less auto glass-related note this week, State Farm announced that it has released a mobile phone application called “Driver Feedback.” It is designed to that rates a user’s driving, based on “hard acceleration, hard deceleration and hard swerves.” It appears it’s available to anyone—whether or not you’re insured by State Farm—so I immediately downloaded it and will soon hopefully know the answer to the above question: how’s my driving? (I hope to try it out today in busy, Friday afternoon traffic.)
Depending on whether it actually works, I can’t help but think a free app like this one could be helpful to auto glass businesses, too, who want to know if their techs are being safe on the road. If you’ve tried something like this out, for yourself or your employees, I’d love to hear from you. Please email me at pstacey@glass.com. And please feel free to check back to find out how my driving is—or not; what my score says may determine whether or not I share this information in a future blog.
Trading Places
Yesterday, LYNX Services announced that it is making some personnel changes, including naming Chris Umble to the newly created position of executive director of auto glass claim solutions. I’ve known Chris for quite a few years in my role as an auto glass journalist and have always appreciated his accessibility to the industry—not to mention his devotion to it, despite his very busy schedule—and am excited to see what the future holds as he moves into this role.
Thanks so much for reading, and I hope your 2012 is off to a great start.
2011 has come and gone, and here we are embarking on a New Year. I actually am seeing some optimism in the industry, and hope you are as well. Hopefully you read our recent industry outlook in which industry officials shared their thoughts on 2012 and what may happen to the auto glass industry in the year ahead.
I usually spend my lunchtime reading the news (go figure, huh?) and today a pretty exciting headline caught my eye immediately: Detroit Automakers are (Finally!) Making Profits. According to CNN, this is the first time the Big Three have seen profits since 2004—eight long years ago.
I am hopeful that those who made their predictions just a few short weeks ago for our glassBYTEs.com™ report might be even more optimistic now—as I certainly am.
I saw this headline shortly after I read an optimistic email from Guardian Industries’ Earnest Thompson, informing us of a visit to the company’s manufacturing plant this week by a Michigan Congressman. (You can read all about that visit and the topics discussed here.)
But, despite the major headlines, I’d like to know what you’re seeing in your market—is business up? Do you predict a rebound this year? Do you think more and more drivers will be hitting the roads again—especially with gas prices getting slightly more stable? (I always am hesitant to say that; the current $3.13 per gallon (unleaded) in our area certainly is not a deal, but is down from last year.)
Also, there’s been quite a bit of discussion on our forum about the effective date of the Allstate move to Safelite—which occurred on January 3; Safelite spokesperson Melina Metzger tells glassBYTEs.com™/AGRR™ magazine the transition is expected to be complete by the end of the week, and that shops “will not experience significant process changes when working on Allstate claims.”
What are you seeing in your area? Any major changes since the switch? Please email me your thoughts on this and the year ahead at pstacey@glass.com.
Happy New Year!
P.S. I received some nice comments on the holiday video I posted in my last blog—so here’s another; a personal favorite as we enter the New Year. This time, enjoy some Barry Manilow as we welcome 2012!
Some might say it’s the most wonderful time of the year (and I think I might even have said that very thing in my last blog). Some days I’m not so sure, though—I love the holidays, but am not the biggest fan of the traffic we here in the Washington, D.C., metro area endure for the month of December—as Christmas shoppers crowd the highways right as we’re all headed home from work.
But, in the end, I’m sure it will all be worth it, and I’m looking forward to spending the holidays with my family. I love coming home each day to candles in the windows and a colorful tree—and am even thankful some days that my husband beats me home and has to turn all of this on and I just get to enjoy it.
Earlier this week, though, I stumbled across an article about an auto glass shop in Florence, S.C., that’s decided to take a stand this year and answer its phones “Merry Christmas, Turner Auto Glass.” It’s even running a local television commercial about the stand he’s taken on this, refusing to say the more generic “Happy Holidays” that has become a bit more politically correct in today’s society.
I won’t get into the debate itself here; I do prefer “Merry Christmas,” as I think it’s a bit warmer and more specific, but am I offending people when I say it? I’ll be honest, I’ve never worried too much about this—I’m certainly not saying it to offend anyone, and my motives are kind. Likewise, I’m not offended if people don’t say it back to me or if someone prefers to say “Happy Holidays”—it’s all happy.
But I thought Turner’s advocacy for saying “Merry Christmas” was quite pointed—and, though I don’t think he’s doing it to gain business, I’m sure there are quite a few customers that will remember his business specifically for this and will be giving him a call. I’m sure there are others who might be offended and might stay away. But my gut says the former is the more likely scenario.
We often talk about the ins and the outs of the business—what’s proper, what so-and-so is doing, what’s new—but I personally admit I’m always interested in these small details, and I want to know, do you acknowledge the holidays with customers, either via phone or in person? And, if you do, do you base what you say on personal observations—or your personal feelings about the holidays? Or, is it simply business as usual for you, and are the holidays—whichever ones you celebrate—something for the afterhours?
Please email me your thoughts at pstacey@glass.com. And, of course, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to each and everyone of you. Lastly, I’ll leave you with a short, fun video, because no matter how you look at the holidays ahead, who doesn’t like a little Bing Crosby?
It’s been quite a news-filled week here at glassBYTEs.com™. By now, most of you likely have seen a recent consumer report that appeared on a Philadelphia ABC station that accused Safelite of charging different prices for consumers based on ZIP code—even for in-shop work brought to the same location.
You’ve also likely seen our coverage of the report, with a response from Safelite, and reaction, seen here.
I’ve heard from a number of readers who are outraged about this topic—comparing it to charging different prices based on race. My first thought upon reading the report was that insurers break up markets and price accordingly—why shouldn’t shops?
I asked Safelite about whether this plays a role in what was alleged in the report, and was told this, in response to the report: “The story was about the consumer pricing model, not insurance prices and does not affect policyholders.”
While many say they disagree with this alleged ZIP code pricing, one reader offered this opinion:
“I don’t see what they did wrong. They have the right to quote whatever price they want wherever they want and it is then the consumer’s choice to either pay it or not. If multiple consumers decide to pay it, then they could assume it is a competitive price for that market ZIP code. If multiple consumers in a specific market/ZIP code do not choose their quote, then they could assume that the quote is too high … ”
Most, however, have argued that price should only change for mobile service. What do you think? Please email your thoughts to me at pstacey@glass.com.
Happy Thanksgiving!
On an unrelated note, it’s pretty much the best time of the year in my opinion—we just celebrated Halloween, have Thanksgiving ahead in just a week, and Christmas is right behind it. While I’m not a fan of Kohls (and others, I’m sure) starting to play Christmas music weeks before Thanksgiving, I am excited that the holiday season is ahead, and I do enjoy the cooler months and all the good things that come with them.
I’m also excited for many of our readers, who’ve seen major snow storms strike already, leading to booms in business—and I’m hopeful the best (or should I say worst) of these are yet to come.
On that note, I wish all of you a happy and safe Thanksgiving week. Be sure to eat lots of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, and enjoy the day.
I follow several insurers on Twitter, including State Farm, in an attempt to keep up with their latest news and happenings. But it was much to my surprise when suddenly Ralph Macchio (of Karate Kid fame) suddenly started popping up on the AGRR™ Twitter feed.
I scan this pretty quickly each morning and afternoon, so at first I thought State Farm was simply as fond of the Karate Kid as I once was (I don’t know any other girl who was 10 in the ‘80s who wasn’t fond of him), and then I realized what had happened—they’ve teamed up together on a safety campaign that focuses on safe teen driving. Macchio is now teaching his own teenage son to drive.
I couldn’t help but think this is a brilliant idea—teaming up with a celebrity who really hasn’t done a lot acting-wise in recent years but is still very well-known. But, he’s getting attention I’m sure, and, as Lauren Fix pointed out during the recent Auto Glass Week™ event, safety sells.
And, as Ben Kelley pointed out during the same event, teen driving is a hot-button issue.
“If I had my way nobody would be getting a license before age 20,” said Kelley, “and we’d have a lot less loss of life on the highways.”
So, kudos to the Karate Kid for trying to make a difference in this area, and good luck to his son as he learns to drive.
Have you thought about incorporating teen driving into your marketing plan? Some have even suggested that volunteering at local schools is a great way to reach today’s youth about the importance of proper windshield installations, and chances are those teens will go home and share with their parents. And, who might their parents call then, when they need a windshield replacement? There’s a good chance it might be you.
Pumpkins Galore
In an unrelated note, I’ve heard that this was a tough year for farmers and that the pumpkin crop supposedly has been affected, but you wouldn’t think so by the number of stories we’ve had lately about pumpkins flying through windshields. I seem to have seen at least one of these a day over the last few weeks. In one case, a pumpkin truck accidentally dumped an entire load of about 200 pumpkins on a Michigan highway, breaking a windshield and leaving behind a mess of debris and pulp. Watch the video below for what it did to commuters there:
But, what I never hear about is the companies that replace all these broken windshields caused by childish pranks and pumpkin-hurlers. So I’d like to know, how many of these do you encounter? What types of stories do you hear from the customers that bring them in? Are they as frequent as local news reports make them out to be?
Happy Halloween
Amidst the surge of pumpkins busts, Halloween is upon us and as usual many of my fellow employees are dressing up this Monday; I’ve not yet decided whether to don a costume, as my sweet six-year-old niece advised me during a recent family Halloween gathering that my costume is “great for home, but just a bit too silly for work.”
What are your company Halloween traditions? Do you celebrate the holiday at all, or is it just another day? Do you adapt your hours at all to make it home for trick-or-treaters, or to take your own trick-or-treaters out on the road?
If you do head out, be sure to be safe. AAA suggests that Halloween is one of the deadliest nights of the year for pedestrians.
And Halloween isn’t the only holiday being celebrated this month. A much lesser known holiday occurred last week, Boss’s Day. I know many of you, our readers, are your own bosses, and, as many auto glass businesses are small in nature, I wanted to be sure to wish you a belated Happy Boss’s Day, in case you didn’t hear it from your own employees.
In light of the day, my own boss and publisher, Deb Levy, included one of the saddest and funniest anecdotes about an employee firing that she once observed in her own blog; I actually laughed out loud when I read it, and I hope you will too (with apologies to Bryant, who was on the receiving end of a really terrible phone call—as you’ll see). I hope you’ll read it here.
Happy Boss’s Day to all of you bosses out there, and we’ll see you next time. Thanks for reading.
