There are only three major companies that administer glass claims for all major insurance companies: Lynx© Services, SGC Network® and Harmon Solutions Group® HSG. There are a couple of others, but these three handle the vast majority claims. They get a piece of every single claim that they administer and an even bigger piece if they are successful in “steering” you to one of their “network” shops. SGC Network® administers a substantial number of the claims in the U.S. and they are actually financially affiliated with Safelite® Auto Glass (same company). Guess who SGC Network®’s “network” shop is…..
All of these call center employees are required to read from a script when they take your claim. The script is designed to make sure that you don’t go outside of their “network” even though it may be in your best interest to use the shop you have already chosen. It is their job via their script to convince you that going outside the “network” will result in the world as you know it coming to an end. Nothing could be further from the truth.
There are two elements of these scripts that are designed to “steer” you to their “network” shops. The first part of these scripts generally goes something like this: “Although you may choose whoever you wish to perform the work on your vehicle, the shop that you have chosen is not part of our network, or does not participate in our glass pricing program and may not agree to our pricing and you may be responsible for out of pocket expenses”.
The way some of the scripts are written, someone might think that bankruptcy is in their future if they choose a non-“network” shop. This is the biggest pile of garbage that they can lay on you, but effectively “steers” many people in a direction they never intended on going in for their windshield replacement, irregardless of their research and choice of shop before the glass claims call.
What they fail to tell you beforehand is that right after they read this script to you, and once you tell them that you STILL want to use the shop that you have already chosen and not their “network” shop, they are REQUIRED to bring the shop that you have chosen onto the call via a 3-way connection and verbally go over their pricing structure with a shop representative. You will hear the shop representative either accept or reject the pricing structure while you are still on the line. If the shop rejects the pricing structure, the administrator will refuse to give them a referral, dispatch or P.O. number that authorizes the work.
Let me repeat:They WILL NOT authorize work through their claims administration network if the shop you have chosen does not accept their pricing. This scripted hogwash and the order in which they do it is nothing but a ruse to make you think that you are going to have to pay out of pocket. This is simply not true.
Legitimate and established shops NEVER charge above and beyond what the insurance company agrees to pay once they have agreed to pricing for a no-cost windshield replacement. This practice, even occasionally, would be very detrimental to business longevity. In other words, they wouldn’t be an established shop if they had practiced this in the past.
Established shops are also well-aware of each and every insurance company’s pricing structure almost to the penny BEFORE they are even brought on the phone. Our company as well as other large glass shops have billed some of these companies thousands of times. It’s ALWAYS the same pricing structure for each respective company.
Billing is done via “EDI” (electronically) for the vast majority of insurance claims for glass. The bills are sent directly to the third party administrators’ servers. If the pricing differs from that which they read via their script on the phone call, payment is rejected. Common sense tells you that established shops got that way because they follow the rules. These scripts are designed to play on emotion and not necessarily common sense.
When the facts are known before a claim is called in, most people see right through this structured script and the “steer” associated with it. If you choose an established shop, you should never expect to pay a dime for a standard windshield replacement through your insurance in Florida.
The second part of most common windshield claim scripts goes something like this:
“…..and we can’t guarantee their work, so you won’t be covered by our nationwide warranty” and we suggest you check with the shop to see what warranty they offer”.
For the unprepared, this generates the thought of driving down the road in the middle of nowhere on vacation and your windshield flying off of your car. A “nationwide” warranty for windshield installations is the most ridiculous reason anyone can give to sway someone from their choice of shop.
First, a lifetime warranty covering all seals applied and work performed is a standard in the automotive glass industry. I do not know of a single shop that does not offer this type of warranty. There may be some out there somewhere, but I have never been made aware of their existence.
If a leak from a bad seal exists, it will become apparent quickly. If a wind leak exists, it will commonly be noticed the first time that you take the car up to speed. A water leak will manifest itself during the first solid rain or the first time that you take your car through a car wash. It is extremely rare for wind and water leaks to just pop up later unless your car is in an accident or if you happen to have rust issues around your car’s pinchweld.
Once a windshield is seated, it isn’t going to come off of your car. Once the urethane that is used to create the seal cures, it takes special tools to cut it away from your car.
Second, everyone warrants against defects in materials. Glass will show it’s defects almost immediately if there are any to be seen. Stress cracks are extremely rare and generally occur within hours of installation. Your local dealer will be the one taking care of these warranty issues in virtually every case. There is nothing about a windshield installation that requires a “nationwide” warranty.
Remember, insurance companies are for-profit entities, as are the companies that they use for glass claims administration. These scripts are designed to make your claim easy but to make sure you stay in the “network”. “Network” shops do NOT always mean that you are getting the best deal as a consumer nor do they always provide the highest quality parts and services.
Here’s another industry fact: Automotive Glass shops that do business with insurance companies daily, whether they are a “network” shop or not, make every effort to comply with insurance company pricing and billing policies. Failure to do so always delays payment for the work billed which creates administrative and accounting headaches.