This year, 2 in 5 shops report that they get paid for feather, prime, and block repair operations, according to the most recent “Who Pays for What” survey from Collision Advice and Crash Network.
Ten years ago, just over 1 in 5 shops (22 percent of those billing for the procedure) stated they were paid “always” or “most of the time” (by the eight largest national insurers) for feather, prime, and block when it was necessary and performed as part of a repair. However, by this year’s survey in January, that number had doubled to 44 percent of shops saying they are regularly paid for the procedure.
“In terms of actual numbers, these results indicate that over 9,000 more shops are regularly being paid for this in 2024 than there were in 2015,” said Mike Anderson of Collision Advice. “The surveys are important for raising shop awareness. Even today, about 1 in 20 shops still are not billing for this procedure when they perform it, despite the fact that 77 percent of shops that do bill for it get paid at least some of the time by those same eight insurers.”
Ten years ago, 53 percent of shops that negotiated to be paid for feather, prime, and block reported that the insurers “never” paid them for it. But this year, just 23 percent of shops said they “never” get paid for it.
The latest quarterly “Who Pays for What?” survey is now open through the month of April. It focuses on not-included frame and mechanical labor operations.
Survey participants receive a free report with complete survey findings, along with analysis and resources to help shops better understand and use the information presented.
The results of previous surveys are also available online on CASH Network's website.
