According to BodyShop Business magazine, a Stamford Superior Court jury today awarded $15 million to a group of auto body repair firms after determining The Hartford Insurance Co. engaged in unfair business practices to suppress labor rates. The class action lawsuit, filed by the Auto Body Association of Connecticut (ABAC) and three of its members, alleged that the insurance company engaged in a pattern of unfair practices that violated Connecticut law.
[...] this link: Hartford Ordered to Pay Collision Repairers $15 Million Posted in Auto Insurance | Tags: abac, association, auto, class-action, connecticut, [...]
This is just the tip of the ice berg, All carrier that has a direct repair arrangement with body shops do the same as steering and depressing labor rates as a result there is a few fat cats and the rest of the shops nation wide are starving the result are poor repairs and consumers are not getting what they deserve.
The time is now for every state association to follow Connecticut foot step ,Anti trust for all insurance co.’s should be repealed , The State insurance Dept. in most of the states has failed to control insurers and stop their illegal activities from price fixing , intemedation, steering , low balling , cost shifting to list a few.
Sam, I think your iceberg theory is right. This may be the beginning of something big. I know this battle has been going on a long time. Hopefully we are making progress now.