Members of the National Alliance of Paintless Dent Repair Technicians (NAPDRT) Board of Directors have received documentation from collision shop clients and NAPDRT members expressing concern over Farmers Insurance Group's recent changes to their Circle of Dependability (COD) direct repair program.
As of April 30, 2009, all "catastrophe and storm-related" claims have been directed to national COD vendors PARS and Dent Wizard as the primary contact for customers in scheduling PDR even if conventional repairs are determined to be the customer’s best option. According to the Farmers COD announcement, “In the event conventional repairs are necessary, PARS and Dent Wizard will sublet those repairs to a COD facility when one is available in the market area and the customer agrees COD is still their best choice.”
NAPDRT reports it believes the direction of all “catastrophe and storm-related losses” to national COD vendors PARS and Dent Wizard as the primary contact for customers in scheduling PDR and conventional repairs places limitations on the consumer and the collision repair facilities. NAPDRT also states that it feels this impedes the collision repairer’s relationship with the consumer as it eliminates direct contact between the collision shop, independent PDR vendors and the consumer.
The NAPDRT would like to encourage Farmer's Insurance Group to contact the NAPDRT to discuss this program. The NAPDRT will continue to monitor this issue and others that have an impact on PDR professionals.
The NAPDRT is a non-profit organization established to allow individual PDR Technicians to come together to address the problems and issues that are affecting the entire PDR Industry. NAPDRT believes the best way to advance the professionalism of PDR and address industry related PDR issues is to unite, interact with others, and provide strength through numbers.
For more information, visit www.napdrt.org.
