Two regional auto body associations, the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) and the Wisconsin Collision Repair Professionals (WCRP) are inviting industry participation in their online surveys.

WMABA is opening a survey to anonymously rate insurance company market behaviors in several categories. Although this is a local survey, intended for collision repairers in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington D.C., the association welcomes industry participation from outside the region as well.

The 2022 Shops Rate Insurers Survey covers the following topics: shop relations – claims handling; customer experience, insurer knowledge base, overall fairness, insurer payment for proper procedures, and open comment.

In addition to allowing shops to rate insurers on their market conduct, the survey gives shops the opportunity to share specific feedback about insurers.

“A lot has changed in the marketplace since the last time we surveyed our regional shops for their feedback on insurance relations. More so since the start of the pandemic, than in any other time I can remember over my 22-plus years in the industry,” said Jordan Hendler, executive director of WMABA.

“Our association is committed to providing ongoing resources not found anywhere else, and more importantly, useful in showing their own geographic region. This survey is helpful to get a gauge on the current interactions and customer experiences of the repairer-insurer dynamic.”

The survey is posted on the WMABA Website and also goes out to all regional members, will be featured in Hammer & Dolly, and made available on the website in a consumer-friendly format.

“While WMABA stands on the customer being the vehicle owner, the involvement of the insurance companies in the process is something we hope will consistently improve. This survey will give repairers, consumers, regulatory bodies, or other interested parties a body of information to assist in future-facing decisions. Our hope is that this will be reflective of claims handling in our entire membership region,” Hendler said.

WCRP has launched two anonymous surveys, one on labor rates, and the other on insurance rankings and relationships.

The labor rate survey asks shops to list calculated labor rates and market-adjusted rates for body labor, paint labor, paint and material per hour charge, and mechanical labor.

It also asks shops to list additional charges for indoor and outdoor storage, and photo-documenting and estimating. “It is not illegal to complete a labor-rate survey. It IS illegal to agree on a labor rate and impose our collective effort to dictate that to the industry. A SURVEY does not do that,” the organization stated.

“WCRP will always promote that an individual shop should set their individual rates based on their individual cost of doing business. This is evident by the many posts and labor-rate calculators WCRP promotes throughout the year,” it said.

Without market knowledge, “you are at the mercy of following a price leader or having rates dictated to you by a third-party payer,” WCRP said. “Knowing what your rates should be, and having those rates posted will solidify you are reacting to the market.”

The labor rate survey can be found at https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/XeCaw5.

The WCRP insurance rankings and relationships survey asks participants to rank 20 insurance companies, based on their overall experience regarding their claims processing.

It also asks shops a number of other questions, including a section on DRP relationships and their effect, if any, on labor rates.

That survey can be found at https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/TZCaVH.

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