Some additional insights on glass replacements. Interesting that Safelite Solutions doesn't even post a phone number for shops.
Shops Get Caught Between Automaker Positions and Insurance Requirements
Excerpt:
Rollinson explained everything that was happening to the customer, including the insurance coverage complications. That kind of customer education and involvement is crucial in these scenarios, she says.
“Always CC the customer when you submit a request to cover OEM glass,” she says. “The insurer [or TPA] probably won’t include the customer in their response rejecting the request, but you can forward it to them anyway.”
Not only does this keep the customer up-to-date, Rollinson says, it also gives them the information they need to advocate for themselves.
“The insured is the one who ultimately pays the [insurance premium] bill, so they have that leverage with the insurer,” she says.
Rollinson says that customers frequently choose to avoid the time and hassle of getting approval by simply paying the difference between aftermarket and OEM glass themselves.
“And then they start shopping for new insurance,” Rollinson says.
Sean Fagan, owner of Appalachian Auto Glass in Boone, North Carolina, says some of his customers pay for an OEM glass replacement out-of-pocket and later submit it to their insurer for reimbursement.
“I think insurance agents have started recommending that insureds do that, because that’s been happening a lot more, recently,” he says.
