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 Auto Glass In the News 

February 13, 2000
 

TV's 20/20 Segment to
Focus On Autoglass Industry

Popular TV newsmagazine is tentatively 'scheduled' to air story in late February or March.

    There has been much speculation in the industry the last few weeks on the possibility of the television newsmagazine 20/20 airing a story on the autoglass industry, and in particular, unsafe windshield installations. As a general rule, the TV series does not release specific information on upcoming investigative stories. Glasslinks can confirm that the segment is tentatively scheduled for airing in late February or early March.

    The exact content, or the specific companies that may be shown on the segment, are not clear until airtime. As with the nature of this show, the story could be edited, rescheduled, or possibly not shown at all.

    Safelite Autoglass is one company that has come forward as being a part of the investigation. A Safelite installer performed a windshield installation in May 1999 in Spokane, Washington, of which 20/20 confronted them with a video tape of, and asked for comments. The installer was terminated for not following company policy, and Safelite has reiterated it's commitment to safe installation.

    Safelite has sent out correspondence to some of it's customers,  giving advanced notice to the show, and stating that they plan on 'redoubling' their efforts in the area of training and compliance. 

    Although Safelite was only shown the tape of their own installation, they understand that any one of four different tapes from various installation companies may be shown on the segment.

   The Autoglass Industry in general has place more emphasis on safety in last several years, especially with the advent of airbags, and the glass being an integral structural part of the vehicle.  There are no facts and figures to point to specific companies as being "safer" than others.

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    There are different 'schools of thought' as far as if the larger chains should have more qualified installers. Some feel that the larger installation shops with their hundreds of installers are harder to control, and those who believe the larger chains have more resources to adequately train them. Many insiders follow the logic that there are "bound to be a few bad apples in the lot" of any size glass company.

    Until the actual show airs, it is difficult to determine how the industry or consumers will react. There are several questions that may or may not be answered:

  • Will the segment show only the featured companies in a bad light, or will the entire industry possibly be 'indicted'?  Depending if the show reports that unsafe installations are widely prevalent in the industry, this could be good news or bad news for the auto glass industry.
  • Will consumers care? There are differing opinions on whether consumers who see such reports as these remember the companies involved, or what questions to ask to ensure a safe installation. The average frequency with which a person needs a windshield replacement is rather low, as compared to other automotive services.
  • Will safety come to the forefront? There are many in the industry who have been trying to get the customers to understand the significance of quality and safety, as opposed to price. A lot of shops promote themselves focusing on safety issues, and national exposure could lend credence to their marketing programs.