Back by Unpopular Demand

     I had intended many years ago to post about once a month.  As the evidence shows I failed at that shortly after.  And after no one called me out on it because no one cares, I felt the burning need to try again.  I used to see this platform as strictly covering auto glass itself, but going forward I plan to go into more about our experiences as a business as well.  So, here we go.

     After many years of doing business many things have changed we went from me alone to adding a small team.  From mobile only to two stores.  Now we are back to one store with three vans going mobile.  We've grown a lot as a business and weathered many a storm.  In addition to replacing glass we've had to learn how to recalibrate cameras on cars.

     I'm looking forward to the journey ahead.  And if you find yourself bored enough to read this I'd love some feed back as long as it's more than just slamming my poor grammar skills.

David Sprague

Is Winter Coming?

     If watch Game of Thrones then you may think winter is here.  If you live in the Denver area, winter seems most reluctant to make it's appearance.  Weather plays a major role in business for us here at Absolute Auto Glass.  This warm dry fall has been quite nice for those of us who work outside.  Winter is coming though so if you've got some dings on your windshield, get them fixed before the temperature really falls.  Wild temperature fluctuations create a lot of stress on a windshield and can turn small dings into big cracks.

Winter Wonderland

     Winter weather is upon us!  In Colorado this means bad roads, jaw dropping scenery, and broken glass.  For those of us repairing and replacing auto glass we face some special challenges this time of year.  Here are some tips and information to help you with repairs and replacements completed in winter conditions.
   
     Going skiing on the weekends will often result in chipped windshields.  If you get chip in your glass try to put some clear tape over the outside of the break to keep out moisture.  When chips get wet they are hard to repair and often have to wait until they dry out slowly on their own.  Also, water form the roads will carry in all sorts dirt, oil, debris, and mag chloride.  Mag chloride makes repairs very challenging as it leaves an oily residue that can inhibit the resin from bonding well.  Repairs can still be done, but their visual quality will be diminished.  So keeping it dry will help us to make your windshield repair turns out the best it can.

     Windshield replacements are also tougher to do during the winter.  Our urethane is works just fine in cold weather, but plastics tend to become very brittle when cold.  We tend to move a bit slower as each install takes longer.  While we can deal with cold we can't deal with wet.  If rain or snow is coming down we must get the car under cover and have enough room around the vehicle for our technicians to work safely.  If we can't do that we may need to reschedule so we can provide the highest level of service.  This is a good time to let you know that we do have a shop where the weather is always good.  If you are concerned about weather affecting your service appointment, in shop service may be a good option.

     While you safe to drive your vehicle as soon as 30 minutes after the windshield has been set, it may take up to a full week before the urethane is cured completely.  Plastic and or rubber mouldings are less pliable in the cold so you may hear some squeaking and creaking during this time. It's nothing to get concerned about. If  it's still there after a week or so though, then we may need to take a look at it.  This is also something that happens more often with certain vehicles.

     To help insure the best level of service we appreciate it if you can clean the vehicle of snow beforehand.  We also don't want to work on ice since it's very dangerous for our techs.  If the sun is out we'd love it if you can park facing it since warming up the vehicle can make an install or repair much easier.  Doing these things will hep us take care of your auto glass needs and help you to see Colorado's unmatched scenery.

E- 470 Stickers are Here!

     Since the introduction of E-470 toll stickers they have always been a casualty of windshield replacements.  The reason they can't be transferred is due to a metal filament that is broken whenever it gets removed.  Until now you could either call to get a free replacement or there are a few places to go to get new ones.  While it's not the end of the world it becomes another thing on the to do list.
     We're proud to announce that we can now take care of your toll sticker replacement on site.  Our technicians have replacement stickers ready to go and we will contact E-470 for you to set up the new sticker.  It's one less thing you have worry about and one more reason to give us a chance to earn your business.

A Reluctant Decision

     Scheduling work orders has always been one of our greatest challenges.  We're making constant decisions between where work orders take us and when we can be in the area.  Our in shop scheduling should be easier, but after the past few years We've learned that scheduling in shop work has its own unique problems.  The biggest problem has been the rise of the no-show.

     To understand no shows you first need to know how we schedule in shop service.  We are a single bay shop so we do one install at a time.  We try to do our best to devote our in shop technician to one install at a time to provide quality service.  We don't  overbook since that would diminish our service.  In addition to setting up the time we have to procure all necessary parts ahead of time.

     No-shows are potential customers who have reserved a time slot for service and then never show, never call to reschedule, and never answer their phone again.  It's infuriating to turn away other customers because our capacity is full only to find ourselves twiddling our thumbs when someone doesn't show for their appointment.

     After much brainstorming and deliberation we decided that the best option would be to put a credit or debit card on file.  If a customers cancels without twenty four hour notice or does not show we will charge the card on file a $25 fee.  If we get twenty four hours or more notice of rescheduling or cancellation then there will be no charge.  I'd like to let you know that all numbers are deleted and no card information is kept on file.

     Efficiency can effect pricing and we have found ourselves at a crossroads.  Either prices would have to go up or we we'd have to find a way to work more efficiently.  I'm glad to say that after implementing this strategy our shop is now running much more efficient and we can keep prices where they are.  Thank you for your understanding and support.


   

Bad Review Bully

     As a business owner, I love positive reviews.  I get a warm and fuzzy feeling every time a customer feels compelled to write an online review about their experience using our services.  We don't prompt customers to write reviews nor do they receive any sort of kick-back or compensation.  I believe that such practices lead to bogus reviews that only skim the surface and lack real insight about the business in question.  I'm proud of our online reputation and will do my best to live up  to it.

     Now that you know how I feel about online reviews I'd like to introduce the star of this post, the "Bad Review Bully!"  The particulars of the tale get rather lengthy so I'd like to some up the important points.  A customer reported a possible warranty and would accept nothing but us dropping every other customer and address their warranty.  I'd like to add that this was concerning service done a year prior and there was no real emergency. After various accusations and a threat to write an "appropriate review" we agreed to send a technician out to take care of it.  I'd like to say that my tech's attitude was awesome to go out after hours during the first snow storm of the year to take care of this customer.  Upon review of the possible warranty our tech found that the warranty claim was not valid.  After being threatened by the customer though he relented and performed work under warranty so as not to get the dreaded bad review.  After evaluating the part in question in our office we reconfirmed that the part in question was not a legitimate warranty and should not have been treated as such.  In the end we decided to let the customer keep their new windshield with a refund, but they would have to find someone else to take care of future services.

     I'm sorry to say they tried and succeeded in holding us hostage by the threat of a bad review.   This was the first time we have confronted a person and did not know how to responded properly.  This person was not open to rational discussion and we feared the bad review no matter how unfounded it may be.  While the customer may have been irrational I did want to make sure that we had done our due diligence to honor our warranty.   I still don't know what the best course of action is in such a situation and I'm open to any guidance.

     Well it's been one heck of a summer for us here at Absolute Auto Glass (AAG).  We have seen growth that is beyond our wildest expectations and demand that blew out our infrastructure to handle it all.  To all of our customers I'd like to say Thank You!  Thank you for choosing us and proving that people still care about quality service. 
  
     I'm thrilled about how many people were willing to wait for our services this summer since we were booked out two weeks in advance all season!  Thank you for your patience and understanding that we didn't have the infrastructure in place to handle it all.  As business slows down with the temperatures we're taking the time to prepare for next spring. We've added new computers, and more phone lines.  We're also doing our best to add some new team members over the winter.  We're investing a lot of time growing as individuals and as a team so that AAG will continue to prosper and serve.