Having recently bought some software upgrades I decided to upgrade the Glass Aid windshield repair authorization form that’s online. Having an authorization form online saves time while giving the customer a chance to fill it out at their convenience. With this new form I’ve included a number of helpful options for the customer.

Fillable  -  With the new form you can type in the information; no need to print and hand write in the information. You’ll still need to print and sign the form however.

Links  -  For those that still have questions, hyperlinks to answers are included in the form; just look for anything printed in blue. Clicking on the links will open to a new window so you won’t lose anything you already typed in. Among the links are a link to our page dealing with pits, repairable chip size and our windshield repair guide that is also in pdf. Not to leave out a link to our Twitter Coupon and Twitter pages.

Coupons  -  Clicking on the blue button near the middle of the page will take you directly to our Twitter coupons. These coupons can be updated at anytime, to include filling a cancellation. If you wish to check out the coupons without going to the authorization form visit: TwtQpon.com/GlassAid. You can also follow us on Twitter @GlassAid.

Finally claiming the coupon is easy. No, you don’t need to print the coupon just copy the Twitter Code and paste it in the box with the orange frame that reads “Place Twitter Code Here”.

Over the course of the last four weeks or so have I been busy with windshield repair. While some days I’ve gotten a break when the weather has been too bad to work, the phone has rung off the hook.  Many choose a day with bad weather to be the time to call and get their windshield repaired. As far as I’m concerned you just can’t do a windshield repair when you have freezing fog or rain going on. It has been refreshing to hear lately from customers that chose to wait until the weather was better to get their windshield repaired.

By waiting though the result has been an extremely heavy phone volume this last week. It started Monday with the phone ringing almost non-stop the first two hours we were open. Leading in the number of calls were those wanting to schedule an appointment; followed by those that had questions about what needed or could be repaired.

One problem I’ve encountered over the last few weeks has been individuals scheduling an appointment several days in advance and not being there for the appointment. At a time when I’ve had to turn away work due to a full schedule this has hurt. Filling these holes in the schedule due to missed appointments has become a priority.

One way to fill the holes has been to use the time  to cover my fleet accounts and another has been to post the opening on our Twitter page, Twitter.com/GlassAid. A number have used our Twitter page to get DEALS that have added extra value or discounts to their windshield repair. Others have expressed issues and concerns over this policy.

To begin with Twitter offers us the fastest, easiest most cost effective way to quickly announce and fill holes in our schedule. It enables us to communicate to the point, information with potential customers on a massive scale. Since it is public by using it to answer one person’s question others with the same question can get the information simply by taking a seconds to view our Twitter page; saving them time over calling us. This is particularly true at times such as when weather conditions are bad and I get many phone calls asking if it’s too cold, hot, wet, etc. to perform a windshield repair.

We are not the only company using Twitter. Two of the big names I’ve seen that are using Twitter effectively are Dell Computers and Best Buy. They use it not only to sell items but also to publicly communicate with customers.

For the group that won’t use our Twitter page to get their information they have stated a number of reasons why they won’t so I’m addressing these issues here now.

Using Twitter will cost me money. Twitter is a free service; I have two Twitter accounts myself with one being over a year old and to date have paid nothing, zip, zero, nada.

I won’t use it because I don’t want a Twitter account. You don’t need an account to view Twitter.com/GlassAid, it’s a standard webpage with information written in 140 characters and spaces (text message). So by typing the address into your browser you can view the page. You can also use the RSS feed and subscribe to the page on your favorite feed reader. I use Page Flakes and have it for my home page the result is everything I want to follow is right in front of me. This is a great way to find a deal or being able to get a repair when we are busy by filling a hole in our schedule due to a cancellation. This page and information can be updated instantly so the minute something changes I can update it from anywhere.

I don’t know how to use Twitter and I have no interest in learning. As mentioned above the page can be viewed the same as any webpage.

For those that can’t figure out a domain with a forward slash I’ve purchased the domain GlassAid.net, and pointed it at our Twitter page. So using the shorter more traditional url will take you to our Twitter page.

Finally by not having and using Twitter you are missing out on many things. The other day I knew long before it hit the news that Taiwan had been hit with a 6.4 earthquake. By not having an account you can’t communicate with us on Twitter and must use a phone, limiting when you can get an answer. With an account you can quickly send us a question or comment. Just start the reply or Tweet as it’s known with @glassaid and then your comment.

If you don’t know if something needs to be repaired take a picture of it. I’m sorry but I can’t fulfill requests to drive across town to view windshield damage at no charge. Please use something as a reference like a quarter taped next to it and a piece of white paper placed behind it will help. Downloaded the photo to your online photo album or TwitPic.com and send us a link via Twitter.

Example: @glassaid Please check this out and tell me if it needs to be repaired. http://twitpic.com/x2lc2

The idea behind this is to be able to provide you the information you need 24/7, while making Glass Aid more efficient so prices can be kept low. So check us out on Twitter at Twitter.com/GlassAid or the shortened url GlassAid.net and remember windshield repair saves you money, is safer than replacement, prevents the risk of leaks and is earth friendly.

I’ve known that even before the state inspection was eliminated years ago that driving a car or truck with a cracked windshield was illegal. Those needing to take the driving part of the Oklahoma driver’s license test will do it with a vehicle that doesn’t have a cracked windshield. That’s because the state understands that a cracked windshield is a safety hazard as it is a distraction to the driver and distorts the driver’s vision. Many also don’t know that the windshield helps with roof strength and that many passenger side airbags deploy against the windshield in an accident.

Over the last several years I’ve talked to a number of people that have been either warned or ticketed for driving with a cracked windshield. Not all have been stopped due to the crack being in the driver’s vision. Fines have started at $150 and gone up depending on where the ticket was written. Lately I’ve heard an increase in the numbers being stopped due to them having a cracked windshield. Even the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) has been writing tickets for windshield cracks. I’ve posted this information on Twitter.com/GlassAid in the past.

This last week one of my contacts told me they were replacing a windshield in a car that the owner had gotten “2 Tickets” for driving with a cracked windshield. We both wondered how this could be, but at the same time I suspected that it was due to tickets being written in different towns.

Flash forward a couple days and I performed a windshield repair for a Valley Brook police officer. While performing the windshield repair we talked about the story of the car owner that had gotten 2 tickets for a cracked windshield. He confirmed what I suspected, in Oklahoma you can be ticketed for driving with a cracked windshield in any town, city, county or state highway. There is no limit as to the number of tickets you can get for a cracked windshield.

An example of this as to what can happen in just 1 day. Say you live in Edmond and want to go to the game at O.U. in Norman. With that auto having a cracked windshield you can be stopped and ticketed in Edmond, Oklahoma City, Moore, and Norman. You can also get a ticket from OHP, the sheriff in both Oklahoma and Cleveland County. All told you could end up with fines in the hundreds if not thousands of dollars in just 1 day.

So what can you do? Well if you have a cracked windshield get it replaced quickly. Do yourself a big favor, don’t base your windshield replacement on the cheapest price, you get what you pay for. To help you out I’ve put information about windshield replacements and a quote form that you can down load at GlassAid.tel. Just go to the “Replacement Information” folder at GlassAid.tel.

A better way is to prevent a cracked windshield by repairing small chips before they crack out. Most windshield cracks started with a small chip. Inspect your windshield each time you fill your auto or truck with fuel. Check the windshield from the outside and make sure you check the black edge for damage as that area can’t be seen from the inside. I’ve seen thousands of windshields over the years that were crack and the crack started with a chip near the edge in the black area. While you’re at it check your windshield wiper blades, you don’t want a scratched windshield either.

So be safe and don’t drive your auto or truck with a cracked windshield.

Today I did a windshield repair for a customer who works in a section of Oklahoma City called “Gasoline Alley”. It’s in a part of downtown OKC where many years ago you went to buy a car from a dealer among other things. This area is being restored and some of the buildings are being put to other uses, such as offices. Today I did a windshield repair on an Acura TL that was parked inside the “Essex Hudson” building. What was once the show room and I think the repair garage have been made into an indoor parking garage. It has a few signs and memorabilia from the past, a couple of the items I took pictures of.

It’s kind of funny that after years in the windshield repair business some things never change; events are as predictable as night and day. The last 2 weeks has been a case in point.  Whenever the weather guys start predicting a winter storm hitting Oklahoma City, I know the party is about to start 2 days before the storm hits.

A week ago last Monday I saw an increase in calls about windshield repairs. With a storm due to hit Oklahoma City on Thursday the phone rang off the hook Tuesday and was incredible on Wednesday. Everybody was trying to get a windshield repair done before the cold front arrived. Never mind that the chip had been on their windshield for days or weeks before in many cases. Quite a few of these windshields could have been repaired the week earlier when work was slower.  Even if the person didn’t have the money for the repair we could have billed their insurance company in many instances.

Some calls highlighted before the ice storm arrival include:

The guy that called at 2:30 in the afternoon on Wednesday, his windshield had been chipped several weeks and he didn’t want the cold front to crack his windshield. According to him if the storm hit he wouldn’t drive it anyway as it would be parked in a garage. But yes, the repair had to be done that afternoon.

Another was a call at closing time on Wednesday in which the caller had decided that they ‘had to get’ the chip repaired on their windshield before the storm hit that evening.

The pre-storm event is followed by events that take place during the storm while the ice and snow is falling. The caller who is demanding a crack repair because they can see the crack moving across the windshield as they drive down the road. Then there’s the caller who is in an absolute panic because his windshield has cracked and he doesn’t want it to fall in on him.

Of course the crack calls are just half of the problems during the ice storm. Then I get calls asking for a price on almost any auto glass for their car. That’s because they have gotten creative in finding ways to remove ice; some of these include:

There was the guy that called me for a windshield replacement for his truck because it had a long crack in the windshield. It cracked because the chip ran out when he poured boiling water on the windshield to remove the ice. According to him the chip had been on his windshield for weeks. I could have billed his insurance company for the repair; but since he let it crack out, he would be paying for the windshield since it was going to cost about $200 for a replacement and he had a $500 insurance deductible.

Another story was the guy that had a rubber mallet and he knew that rubber wouldn’t break his windshield when he used it to remove ice. About a dozen huge stars later the ice had been removed and he was in need of a new windshield at a cost of over $600. Hard to believe that a car that is less than a year old needs a windshield replacement due to ice removal.

The back window of a Hyundai Elantra that was destroyed removing ice.

Then there was the lady that called because she needed her back glass repaired. It seems someone had cleaned the ice off for her and now the back window was in a million pieces. I had to explain to her that there was no repair option and why.

The worst call I took was from the lady that called and blasted me for not showing up at her home to put stretch wrap over the back of her auto. It seems somehow she had broken the back glass on her car. She had gotten a hold of a glass shop that had to order the window for her car; they had promised to come out and put stretch wrap over the opening. Since they didn’t show up, it was my fault. Never mind that she had called me in the morning and was told we only do windshield repair, no replacements of any glass. Never mind the address of the glass shop was north Oklahoma City and we are located on the south side. And of course I was told that she would never use my glass shop for a replacement again; something we have never done.

With that, Monday ushered in the post storm activity. There was the usual avalanche of calls concerning windshield replacement quotes and questions about crack repair. Let me tell you at times I was on the phone with one caller while other calls came in and left a voice message. A huge number went to our website and sadly, they just couldn’t take a few seconds to read that we repair windshields and that we don’t do replacements. Then there were some interesting calls; like the person that called for a windshield repair, they wanted a quote to repair their windshield--it seems a pole had gone through their windshield and they didn’t want to replace it.

One of my contacts told me of a guy needing a windshield replacement. He used an ice pick and hammer to remove ice from his windshield. And if that’s not enough, I was told of someone else using a baseball bat to clear the ice from their windshield; I think you can guess what they needed next.

Chopping at the ice with anything can crack a windshield like this.