Quote:
Originally Posted by szyzygy
Yeah, so why should anyone trust this book then? Everyone should just assume that the reported amount of time in the book is pure crap.
|
The companies that write the 'books' typically conduct independent time studies. They don't just write down whatever the shops and techs tell them.
Checks and balances.
Insurance companies and manufacturers (warranty) pay based on these 'book' times, more or less. Get too far out of line and you don't sell many copies of your book. A multi-year contract with a single large insurance carrier could be in excess of $50 million. That carries a little weight.
There is more than one company setting and publishing 'book' times. Again, get too far out of line and you don't sell as many copies of your book.
Bodyshops by and large bill the same was as mechanical shops. A good tech at a busy bodyshop can work 60 hours and flag(bill) more than a 100. A lazy tech not so much.
Shops and techs (loosely) split the money from the time you are charged. A slow or lazy tech doesn't make the shop as much profit as an efficient, hardworking tech. The slow, lazy techs get weeded out pretty quickly.
I'm painting with a pretty broad brush but maybe you can see where it's not really a system set up to screw the customer and a shop or company can't just set rates at whatever they want.
J