Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Leo Cyr
850/432-0310
leo@glass.org

WINDSHIELD REPAIR INDUSTRY RESPONDS TO ILLEGAL CLAIMS HARVESTING

WASHINGTON, DC, June 28, 2007—Following the arrest of several windshield repair technicians in Arizona for insurance fraud, the National Glass Association (NGA) has issued an industry alert asking members to be vigilant for instances of “claims harvesting”.

Claims harvesting involves the filing of fictitious insurance claims for windshield repairs that are never performed or charging insurance companies for more repairs than were actually delivered. The incidents precipitating the alert occurred when consumers were approached for windshield repair service at car washes in Phoenix but, according to the NGA, could occur in any location.

NGA Vice President Leo Cyr explained, “Windshield repair at car washes and other automotive service centers is a perfectly legitimate and workable business model when executed with properly trained technicians doing legitimate repairs. The problem is not windshield repair or where those repairs are performed. The problem stems from the actions of a few people that tarnish a legitimate industry populated by dedicated professionals.”

According to Jay Sampson, Chairman of NGA’s National Windshield Repair Committee, “Windshield repair professionals save consumers and their insurance companies millions of dollars annually by repairing and thereby extending the useful life of millions of costly windshields. These same repairs also save the precious fossil fuels that would be wasted to produce replacement windshields.”

“Windshield repair is predicated upon saving money for our customers and delivering “green” benefits to our country,” Sampson continued. “Every windshield we save is one less non-biodegradable windshield choking America’s overcrowded landfills and becoming a negative legacy for our children and their children.”

Cyr concluded by saying, “The practice of claims harvesting is offensive to every one of thousands of conscientious windshield repair professionals who have worked so hard to build the reputation and credibility of the industry.”   

The National Glass Association maintains several websites for consumers who seek additional information on windshield repair. They are: www.windshieldrepair.org and www.rolags.com. ROLAGS stands for the Repair of Laminated Automotive Glass Standard which is the industry’s best practices standard recognized by the American National Standards Institute.

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About NGA
Founded in 1948, the National Glass Association is the largest trade association representing the entire flat glass and auto glass industries. Based outside Washington, DC, NGA offers certification, education and training, and MyGlassClass.com—a state-of-the-art, online training resource. NGA publishes the leading trade magazines—Glass Magazine®, Window & Door®, AutoGlass™, and e-newsletters, e-glass weekly™ and WDweekly™. In addition, NGA serves the industry and general public with its Web sites: www.glass.org, www.GlassBuildAmerica.com, www.GlassMagazine.net, www.AutoGlassmagazine.net, www.WindowandDoor.net, and www.myautoglass.org. NGA also hosts the industry’s premier annual trade events: GlassBuild America®: The Glass, Window & Door Expo and the National Auto Glass Conference.