We like to write about safety issues and auto glass and how the proper care of your windshield can lend itself to a safer driving experience. One aspect of auto glass that’s not mentioned as much is the side view mirrors and the blind spot. We recently shot a short a video (with TGSC Group Director of Product Management James Lee) about how to improve your range of vision in your vehicle to minimize your blind spot and the chances that you might hit another vehicle. Here’s what to do. You need two vehicles – your vehicle and another car (it can be a parked car in the parking lot.) Get in your car and park it so that you are just ahead of the other vehicle, so that your rear bumper is aligned with the driver side door. You should be about 3-4 feet away from the parked car to simulate the same distance you might be on the highway. From this position adjust your mirror outwards (away from your vehicle) so that you just see the front of the other vehicle. Then leave your mirror where it is. This helps to reduce the blind spot and the chances that you might have an accident when you change lanes because you did not see another car (after you have checked your rear mirror). Safe driving, and remember to do the blind spot test today.
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The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
I’m not busting out the old soap box picture again. Instead, I’ll quote an article I found on line the other day.
“…following are the steps you need to follow for starting a rock chip repair business. First, you need to carefully select the company from which you will purchase the windshield repair kit. This is the basic thing you require to start this business. Second, you need to acquire a business license and have liability insurance. After this you should first start practicing on a used windshield. Carefully read the instructions printed on the manual you receive with your windshield repair kit.”
Does this scare you, even a little? If you’re considering having a rock chip fixed, it might…
I know it gives me a little bit of concern, but then I remember that Michelle Chalmers is all over this. She’s so picky! We get emails all the time from glass shops asking to be connected to our Web site. Most of them don’t make the grade.
Part of it is our advanced technology. If you’re “booking an appointment” on one of our competitors’ sites, chances are you’re really just sending a request. What’s the difference? We used advanced connectivity to our glass shop partners, so we only offer appointments that are available. This is the difference between being placed in the calendar to have the work done and sending someone an e-mail asking if they’ll get around to putting you in the calendar. It’s a small detail, but we think it makes a big difference.
Because we’re so enthusiastic about this connectivity, the glass shops we do business with have to have a commitment to the technology, too. Many glass shops do not meet our minimum requirements, and therefore cannot join.
Sometimes that means a glass shop we really like is ineligible to be on our site. We’ll still do business with them (we book thousands of repairs every month), just not as part of the on-line experience that you enjoy here.
But that’s not all Michelle checks. She’s looking for shops that have been in the business for a while. Not just someone who read a two page article on the web about how to start a chip repair business. To pass her test, you have to commit to specific safety and quality standards. You have to be experienced. You have to have an established space in your business community.
She’s tough!
It makes me feel safe. It makes me comfortable booking with TeleGlass, because I know that she did all the hard work picking out a shop for me. Thanks, Michelle!
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The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
This winter at TeleGlass we wanted to take the time to remind you that a little caution can go along way to help avoid freak car accidents and damaged auto glass. Freak car accidents can happen anytime, anywhere. Many times, you turn on the news and say to yourself, that could never happen to me. These types of situations can happen to anyone. And they often can happen when you are not buckled in because you are on a short errand or you are close to home.
First we want to take the time to remind you to always wear your seat belts even if you are close to home. If you’ve ever been in accident, the sound of smashing automobile glass stays in your head for quite a long time. You drive slowly and carefully, but then the memory fades and you’re back to speedy and careless driving.
There have been many freak accidents that involve windshields. For example, many years ago a New Jersey man was driving behind a truck full of tools. One fell off, crashed through the windshield and hit him square in the eyes. The man lost sight in both eyes forever. In a more recent occurrence just outside of Chicago, a man named Peter Morano was driving to work in early January 2010 when ice and snow slid off a semi-truck and smashed into his windshield. Auto glass and blood was everywhere. Morano suffered serious facial injuries, yet the most harrowing is that he might not see out of his left eye again.
Other accidents include driving through store front windows. This often happens when the driver thinks s/he has the car in reverse and steps on the gas. The driver zooms forward instead, jumping the sidewalk and crashing through the storefront window. There also have been instances of drivers having medical conditions, such as epilepsy, and having a sudden seizure while driving and hitting other vehicles or passerby. Drivers have been known to have strokes or heart attacks while behind the wheel as well. A freak accident is something you simply cannot predict, and many times, the driver may not be at fault.
At TeleGlass, safety comes first with us. Always wear your seat belts and always be saftey concious. This is how we approach each and every auto glass repair or install. We want to ensure that any windshield repair or other type of glass repair is done properly. With any auto glass repair or replacement glass, we adhere to the highest safety standards. Please set up an appointment at TeleGlass.com today so we can put safety first for you.
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The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
When you are driving, it is important to keep your windshield clean and free of debris. Windshields need to be taken care of in order to maintain safe driving habits on the road. You can start to maintain your automobile glass by refilling windshield wiper fluid when it is low. Wiper fluid comes in a few forms; for example, you can buy it as a liquid, in crystal form to be diluted with water or a mixture of fluid and antifreeze. Once poured into your vehicle, there is a control in the steering wheel area that pumps the fluid onto the auto glass. The windshield wipers are then used to wipe the glass clean. Many vehicles nowadays have this feature on the back windshield as well.
Antifreeze is a good component to mix with wiper fluid. In colder climates, ice or frost can accumulate on the windshield, causing the driver to scrape the glass. However, antifreeze can eliminate this time-consuming process by squirting the fluid onto the windshield and de-icing it. Your windshield should always be free of snow and ice, otherwise it can crack, causing you an auto glass repair. If the crack is not immediately fixed, it could spread into a larger crevice and full replacement glass may be the next step.
If you are in need of a windshield repair or any other type of auto glass repair, please contact us here at TeleGlass.com. We are happy to send our one of our mobile service vans to your home to fix your vehicle right on the spot. Our highly trained technicians are usually able to repair glass in less than one hour, right in the convenience of your driveway. Please fill out the online form on our homepage or call us at 1-888-479-9590.
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The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
It is unlawful for a person who sells or repairs auto glass to knowingly submit a false claim to an insurer for auto glass repair, replacement, or for related services.
Bills for services that were not provided cannot be submitted.
It is illegal to say you did work in one place when you really did it in another geographic area.
You cannot file a claim not authorized in writing by the owner of the vehicle.
You cannot put one date on the invoice or claim if the work was done on another date.
You cannot “falsely sign” a work order on behalf of a policyholder (no forging the customer’s signature).
You cannot “misrepresent” your relationship to the insurance company or the cost of the repairs. You cannot tell people that the insurance company has approved a repair unless that is true.
You cannot make a statement on behalf of the insurance company regarding the coverage for the glass claim, including telling someone that their repair will be entirely paid for or done at no cost.
You cannot add damage to the auto glass to increase the scope of the repairs needed.
You cannot do work that is beyond what is required to repair/replace the auto glass.
At TeleGlass, we love our independent autoglass shop partners. Clearly this bill is targeted at them, but we’d be surprised if any of our member shops will be impacted by any of these regulations.
We understand why some glass shops might be concerned with the language surrounding how you speak to your customers. Business people who have worked hard to establish a reputable business are certainly going to take notice when a congressperson introduces legislation aimed directly at their industry. For the most part, we think this one will have limited impact on glass shops.
What do you think?
If you have a concern about any of these bullets, what are they?
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The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
In the state of Arizona, Republican Representative Nancy McLain introduced a bill entitled HB 2463: Auto Glass Repair; Fraudulent Practices. Within the legislation, McLain and seven other Arizona representatives outline unlawful practices that protect the auto glass consumer and the insurance companies. The bill begins by stating it is illegal for a person who sells or repairs automobile glass to submit a false claim to the insurer. For example, this person cannot knowingly submit a claim for work that is not needed – if the customer only needs a small glass repair, the claim should not be submitted for full replacement glass.
This is especially important in regard to windshields. The bill prohibits a glass seller or repairer to add damage to the glass in order to receive more money from the insurance company for a windshield repair or any other type of reparation. Also, the person cannot encourage, advise or instruct the policyholder to add further damage to the glass themselves. The person also cannot tell the policyholder that the repair or replacement glass will be entirely paid for by the insurance company. This person is merely a middleman and not a representative of the insurance company, thus cannot speak on its behalf. The only time this is legal is when, “the person making the statement is employed by or is a producer contracted with the policyholder’s insurer.”
Thus, for a windshield or other kinds of auto glass, the state of Arizona protects all their citizens against auto glass repair fraud. If you live in Arizona or anywhere else in the US and need your auto glass repaired, be assured that TeleGlass works with your insurance company and explains the entire process to you. Please contact us at TeleGlass.com for more information.
Photo credit: Used by CC, photo by PhillipC on Flickr. See page for details.
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The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
Today a photo from Naples takes its place on our Florida auto glass page.
Many thanks to William Lucas for sharing this photo with us. Looking at it, I wish I had been there.
Thanks again, William, for helping us update our Florida windshield page. While we lost the ocean in the crop, it still looks great!
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The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
Now that the holidays are behind us, we continue on our quest to update all our state pages with some fresh imagery. Today’s image comes to us courtesy of Ashley Fetner Fine Art Photography. Ashley’s image below is being used on our South Carolina auto glass page.
It really hurt to crop this amazing image down, but it still looks beautiful:
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The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
2009 was a big year for TeleGlass. Even though we have been helping people with all their auto glass and windshield repair needs since the turn of the millennium, the TeleGlass web site saw a major remodeling effort this year. If you’re reading this entry, you are probably aware that the blog was a big part of that effort. What can we say, we’re really into auto glass, and are more than happy to share those efforts with you.
We’re looking forward to an even better 2010, and wish the same to you and yours.
Happy New Year!
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The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
When it gets cold outside, it’s time to start thinking about your windshield. Windshields are durable for the most part; however, if you already have a hairline crack in the auto glass, it could spread in the cold, turning into a major crack. The last thing you want to deal with is full replacement glass. Finding a quality windshield de-icer can eliminate any potential problems with windshield replacement during the winter months.
A de-icer is a spray that helps melt ice, snow and slush. It will not dissolve every single piece of ice, yet it will make your windshield easier to clean or scrape. A quality de-icer will not smear or smudge automobile glass, nor will the contents freeze or cause lessened visibility. To properly use a de-icer, first turn on your car’s engine. Then keep the defroster fan at a low level while the heat is on high to ensure that the glass does not crack, causing you an auto glass repair. Next spray the de-icer fluid on the windshield. Many car owners actually make their own de-cing formula such as one part water to one part vinegar. Use a scraper in a downward motion and remove snow or ice. The de-icer should make the job much easier.
Believe or not, there are also de-icers for car locks. They are very cheap, around $2 or so, and very small, about the size of a larger cigarette lighter. In fact, keychain de-icers can be bought at the local mall or a dealership. Lock de-icers are becoming fancier now, combing the de-icer, keychain and flashlight all in one for under $10.
If the winter weather does get to your windshield and you find yourself in need of a glass repair, don’t hesitate to contact us at TeleGlass.com . We have the highest quality technicians for your windshield repair. You can set up an appointment at one of our convenient locations or our mobile technicians are more than happy to perform the service in your driveway.
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The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
Read more from Blog Admin.
The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on Twitpic or on Twitter: @TeleGlass.
