12 Real Steps to Success

By Linda Rollinson

All business owners work hard to build profitable and sustainable companies. The windshield repair marketplace is no different. Most owners also endeavor to provide customers with a high level of satisfaction and give employees a safe, respectful working environment at an appropriate wage. The windshield repair industry is no different there either. Some companies also subscribe to a strict code of ethics that governs their business practices. It’s in this area that some might say the windshield repair industry has a way to go.

I say “some might say” because I personally deal most closely with members of the National Wind-shield Repair Division (NWRD). These companies represent the top echelons of the windshield repair community. NWRD members agree to follow a code of ethics and most live up to that promise.

Industry Exceptions

You’d say I had my head in the proverbial sand though if I did not acknowledge the less-than-scrupulous repair companies out there. Every industry has its dark under-belly and repair is no exception.

These companies generally have little to no regard for the customer. Their mantra is to get the job no matter what you have to tell the customer in order to do so. I’d say these companies have little regard for their employees either, though many seem to work through 1099 contractors, whether they are providing sales or installation services. Some lure customers with the promise of free repairs if they have insurance from certain companies. Others repair surface pits and other slight damage that do not require such repair according to the Repair of Laminated Auto Glass (ROLAGS) standards. And the development of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) brings with it a whole new set of ethical challenges. More on this next time.

A well-known auto glass executive remarked that high ethical standards are easy to maintain when times are good. It’s when times are tough that you find out how important ethics are to you.

Code of Conduct

The owners and managers of wind-shield repair companies that belong to the National Windshield Repair Division, a division of the Auto Glass Safety Council, agree to adhere to a Code of Conduct. NWRD’s Code of Conduct is the windshield repair industry’s standard for professional business practices.

1. To perform high-quality repair service at a fair and just price;
2. To use only proven merchandise of high quality distributed by reputable firms;
3. To employ only NWRD certified technicians or the best skilled technicians available;
4. To have a sense of personal obligation to each consumer;
5. To promote good will between the consumer and members of the association;
6. To recommend repairs only when necessary and in accordance with the current ANSI Re-pair and Replacement Standards;
7. To offer the consumer a price estimate for work to be performed;
8. To furnish or post copies of any warranties covering parts or services;
9. To obtain prior authorization for all work done, in writing, or by other means satisfactory to the consumer;
10. To notify the consumer if appointments or completion promises cannot be kept;
11. To exercise reasonable care for the consumer’s property while in our possession:
12. To maintain a system for fair settlement of consumer’s complaints;
13. To uphold the high standards of our profession and always seek to correct any and all abuses within the windshield repair industry;
14. To uphold the integrity of all members of the National Windshield Repair Division.

If you are one of the good guys, come join us. Be part of what’s right with our industry.

Linda Rollinson is the chairperson of the National Windshield Repair Division of the Automotive Glass Safety Council™ as well as owner of Superior Auto Glass of Tampa Bay Inc. in New Port Richey, Fla.
superiorautoglass@tampabay.rr.com

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