Biz Buzz: Dents and dings! Local dealerships impacted by hailstorm explain how you can benefit
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Do you want to know what’s happening on the east Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered.
Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BRIEF
IDAHO FALLS
Car dealers impacted by recent hailstorm explain how they are helping customers
IDAHO FALLS – The hailstorm that hit east Idaho about two weeks ago is having some costly side effects for several local businesses.
Teton Toyota/Volkswagen Owner Mario Hernandez tells EastIdahoNews.com the hailstorm damaged 420 cars on their lot. The damage ranges from $25 on some vehicles to $8,000 on others, with insurance deductibles totaling about $1,000 per vehicle.
To put that in perspective, that’s costing them about $400,000 in deductible payments on top of repairs not covered by insurance.
In addition, some customer’s cars being held for repairs were also damaged. Many of the dings on the vehicles are the size of a pencil tip, Hernandez says.
“Some of (the dings) will come out naturally when the heat comes because the metal will try to regain its original configuration,” says Hernandez. “We are going to make sure their cars are repaired at no cost to them.”
There are many cars, according to Hernandez, that can be fixed fairly inexpensively or sold at a discounted rate.
Hernandez says the credit union they partner with is also offering lower interest rates to Teton group’s customers. If customers are unhappy with a repair estimate from their insurance company, Hernandez says they can trade in their vehicle at Teton.
Hernandez is encouraging people impacted by the hailstorm to get their vehicle inspected because sometimes the damage is hard to see.
The Smith Group also had significant hail damage to units on their automotive and RV lots. Owner Cannon Smith says they plan to fix all their new vehicles, and forego repairs on some used vehicles.
“We’ve sold a lot of the hail damaged units already. A lot of our customers are electing to get the discount rather than getting them fixed. We’re letting our misfortune be to the customer’s benefit.”
Smith says hail sales are not something people in eastern Idaho are familiar with because hailstorms are uncommon here. In other parts of the country, Smith says customers chase hail sales because people can get cheap cars.
Prior to this hailstorm, Smith says the only other hailstorm he remembers causing significant damage was about three years ago.
“We thought the one three years ago was a total fluke because not many units were damaged,” says Smith. “The other dealers, for the most part, didn’t get hit.”
BIZ BITS
POCATELLO – With Idaho’s 2018 wildfire season on the horizon, local Allstate Agents, in partnership with the Pocatello Fire Dept., will be giving away 1,000 disaster kits this week to better prepare families and local communities.
IDAHO FALLS – Mark your calendar and plan to come join us in support of the Community Food Basket! Don’t miss this evening of food, beverages, and fun and don’t forget to bring your donations with you. It’s happening Thursday, April 19 from 5-7 p.m. at 1895 N. Boulevard in Idaho Falls.
REXBURG – Representatives of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar presented a check for $34,259.00 to Make-A-Wish® on Tuesday, April 10. The funds were raised at 35 Applebee’s restaurants throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho during the month of March, where customers were able to purchase star pinups for $1 and $5, with 100-percent of the proceeds donated to helping fulfill the wishes of children.
TECH TALK
ASHTON – Fall River Electric Cooperative is assisting students at three local high schools raise funds to construct distributed energy generation system at each school in order to provide educational opportunities in the fields of wind and solar power generation. The installed systems at North Fremont High School in Ashton, Teton High School in Driggs and West Yellowstone High School will include a wind turbine and solar panels as well as a real-time display inside each school.
RELATED | Why local experts say solar power is becoming popular energy option
IDAHO FALLS – On Thursday, April 19, Idaho National Laboratory will host dozens of minority, first-generation, and/or underserved high school students from throughout southeast Idaho at INL Multicultural Leaders in STEM Day. This event is designed to inspire the future workforce. It kicks off at 9 a.m. Keynote speakers and tours will conclude at 3 p.m.
READ THE FULL NEWS RELEASE HERE.
BIZ BUGS
SAFEGUARD YOUR SMARTPHONE
How to protect your phone against hackers
The following is a news release from the Better Business Bureau.
- When deciding on passwords, use unique ones for each site or app you use. A good practice is mixing upper and lower-case letters with symbols and numbers.
Investing in security software for your phone just like your computer can protect against viruses and malware.
The BBB also advises downloading updates frequently to make sure any bugs are fixed immediately and gives you the latest security updates.
Turn off your services when you are not using them such as WIFI, GPS, Bluetooth since these are the avenues hackers use to get into your phone.
Checking your credit report after these breaches can help you see if accounts have been opened in your name. The Federal Trade Commission has only authorized one site to provide a free annual credit report RIGHT HERE.
For more information about BBB and the cyber security resources available to both businesses and consumers, CLICK HERE.
BIZ TIP OF THE WEEK
Shred and Delete!!
Make sure you are properly disposing of your electronic and paper files. If you don’t need it delete it! The less information you have, the less chance of being hacked.
SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
IDAHO FALLS
All his textbooks were outdated, so he did something about it
IDAHO FALLS – You graduate from college and get settled into your first job. A few months into it, you’re assigned a task. You think to yourself, I didn’t learn this in school.
Idaho Falls business owner Stuart Draper says this scenario is far too common because schools do not use textbooks that are up-to-date.
“We’re trying to fix that. It’s a real problem that needs to change,” says Draper.
Draper’s remedy was a business model called Stukent. Stukent is a digital courseware provider that works to keep textbooks current with the industry.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
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Yellowstone National Park entrance fees slated to increase in June
Renowned relationship coach visiting Idaho Falls to help people invest in their relationships
Dr. Slaughter’s House of Terror gets ready for last night of business