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As the owner of a small autoglass business, I started the business in 2000. Most insurance companies use Safelite Autoglass to handle their autoglass claims. Over the years I have noticed a great decrease in my income that i used to get on my 1099s from Safelite Autoglass. As SafeliteAutoglass grew by buying other autoglass companies, my business has decrease by many jobs because I think Safelite Autoglass takes most of the jobs and the well paying jobs for themselves. I have also talked to some of my customers who has told me that Safelite Autoglass was trying to get them to use Safelite Autoglass. I went from having a store front, three employees and three vehicles down to just myself and to this day i notice the decrease it seems like Safelite (Belron us inc) call us only for same day jobs because they can't get to the jobs themselves. Safelite has also lowered our prices for the jobs. I feel its a monopoly, the manufacture own glass, Sell it under another name, Install under another name and control where and who the insurance jobs are dispatched to. 1291237
 Comments (55) |
| 1. Written by Autoglass technologies inc. on May 13, 2012 from grand rapids, michigan, US The only way to battle this is to keep calling your state reps. and the Attorney Generals office and complain, I make 2-3 calls a day if everyone does this someone will step up and set a presidence to stop this corruption...There are good people out there still that will take up the fight for us. |
| 2. Written by Spotnik on March 30, 2012 from westminster, colorado, US nobody does a lot of 1099's any more!!! 10yrs ago i did 6 a week and now it's prob 2 a month! economic downturn has hurt everybody! a lot of those trucks were traded in 2yrs ago with the oboma's trade in program. i use to do almost 8 jobs a day and now it's prob around 5 a day! it's a sink or swim world and nobody is safe!!! |
| 3. Written by brian on February 26, 2012 from pittsburgh, pennsylvania, US you work in fear at safelite their benifits are for them they suck for you..  |
| 4. Written by Stop the monopoly - Push for A on January 31, 2012 from phoenix, arizona, US I have been in the autoglass industry for 20+ years and have been amazed and appalled at the blatant monopolies! Safelite glass makes the glass, distributes the glass, installs the glass and then contracts directly with insurance companies to run and control a network through which we (the individual glass shops) are supposed to get paid! That's ridiculous!! Additionally, I have personally witnessed STEERING, Claim rerouting, job theft, deliberate price fixing, and preferential billing practices in which SGC pays their shops MORE than they do anyone else for the same work. All of this is illegal as he!!. Remember when gas was $5 a gallon, SGC was paying claims to their shops that included gas surcharges, and then told all other shops they did not pay them. (I know this because they accidentally emailed me one of their invoices) I have been on the phone with customers that have called in and the Safelite CSR blatantly tried to reschedule the job with an SGC shop, with me on the phone call!! SGC has sent trucks out to do work that was dispatched to our shop. When we contacted the network they has rerouted the claim to the SGC shop, which had previously be set up for us. How the he!! is any of this allowed? It's not legal, this is as incestuously anti-trust as it gets!! The only way this will stop is if it gets NATIONAL attention. Media scrutiny and the FEDERAL action. Good luck with that!! |
| 5. Written by conemp on January 28, 2012 from minneapolis, minnesota, US They say it's all about us installers.If it was not for us,the company could not exist. Then they cut our hours to guarantee huge profits. They constantly threaten us with loss of privileges for not conforming to there new "socialist" methods of treating their employees. Even their bonus plan is rigged to benefit corporate. I'm not a huge advocate of unions, but if ever there were a company that needs reigning in and protection for it's employees it is Belron/Safelite. I will probably be traced and fired for my comments because that's the way things are done there. If this happens,I will be sure to post the outcome of actions. |
| 6. Written by just the facts on December 31, 2011 from -, -, US First Safelite is owned by a company outside the united states. Second, a few years ago its chairmen was complaining that americans paid far to little for auto glass then europeans. He felt $500.00 was about right. This was printed in a industry autoglass magazine. Safelite has increased their footprint, to enhance there insurance company base. 4. Many employees of new purchased companies fear losing there jobs. 5 There is a intentional strangle hold on small shops, once they are gone; here comes the $500 windshield; it is already here with Safelite charging 89-119 for repairs that others charge 29-49 for. 6th It will end when Safelite can not achieve the savings insurance companies demand, changing out a windshield is hard work, and they do treat their people poorly. Safelite will not be able to recruit installers who have clean criminal and driving records and some basic skills with the wages they pay. Cars are 30,000; the guy doing the work makes 12 an hour, if he makes a small error, it can be 1000's in damage. Training is poor industry wide. The poor *** has pressure put on him from the management. The customer is left out. Locally I know of a guy Satelife cut his headliner, which was very bad, and then told him is was normal when they replaced a windshield. It is a stituation that cruises for a collapse. My advice for employees keep track of health insurance. I was told that a few years ago Safelite took the money from emplyees then never paid the bills, and when claims occured they employees were stuck with now insurance, and had no idea. One of the more unique things, is that some of their installers moonlight. Certain not with Safelite approval. They steal supplies, equipment, and sometimes even the glass to put in windshields at used car lots, at night. It is possible that safelite is, on percentage one of the biggest victims of employee theft nationwide They have filed for bankrupty before and will again. They are now brink and morter again. However you want to phrase it is is happening and the consumer is being screwed, and the Dept of Justice stands there with their hand in the sand. |
| 7. Written by whocares on December 27, 2011 from mt. laurel, new jersey, US honestly sgc is one of the oldest and best trained out small outfits half train tecs and hire the tecs sgc rejects sgc goes of there reputation and proven results and every company has a couple bad instals dont try and act like they dont  |
| 8. Written by A-1 autoglass on December 25, 2011 from san jose, california, US On Christmas Eve I get a fax stating that starting in the New Year 2012 Safelite autoglass will be handling glass claims for Allstate Insurance and guess what my prices are way lower than what i was getting paid before and nobody asked me if that was OK with me and I know if i don't agree than i don't get jobs from Allstate Insurance. what the *** when is this going to stop. This is not fair and I'm going start of closing the business. |
| 9. Written by Northwest auto glass on December 22, 2011 from tucson, arizona, US I feel their pain!! Safelite controls over 90 percent of insurance claims. When a insured calls their insurance company about a glass repair or replacement they are connected directly or given an 800 0r 866 number that connects to safelite solutions( safelite auto glass) and t...hey are steered to safelite for the job. When a customer suggests another company to do the job, the safelite rep tells them that company is not on their vendor preferred list and may not have a warrenty or meet their pricing structure.(Which is incorrect statement, they only pay what they pay. And I warrenty my own work.) I have applied many times to be on that list and been denied each time ( even though I meet all the criteria )with the same gennerated letter saying "there are to many glass shops for that area". If you want Northwest auto glass to do your glass repair or replace call me directly at 520-744-8900 I can handle all the insurance for you. When I am on the phone about the job the steering to safelite stops. I have been told by a good friend that works for safelite that their goal is to put independents out of business. They are doing a pretty good job. Help us small auto glass comanies stay in business. Safelite is owned by belron corp. which is a Belgium company. Thank you for reading.. Matt Gipson Owner |
| 10. Written by old employee on November 11, 2011 from madison, georgia, US everything this guy is saying is true. I worked for them for over 10 years and saw it all. I have left because of all the steering and went on my own.I can't see that being fair at all.I don't do many insurance claim either and the body shop business is the same way corporate helping corporate for a kick back.Its all about how much kick back they get from the company and us little guys can't afford the kick back money. This world is full of greed mostly corporate greed.most of safelite employees have less than 2 years experience cause the pay is crap. |
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