For The Record

We’ve run several stories about Auto Glass Week™, but, as at every show, there are always some facets of the show that don’t fit into our normal reports—print or video—but deserve to be shared. So here I give you my unofficial list of some of my favorite parts of Auto Glass Week—and I hope you’ll share yours as well.

1. The use of Twitter: This is the first major auto glass event I’ve attended where Twitter played a major role. Attendees were constantly tweeting and retweeting, and it was amazing to be so connected to all the other attendees through this developing tool, and to know what the guy sitting a few feet from me was thinking about a session as it was going on. Thanks to all those who re-tweeted my tweets, conversed with me through Twitter and more! And, if you’re not already following us, be sure to @agrrmagazine.

2. A busy, busy schedule: Anyone who knows me knows I actually really like to be busy; maybe it’s the journalist in me, but a hectic day is my friend. And, that was no problem at Auto Glass Week. The days were filled with great sessions and few breaks, and a lively exhibition hall each afternoon made for a great week. And, while at some events it seems like you run into the same people over and over again, that was not the case at Auto Glass Week. There was such a large and intricate group of people that I was constantly seeing new people from new locales, but also getting to see old friends and associates, too—it was a perfect mix.

3. Mike Eruzione: I’m not a huge hockey fan, and, I may be dating myself, but I was only two years old when Mike Eruzione scored the winning goal against the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. But meeting Mike Eruzione and hearing him speak was one of the highlights of my career. You could tell from the applause and the full crowd what an icon he is to the United States, but my favorite line of his whole presentation was this: “[What I did] was not that big of a deal—everyone can do something.” I thought that was such a humble statement, and one from which we can all learn. Thanks so much, Mr. Eruzione, for your time in speaking with us—and for an example in not only teamwork, but also humility.

4. A positive outlook: I think if you were at Auto Glass Week™ you’ll agree there was something in the air in Memphis—the aura of positivity. The sessions during the week all focused on good things—how to grow your business; how to improve your skills at working on difficult cars; what we can learn from the international auto glass market; what the latest developments with the industry’s safety standards are; and more. At the exhibition, the focus was on efficiency and innovation, as you’ll see in our video here. Even the insurance panel was light-hearted, with Melissa Kerns of State Farm joking with the audience, “Please remember, I’m a sister, wife and mother, okay?”

5. The music: Again, this may seem like a strange one, but the Auto Glass Week exhibition/extravaganza featured a great DJ with energetic music. While some have pointed out it was a bit loud at times, it definitely kept things animated. But my absolute favorite musical moment was when Jose Manuel Llano of LuniaGlas in Spain was named gold medalist in the Walt Gorman Memorial Windshield Repair Olympics. He and his associates, many of whom traveled with him from Spain, broke into song in their native language. Unfortunately, I don’t speak Spanish and don’t know what the song was, but it was a happy moment and one I was glad to be present for.

6. The chocolate bars that appeared in Auto Glass Week™ attendees’ rooms on Friday night: Friday night I returned to my room at around 9 p.m.—an early night for Auto Glass Week™—to send out a special news alert about the finalists named in the Pilkington Clear Advantage Auto Glass Technician Olympics. Well, I’ll admit, I was feeling the sting of a few late nights of coverage by then, but was perked up to find a chocolate-shaped car in my room with a note about Auto Glass Week. It was touches like these, along with the pure kindness of the Memphis Marriott staff, that really made a good week a great one. How nice to know that all the other attendees were arriving back to this fun treat.

Now it’s your turn. What were your favorite moments of Auto Glass Week? What are you most excited for at next year’s event? What session was most helpful? Please email me at pstacey@glass.com.

P.S. Also, be sure to check out both our slide show of photos, and our album of photos available for download on Flickr.

I recently watched “Love and Other Drugs,” and, while I don’t claim to be Siskel or Ebert by any means, something different struck me about this movie. The movie compiles several interesting plots; one is about the pharmaceutical industry and how it works; a part is about the true story of a pharmaceutical salesperson who makes a name for himself by selling and marketing Viagra to doctors throughout the Chicago area; and a subplot (and maybe the main plot for those who prefer a chick flick) is a love story between the salesperson and a young woman with Parkinson’s disease.

While all of these plots were interesting, another small part of the movie focused on the doctors with whom the pharmaceutical salespeople work. One in particular, played by Hank Azaria, is seen discussing how the medical industry works, and the fact that he feels like he’s at the mercy of the insurers with whom his practice works. He talks about how he’s tempted to get out of it altogether, as it’s just too much to take sometimes.

Sound familiar?

I couldn’t help but hear a resonance between this and what I hear everyday from so many readers from all over the world. Yes, cash jobs are up—and growing deductibles are what some say are behind this—but a large part of the business always is going to involve insurers. (This is, of course, unless some in the industry get their wish—be sure to check out the May/June issue of AGRR™ online for a different perspective on this topic.)

I know many of the specific issues are the same, such as “short pays.” My own dentist actually told me last fall that being a dentist is a tough job, as insurers pay for so little these days. And, let me tell you, when I received my bill I even was stunned by how little is covered. (Keep in mind that my dentist is on my insurer’s “network”—so I didn’t expect this to be the case.)

One thing I hear often from auto glass industry reps is that it’s tough to get the average consumer to notice the problem, though, or to understand why, for example, paying to have corrosion treated is crucial. But I can’t help but think, the medical industry is much, much larger than the auto glass industry—and yet here they are having the same problems.

Unfortunately, this is probably a question without an answer—at least today. But I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you see parallels as well? When it comes to dealing with insurers, what is better (for the medical industry), and what do think might be worse? Do you think there’s anything the auto glass industry can learn from the medical arena—or that they can learn from us?

Please email your thoughts to me at pstacey@glass.com.

I’ve never given a ton of thought to the fact that 18-wheelers and other tractor trailers all end up with lots of glass damage just like the rest of the vehicles on the road (especially considering the amount of the time they spend on the road). It’s just not an area we’ve covered as much as others. Then I received a call from a reader who is struggling with these vehicles, wondering how others handle them when they’re on the road.

In-shop, he explained, the vehicles are challenging, but at least it’s easier to keep the proper equipment on-hand to reach them. But what happens when you get out on the road to work on one of these

in a mobile situation? He explained that there are a number of challenges, from the simple height of the tractor trailers to the fact that on a summer day, the vehicles themselves can get quite warm after sitting in the sun, often with the motor running—and that adds a further difficulty to an already hard job.

As usual, I’m looking for help. How does your company handle these jobs? Have you found any particularly useful tools, for mobile or in-shop? Or do you work on these vehicles at all?

Please email me at pstacey@glass.com or give me a call at 540/720-5584, ext. 148, to discuss this growing topic. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas, and am hoping to share them with this particular reader and others struggling with the same item.

On the same note, we’re always looking to learn more about companies’ daily struggles—what are your top challenges? Are there any particular vehicles or types of vehicles that are causing difficulty in today’s market? Please contact me with those as well.

I look forward to hearing from you, and thanks in advance for your help.

“Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned/Nor hell like a fury like a woman scorned.” These words from a 1697 play called “The Mourning Bride” by William Congreve have been repeated time and time again over the years, but nowhere is there more proof of their truth than the latest study from Belron’s United Kingdom-based brand, AutoGlass®. The latest survey from the company deals with women and how they would react if they discovered their spouse was cheating on them, and whether glass might be one of the first items to go.

Well, this year, company officials say they found that one in ten women would “smash up” her cheating partner’s car in revenge for an affair. More than a quarter (27 percent) said they would consider damaging the paintwork if the car was the guy’s most prized possession; 13 percent said they would aim for slashing the car’s tires; and 9 percent would target the windshield.

And now comes one of my favorite statistics, aside from glass—26 percent said they would actually sell the boyfriend/spouse’s vehicle on eBay for 50 pounds (which equates to about $80 in the United States).

And apparently humiliation is key for six out of ten women surveyed (59 percent), who say the aim of revenge would be to humiliate their unfaithful boyfriend or husband. However, 18 percent said they would gain satisfaction just from seeing their boyfriends or husbands lose their most treasured belongings.

AutoGlass calls this approach “Tiger Woods’-style vehicle vengeance,” and, like many things, says it varies among age groups. Those aged 22-25 would smash the windshield to get even, 19- to 21-year-olds would damage the paintwork first, while 31- to 35-year-olds are the most likely to sell the car, according to the report.

Other than taking vengeance out on the accused’s vehicle, 24 percent of women told AutoGlass they’d attack the cheating partner himself; 24 percent would opt for the silent treatment; and 6 percent would distribute the news via social media on Facebook or Twitter, according to the report. (Of all the statistics offered, I think this one surprised me least—I’m always stunned by what people will share on these sites.)

And, of course, I’m always curious—how often do you see glass damage that occurs as the result of a lovers’ quarrel? Is this as common as the study makes it seem? Please e-mail me at pstacey@glass.com, or leave a comment below.

P.S. If you’re curious about how this year’s numbers differ from last year’s study, click here to read it.

Travelers Insurance released a new report this week that it has found that its customer are “increasingly relying on mobile devices to file claims.” Personally this surprises me. I love my iPhone (in fact I’ve blogged about it here), and use it for everything from tracking expenses to tracking cardio to playing games. But when it comes to something as serious as reporting an auto insurance claim, I think I’d be more prone to want to speak with someone.

But what about glass? I know there have been several apps that have come out that work for reporting auto glass damage—one from the Hartford and one from United Kingdom-based Auto Windscreens (the famed “ChipChecker”). Are people using these? I interviewed Auto Windscreens managing director Nigel Davies just last week (you can read part of this interview here) and he told me that while they do receive jobs from the Chip Checker, he finds that most consumers are still using the phone to book auto glass work.

While I’ve not yet seen a United States retailer introduce an auto glass app (though please let me know if your company has delved into this area), I’m sure it won’t be long. And I know many, many companies are booking work online—either through their own websites or some of the auto glass quote sites on which shops can be listed. So I’m curious, how do you get the majority of your work? Is it still by phone, or is anyone seeing an increase in online requests? What are the percentages?

Please email me at pstacey@glass.com, or send a “tweet” to @agrrmagazine.

I look forward to hearing from you.

P.S. Calling Vancouver Readers: If you’re seeing an uptick in auto glass damage from the riots that followed last night’s Stanley Cup Bruins’ victory, please contact me to be featured in a story on glassBYTEs.com™.