FB: How do you feel about this increased level of insurer involvement during the repair process?

McDaniel: It’s natural to be suspicious when insurers implement new programs that impact business operations. Nobody wants insurers to start controlling profits. That certainly shouldn’t be allowed to happen.

I don’t feel like that’s the case in this situation. I’ve never felt this was an underhanded effort on behalf of State Farm. In fact, I wish other insurers would implement the program. At our shop, it has sped things up and led to productivity gains. The program still isn’t perfect, but it’s been gaining my confidence lately. I do see some positive things coming out of this.

Hunsaker: I’m extremely skeptical. I don’t care how they package it; it’s not good, and it’s going to eat us alive. After 10 months of use, I have not experienced one possible benefit of using this program.

Huffstutler: I think it would be a good thing if all insurers used this program. Repair costs are increasing greatly due to high parts prices. There’s no reason that panels for high-end cars should cost thousands of dollars. Somebody with real horsepower, like State Farm, has to stop that. If not, estimates will continue to escalate way out of whack. This is the wave of the future, and only the beginning of electronic parts procurement in the U.S.

Morris: I didn’t know what to think about it at first. You always wonder what’s going on when insurers implement a new process. Going into this, State Farm told us they just wanted more competitive estimates. To date, it’s performed exactly as they said.