Unfortunately, the business has changed, and not for the better.
Sadly, it's like healthcare now; instead of old family practitioners whom you knew and trusted with generations of your family, things work line an assembly line now -- impersonal, get people in/out as quickly as possible, most importantly for what the insurance company is willing to pay.
Due to an inattentive driver (texting), last year was the first time I had the need for a body shop in over 15 years.
I had expected to go back to a shop I had used earlier -- well-known by enthusiast/club members for quality work. They weren't cheap, but despite that, appointment books were full, and there was some waiting involved.
It turned out that, like a lot of formerly independent, family-owned businesses, they had sold out to a larger chain, Caliber, in this instance. Between partner retirements, and the loss of a valuable referral stream, the 45-year old business was having a hard time, and selling out became an attractive option. The shop was now a "preferred" provider for an insurance company.
I had them write a quote anyway, which was high, and it didn't help that the estimator was generally dismissive, if not condescending.
So, I went in search for a new shop, and must have visited 10 or so. Most were obviously production-line shops, doing "good enough" insurance company work on frequent visitors like rental cars. That, I wanted to avoid.
I finally narrowed it down to three -- a one-man shop, and two still independent shops with a family or employee lineage. I think the one-man shop would have done good work, but when dealing with sole proprietorships, it can work out good or bad when things go wrong, depending on the person involved.
I didn't want to chance that, so it came down to the two indies, and I had a hard time choosing. In the end, I chose the one that had more Yelp reviews (50+, almost 100% 5-star FWIW), and "nicer" cars in their shop. The other shop had the most fantastic estimator I encountered (who was in line to buy the business once the owner is retired), but since I happened upon them late, the comfort level didn't quite match that of the other.
The result -- disappointment. Despite the work being confined to the replacement of the rear bumper, it was poorly aligned, and clear coat had surface contaminants.
The owners had been great, and worked with me to ensure OE parts, and allay my OCD fears. In the end, the work was let down by sloppiness and lack of quality control. They had no problems working with me to rectify the issues, and in doing so probably cost them money on the job, but that could had been entirely avoided if they had a better handle on the work their employees were producing.
I do wonder how the other shop would have done, but at least I know I've found a good candidate should I need body work in the near future. I hope I don't.
Like a lot of other businesses, indies are selling-out, or disappearing. Personal attention, time, and pride/quality of work are the victims. The insurance companies can guarantee a steady stream of referrals, but at their fixed costs, allotted labor periods, and whatever parts they can get cheapest. That's how things run now.
The other thing that struck me is the sheer volume of work that takes place. I've only had to make use of body shops three times in all my years of driving, and all were the result of someone else's actions. W-T-heck are people doing?