It’s worth an argument to get what you’re due.

I wasn’t entirely shocked when I read the results of Tom Bissonnette’s estimating survey--a lot of facilities leave things off their estimates. It’s sloppy, but it’s an easy enough mistake to make. I hope that no one’s doing it intentionally to lower the bill—we have enough problems in this industry.

The last thing we need is to get into a situation where no one can afford to pay their techs what they’re worth because we have to compete with some guy down the road who’s only billing for half of his labour.

But now that this issue is front and centre, pay attention. Bill accurately, or you’ll screw it up for yourself and make it harder for the rest of us in the process.

Make sure you and your estimators are on top of what your insurance companies will and will not accept.

There’s a lot you can miss, and it’s changing all the time.

The difference between a well-informed estimator and one who’s fallen behind is vast. It’s like having a good accountant: they know all the available write-offs and where they apply.

But don’t expect the insurance companies to go out of their ways to point out that you’ve under billed any more than you expect the government to tell you that you could get a bigger refund—you need to ask.

If you already bill accurately, take a note from Tom and do us all a favour: share.

Tell that guy down the road who’s billing for 20 minutes out of every hour he puts in—he could be making more money. You could keep it to yourself, sure, but I honestly don’t think it would help your situation.

I make money when an insurer pays me, not when they pay someone else less.

We spend so much time worrying about compensation and how to pay for things. Here’s one way to help.

It’s a matter of being up front and not cowering at the thought of turning in an accurate estimate. It’s not high—it’s fair. And they know that. It accounts for the full labour we put into these jobs, and it’s what we should be paid.

A lot of these items are already on the books--the various insurers have said they’re willing to pay them.

All you need to do is read up, be diligent, and assert yourself.

If they give you trouble, you can show them the agreements, the recommended procedures and the associated costs.

And show them Tom’s column. Maybe they’ll get the idea that this is serious business.

It’s our livelihoods and the pay cheques of all the people at our facilities.

If we’re under billing here or there, we risk insurers getting used to unrealistic rates, and then everybody suffers.

What I’m saying is it’s worth an argument. People won’t always be fair to you—that’s life. But they’ll never be fair to you if you don’t ask.

Stand up, make your point, and demand the money you’re due. Tell them Sam sent you.

Sam Piercey is the co-owner of Budds' Collision Services in Oakville, ON. Sam is a long-time Coyote member and sits on many boards and committees. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Larry Doherty has made a lot progress streamlining the Brampton Auto Mall’s collision repair operation.

When Larry Doherty sold his collision repair business in 2008, he retired. Which lasted about a month.

While he was at that year’s NACE, Steven Alizadeh, one of the owners of Brampton Auto Mall, called to asked about managing their operation’s collision repair business. The offer, as it turned out, was good enough to leave retirement for.

The auto mall is a sprawling complex of dealerships in Brampton, Ontario owned by the Alizadeh family. There are currently ten dealerships in the group and two more on the way. This year, they expect to sell 9,500 new vehicles and more than 2,000 used (which doesn’t include wholesale). So say they have a large pool of customers is an understatement.

The whole group is serviced by a highly streamlined collision repair centre, which is under Larry’s watch. Since he joined the operation in late 2008 they’ve doubled the size of the facility.

“My main role is to work with all managers and employees so that they understand how important the collision centre is to the group and its customers,” Larry said.

From a business perspective, it just makes sense to bolster the collision operation. It helps move OEM parts, it brings labour to the dealerships for a variety of mechanical jobs, and it maintains the relationship with customers for years to come—hopefully right up until they’re considering buying a new car.

“This collision centre became a must for the group,” Larry said.

Just maintaining a relationship with the customers is only half the battle though—it has to be a positive relationship.

The collision facility itself is relatively invisible in the complex—it’s a little down the road from the dealerships, which can help maintain the curated experience for customers.

When a customer comes in to get a dent fixed, they bring it to their applicable dealership. If the dealership in question was Classic Honda—the largest Honda dealership by volume in Canada and where Larry is based—the first thing the customer would notice, besides the cars, is the coffee bar.

They’d talk to a customer service representative, leave the vehicle in Classic Honda’s parking lot, and catch a shuttle home (they have three full-time drivers).

From there, staff would take the vehicle down the road to the collision centre where they would do the tear-down, estimate and repair. And then they would send the repaired vehicle back to the dealership for the handoff.

As that’s going on, Larry keeps the lines of communication open to make sure the customer is happy. “I call them just to make sure everything is okay, and if there’s anything more we can do,” Larry said. “CSI is one of our highest goals.”

Larry, for his part, has maintained the same passion for the business as he did when he ran his own facility. And he’s kept his sense of ambition. “I can see this collision centre being one of the biggest and best in months and years to come in Brampton and surrounding areas.”