Repairify apologizes for GEICO price agreement during CIC open mic

Repairify’s chief transformation officer (CTO) apologized for asTech’s price agreement with GEICO during a Collision Industry Conference (CIC) open mic session Wednesday. 

“We have learned a hard lesson,” Keith Crerar said. “We beg for forgiveness and move forward in a different way.” 

Eighteen months earlier, asTech’s former insurance and estimatics vice president stood at the same mic while hammered with criticism by CIC attendees following news of the agreement. 

CIC attendees at the 2024 meeting questioned the precedent the agreement would set in the industry. 

Less than two years later, multiple insurance companies have implemented similar pricing programs and partnerships with tool companies. At times, the prices are nearly identical to those developed by GEICO in the asTech agreement. 

As the programs rolled out, repair professionals expressed concerns about pressure to meet prices for calibration procedures. The pressure comes at a time when the industry is facing increased cost to do business, lower claims, higher total losses and advancing friction with insurance companies. 

asTech wasn’t quick to respond publicly to the agreement, with questions posed by Repairer Driven News and Society of Collision Repair Specialists left unanswered in the immediate months after GEICO’s announcement. 

Since the pricing announcement, Repairify has made a switch in its public relations team, and leadership changes ensued. Jason Vilardi, the VP who stood at the mic during the 2024 CIC meeting, left the company in February. Repairify’s new CEO, Srisu Subrahmanyam and Crerar were hired in May. 

In the days leading up to Wednesday’s CIC meeting, Repairify announced its intent to combine asTech, BlueDriver and Opus IVS. If the transaction receives regulatory approvals, Opus President Brian Herron will become CEO of Repairify’s diagnostic business. 

Based on an agreement with Opus, State Farm announced a national rollout of ADAS Map requirements and pricing in April. Herron has told RDN that the pricing table used by State Farm is not a part of an agreement with Opus. 

SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg alluded to the asTech and Opus transaction during the CIC open mic on Wednesday. 

“We see an announcement of two service providers who are seeking to combine into one company, and both those companies individually have entered into direct arrangements with insurance companies for mandated or required services,” Schulenburg said. “We all need to stop and take a look at how the combination of those two companies, with all those agreements, into one company and the impact that has on the marketplace and the impact this has on these businesses.” 

Herron responded at the mic, saying he agreed that an open conversation is important. 

“The ADAS identification technology that broadens this market was not developed for insurance companies,” Herron said. “It was developed for repairers to help bring shortcuts to OEM information and OEM bill data.” 

Repair shops and diagnostic tool customers have, over time, asked these companies to help with getting reimbursed by insurers, he said. He added that this is why diagnostic companies have formed relationships with insurance providers. 

Crerar responded to Schulenburg’s comments, noting that asTech was “unfortunately, tied to pricing rolling out.” 

“I don’t believe that was the intention,” Crerar said. “The intention was to make things smoother for shops, more transparent and help make the reimbursements quicker. That was not the outcome.” 

Crerar later clarified these comments with RDN, stating that the GEICO pricing agreement “was a mistake, we’ve learned from that, and our North Star is supporting our collision shops moving forward.”

Crerar said on stage and reaffirmed in a text message to RDN that asTech has no intention of being involved in pricing agreements with insurance carriers. 

“We have stated that before, and we have communicated that with our key customers as well,” Crerar told RDN. 

Following Crerar’s apology on stage, Schulenburg responded that he appreciated the comment and sentiment but that an apology can’t undo the impact of the prior decision. 

“You are not the only companies that are exploring those type of solutions, and it is not easy to unwind, or close that door,” Schulenburg said. 

Schulenburg noted that many people in the room shared their concerns and sentiments about the agreement during the CIC meeting in 2024. 

“It is important to have that dialogue, to figure it out, to talk about it in this room,” Schulenburg said. “That’s exactly why we brought it up and do these things.”

Crerar responded that his background is in customer experience. Since starting at Repairify eight months ago, he has visited shops and set up five different customer experience feedback programs. 

“We’ve set up a lot of programs to be good listeners,” Crerar said. “Our north star is the collision centers and shop owners in this room. That is why we exist. I can’t change the past, but I promise you this: we will be good listeners and will focus on doing things the right way moving forward.”

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Repairify’s Chief Transformation Officer (CTO) Keith Crerar speaks during CIC Jan. 20 in Palm Springs (Teresa Moss/RDN)