Each issue of CRASH Network brings you a quick summary and analysis of the week's key news, including information and ideas for your business you won't find anywhere else. Here are a few examples from recent issues.
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From the November 14, 2011 CRASH Network:
SHOP LOCATOR CHANGES: The changes that CRASH Network reported were coming to the State Farm shop locator system that policyholders, agents or claims personnel use to locate a Select Service shop (CRASH 10/17/11) appear to have been made. Rather than locating shops based solely on proximity, the system now ranks shops based on their current performance score from the insurer. Interestingly, only three shops appear on first page of search results; users have to click through to subsequent pages (each of which lists five shops) to see additional shops - potentially including shops closer to their location.
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From the November 28, 2011 CRASH Network:
CONSUMER SHOP CHOICE: During another panel discussion at CIC this month, insurers were asked if they were concerned that vehicles they insure are being repaired in shops without the training, equipment or information needed to repair them properly. Chris Andreoli of Progressive Insurance was among the insurers on the panel who acknowledged that that happens. "It may not be the repairers in this room, but we have customers going to repairers that may not or should not be fixing certain things," Andreoli said. "Or maybe they're fixing stuff that shouldn't be fixed. But our hands are tied in some ways. Customers have the right to choose where they want to go." An automaker representative on the panel said concern about poor quality repairs is why more automakers are trying to influence consumer shop choice. "It's certainly not the place for an insurance company to steer a customer to a shop, but I do think the manufacturer should play a role in that," Steve Nantau of Ford said. "I think you're seeing more and more OEMs getting involved in shop certification. That (certification) doesn't mean you're going to get 100 percent correct repairs, but it increases the opportunity that that will happen. And automakers can steer their customers to those shops."
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From the December 5, 2011 CRASH Network:
CLASS STATUS NOT GRANTED - FOR NOW: A federal judge in California declined last week to certify four classes of consumers suing State Farm, Allstate, GEICO, Liberty Mutual and other insurers for unfair competition and restraint of trade based on the insurers' use of non-OEM parts (CRASH 11/21/11). The judge said the plaintiffs had failed to show classwide injury from the alleged antitrust violations by several of the insurers because the plaintiffs had analyzed only Allstate data and presumed the others used similar practices in pricing policies and handling claims. The judge gave the plaintiffs until March to obtain and analyze data from the other insurers and to refile for class certification.
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