Posted On: August 12, 2004, 7:24 am CDT

Posted By: Kristi

As an employee of a very reputable glass company. I can tell you, we are not making "all this money". The insurance companies tell us what they will pay us. Insurance companies continue to raise their rates to the insured. But pay us less and less every quarter. Their profit margin has increased, while ours has decrease. Insurance companies do a survey to determine what the "fair and usual cost" should be. These surveys are done by using all glass shops in an area. These include shops that do not have certified installers, that work out of the homes, have no employees or insurance to cover any damage that they may do to your vehicle, use poor quality glass and some even use outdated urethane (because it is cheaper). Shops that do their work properly and will make no sacrifes to increase their profit margin are the ones to suffer. Consumers should to a certain extent use common sense. Windshield replacements are not done on a "drive thru" basis and they are not done in the rain or below freezing temperatures.
Also alot of insurance companies require to speak to the insured before any glass company can bill for repairs. To address the tax comment, we do pay taxes to the city in which the work is done. And we have brought to the tax departments of the surrounding cities a list of those who we believe do not.