Should I Use State Farm Select Service

State Farm reminds Select Service shops sharing customer information is prohibited

By on April 20, 2022
Business Practices | Collision Repair | Insurance

A Country Subcontract email to its Select Service shops shared with Repairer Driven News states that sharing client information with 3rd-party providers is prohibited unless the data is only used "for the sole purpose of vehicle repairs."

The correspondence is likely, at least partially, in response to General Motors' recent shift to a manual claim reimbursement process since the email states "ane or more than OEMs have begun requesting repair estimates exist uploaded if price matching alternative parts is to be considered past the dealer."

Land Farm declined to provide whatever further details to RDN. "State Subcontract has aught to share with Repairer Driven News," wrote spokesperson Justin Tomczak in an email.

PartsTrader and OEConnection (OEC) didn't respond to requests for comment by RDN.

In the past, State Farm was strict about how Select Service shops can source replacement parts. Yet, in 2018, the company granted Caliber Collision Centers a pass on its requirement that all Select Service shops must utilise PartsTrader. At the time, other shops on the program didn't appear to accept the same flexibility, whereas the April 12 statement seems to provide more optionality.

The State Farm observe does serve as a reminder to shop owners to be mindful of what information they're collecting from customers and to accept protocols in place to go rid of it when information technology'south no longer needed. As CCi Global Technologies shared before this year with the Collision Manufacture Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA), attackers are making a copy of the data they gain access to and are threatening to publish and/or sell it.

Collision industry data experts agreed during a panel discussion held past the Collision Industry Briefing (CIC)'s Data Privacy Committee last week that the total VIN doesn't need to be given out to protect customers' personally identifiable data (PII). Pete Tagliapietra, with Datatouch, said OEM dealers and towing and save companies only need part of the VIN. CSI providers, alternative parts providers, recyclers, and any others don't demand the VIN, he said.

Jack Rozint, with Mitchell International, said all third-party use of VINs is in full control of the terminate-user. Their trusted partners through Mitchell Diagnostics include Bosch, Drew, Opus, and OECollision (OEC)'s MyPriceLink.

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Featured image credit: sshepard/iStock

Screenshot of State Farm email sent to RDN

More than information

'Most favored nation' State Farm so far hasn't given PartsTrader pass to another Select Service shops