Be Careful What You Read: Glass America Says Fake Flyer Going Around Industry

Recently, a big name in the auto glass industry described the U.S. as "the world-champion rumor market in the world." Aiding the rumor mill have been the Internet and the copy machine, as both aspects of technology allow rumors--those with basis in fact and those that are more suspect--to be disseminated that much faster.

Evidence of this is a recent flyer allegedly produced by Chicago-based Glass America purporting to offer 7 percent quarterly override on referrals from the Strategic Independent Agents Alliance (SIAA) with an estimated 4 percent returned to the agent making the referral. The flyer also states that employees referring business to Glass America would receive a $25 promotional card, such as a gas card or gift card.

The flyer, however, is not a legitimate piece from Glass America. Company president David Rohlfing spoke to glassBYTES.com, stating that while some of the information is true--the company has more than 90 service centers and does work with SIAA in a continuing education aspect--the piece as a whole is a forgery. Even the logo used on the piece is the wrong one, Rohlfing said, noting that the company has different logos for printed pieces and Internet use.

Though the flyer is a forgery, Rohlfing didn't seem particularly surprised at its existence. The company, it seems, has been the target of many industry rumors in the past and has seen an increase in such actions of late.

"In the last 60 days we've seen a number of Glass America stuff that isn't ours," he said.