January 2024 What’s Up, Doc? Newsletter

What’s Up, Doc?

January - February 2024

Dear Owners and Associates:

As we enter the final month of the first quarter in 2024, we hope everyone is off to an excellent start. Here in the Lee’s Summit, MO area, the average daily temperature in the month of January was hovering around 15 degrees Fahrenheit, with several days dipping below –15 degrees. I know the temperatures in our part of the country would probably feel like spring time for our partners in the northern states. Needless to say, we’re all looking forward to the warmer months that are rapidly approaching.

To get 2024 started on a positive note, Dr. Vinyl corporate is super excited to introduce a new policy that will allow owners and associates to save money. Effective March 1, 2024 the Dr. Vinyl Parts Department is offering Free Freight on all orders exceeding $300.00. There are some requirements that must be met in order to receive this special offer.

• All purchases must be made through the Dr. Vinyl Parts Department Warehouse in Lee’s Summit, MO.

• You must sign up for ACH (Automatic Clearing House) to allow Dr. Vinyl to automatically receive payment for all purchases on the 15th of the following month in which you purchased the product.

• All in-house orders only totaling $300.00 or more, we will pay the freight. However, if you request a freight service other than standard UPS ground service, the free freight policy is waived.

• There will be a $10.00 per box packaging and handling fee.

This new policy will be in effect from March 1, 2024 – December 20, 2024. After this initial period, we will re-evaluate the success of the program. If we do not see an increase in purchases from the Dr. Vinyl Parts department, which will help us increase our buying power for the entire franchise system, we may be forced to discontinue this policy.

Please feel free to call or email me, richard@drvinyl.com, if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

NEW FRANCHISE OWNERS

Dr. Vinyl of Joplin Missouri

Congratulations to our newest franchise owners. David & Teresa Lang has purchased the franchise known as Dr. Vinyl of Joplin MO. They purchased the franchise from Don Rahmeier, whom owned the business since November of 1988. Don has decided after 35 years of service, it was time for him to start enjoying retirement. As most of you are aware, David & Teresa are Dr. Vinyl headquarters lead trainers for Interior Repair and Auto Paint Repair services. Their new ownership will not alter the way they conduct business. They will continue to operate as they have in the past. Please help us congratulate David and Teresa as new Dr. Vinyl Franchise Owners.

Congratulations David & Teresa!

Fake IONOS Emails

(aka - Phishing)

A professional email address is a communication account that you use solely for work-related purposes. It's among the first details that your customers see when you send them an email. Regardless of your role or position within the company, having a professional email address can improve both your credibility and that of the company as well. As most of you are aware, Dr. Vinyl & Associates provides all Dr. Vinyl/The Doctors Touch owners and technicians with a free drvinyl.com or thedoctorstouch.com email address with 2 Gigabyte storage capacity. The company we use for our email hosting is IONOS (1&1).

Over the last couple of months, I’ve received multiple calls from franchise partners questioning the validity of emails they’ve received from IONOS. If you have received an email from IONOS that seems suspicious, it's possible that it could be a phishing email. Phishing is a cyber crime where an individual attempts or succeeds in collecting sensitive data, such as user names, passwords, credit card numbers or banking information.

The most common method is to send an e-mail that appears to be from a company the recipient has an account with. The company logo and colors are often used to avoid the recipient becoming suspicious. In some cases, the email may look identical to the real, genuine email that the company sends themselves.

While the email may look similar, or even identical to the real version, the phishing email will have links to a malicious site or an attached file that contains malware or a virus. Modified links often direct the recipient to a website that looks similar to the one they expect, where a username and password, or payment information must be supplied or "confirmed" by re-entering. This information is then used by the culprit to gain access to your accounts.

How do scammers use phishing emails to their advantage?

The basic aim of phishing is simple. Cybercriminals send out emails where they pose as banks, payment services, online marketplaces, or e-commerce service providers. These emails invite unsuspecting users to complete forms or to follow links to seemingly official website in the hope that they will end up revealing sensitive data when they are asked to log in. Phishing attacks aim to obtain usernames, passwords, PINs, and TANs so that scammers can make transactions or order goods on the user’s behalf. Many victims of phishing email attacks first notice that their bank accounts or

payment service accounts have been hacked when they look at their bank statement and see that unusual goods have been purchased or money has been transferred.

The best tips on how to identify phishing emails.

Being careful about what you open is sometimes all that’s needed to protect yourself from fraudulent emails. You can usually identify phishing emails as they’re from unknown senders and are addressed impersonally. They also contain spelling errors, suspicious links or online forms. Here are the top tips on how to identify phishing emails and effectively protect yourself from attacks:

Tip 1: Check the name and the address of the sender

When you receive an official email that is allegedly from your bank or an online service provider, you should first have a look at the sender. Ask yourself who sent you the email? Do you have any business connection with the sender? Did you actually give them your email address? Have a look at the full email address and compare it to other emails you might have received from them. If there are any inconsistencies, exercise caution.

Tip 2: Check the greeting

The way in which you’re addressed in the email is one way to know how to identify phishing emails and can reveal whether one is legitimate or not. Service providers that write to their customers usually address them by name. Scammers don’t always know the email recipient’s name so if a message begins with ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ or any other standard greeting, you should wonder why your bank or supposed online business partner doesn’t know your name.

Tip 3: Check spelling and grammar

If a message contains a lot of grammatical mistakes and spelling errors, that’s a clear sign that a bank employee didn’t write it. These types of errors as well as unintelligible paragraphs are a major indication of fraudulent emails that were written in another language and then automatically translated.

Tip 4: Check for potentially fraudulent links

It’s not necessarily a bad sign if an email includes a link. But before you click on it, you should make sure that it leads to a reputable site. Hover over the link with your mouse and see what web address appears in the bottom left of your browser window. Is this address consistent with the service provider’s URL? Are there any security features such as HTTPS, which signifies secure data transmission? If you’re in doubt, play it safe and don’t access the website.

Tip 5: Do not enter data via email

No serious service provider will ask its customers to enter their details via email. A corresponding HTML form, in which you are told to enter login details and passwords, is a clear indication of a phishing email. PINs and TANs are also never asked for over the phone or via email. Only enter data like this on the official service provider’s site, whose authenticity can be checked with security certificates.

Tip 6: Beware of attachments

There’s definitely reason to be concerned when unexpected messages have attachments. Heed the basic rule that if you don’t know the sender, don’t download the attachment. It might contain malicious programs such as viruses or Trojans, which can infiltrate your computer and read sensitive data. If this happens, doing online shopping and making banking transactions will no longer be secure on your computer.

Tip 7: Don’t feel pressured

If an email requires you to take urgent action, you should be wary. Scammers often pull out the big guns to put internet users under pressure and cause them to make hasty decisions. No reputable service provider threatens to block your credit card or send the debt collectors round via email. Nor do they demand you to enter your password or to download an attached file. If in doubt, contact the service provider’s customer hotline.

How to combat phishing emails

If you’ve discovered a phishing email, you should move it to your spam folder and block the sender before you delete it. By following this simple procedure, you can make sure you don’t receive any more emails from that specific email address.

How to report phishing

If you got a phishing email or text message, report it. The information you give helps fight scammers.

• If you got a phishing email, forward it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org.

• If you got a phishing text message, forward it to SPAM (7726)

• Report the phishing attempt to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

NEWS YOU CAN USE FROM THE TRAINING DEPARTMENT

The 2024 Dr. Vinyl/The Doctors Touch Training Schedule is listed on page 15 of this newsletter. If you have a new associate that you wish to send to training, please do not hesitate to give David, Teresa or Buster a call to reserve a spot for your technician. Training is by appointment only! All owners and eligible associates must complete and return all necessary paperwork to Dr. Vinyl headquarters (attention Buster Coppage) before the start of training.

Also, Dr. Vinyl/The Doctors Touch will continue to offer one or two day refresher courses for all repair services throughout the year for all eligible technicians. Again, this is by appointment only! PLEASE

US Regions

Did you have your best month ever?

Compare your sales with the highest in your region.

Top Sales by Region for January 2024

Top 10 Auto Paint Repair Technicians January 2024

We Want to Hear From You!

This month’s “What’s Up, Doc” features a couple articles submitted to us by franchise owners and associates. We are always excited to hear from franchisees. If you have any pictures or articles you would like to contribute ( interesting jobs you’ve done, good before-and-after pictures, group photo of your Dr. Vinyl team, a local sports team you’ve sponsored, or anything else you think people might enjoy hearing about) let us know! You can email buster@drvinyl.com or call HQ and ask for Buster.

January Interior Training

Michael Nelson joins Andy & Julissa Nesler, Dr. Vinyl of Omaha NE & Council Bluffs IA, as an Interior Repair Technician. Prior to joining Dr. Vinyl, Michael had been working as a painter at a body shop in the Omaha area. He and his wife Jasmine has 11 children, Deneshea - 30, Michael - 29, Diante - 25, Tashiana - 24, Lavaynae - 23, Maki - 18, Lavaya - 15, Journey - 12, Joseph - 11, Joliya - 8 and Jada - 4. Michael says he loves cars. It’s a passion of his to take something that’s in bad shape and make it look great again! In his spare time, Michael enjoys painting cars and riding motorcycles.

We’re glad to have you Michael. Welcome aboard!

FebruaryAuto Paint Repair Training

Clayton Taylor joins Brian Greenfield, Dr. Vinyl of Green Country Oklahoma, as an Auto Paint Repair Technician. Before joining Dr. Vinyl, Clayton’s expertise was in remodeling homes and in the plumbing industry. Clayton and his wife Brittany has one daughter, Melony - 4. In his spare time, Clayton enjoys hunting & fishing.

Welcome to the Dr. Vinyl Group Clayton. Glad hyou joined us!

All associates are welcome to come to Dr. Vinyl headquarters for brush-up training at anytime. Simply give us a call, tell us what you would like to work on and schedule a date & time.

Another Episode of...

The photos below were submitted by Dr. Joe Oesterling, Dr. Vinyl of Michigan, showing before and after photographs of a seat that sustained damage from the heating coils beneath the heated surface.

BEFORE AFTER

For those of you interested in my surgical procedure for removing the damage, please contact Teresa Lang via email, teresa@drvinyl.com for complete details.

Dr. Joe Oesterling Dr. Vinyl of Michigan

PART #VSS3125

The Dr. Vinyl Parts Department is now carrying a more economical version of the 3M PPS Paint Prep Lids and Liners for paint. It’s called the VSS3125 PCH Paint Prep Lids and Liners. We have received some great feedback from field testing this.

We can still get the 3M 16028 PPS Paint Prep Lids and Liners if you wish ($92.63) or you can take advantage of the savings with the new economical VSS3125 PCH Paint Prep Lids and Liners ($59.12).

This will replace the 3M 16028 PPS Paint Prep lids and liners original version. They will not work with the 3M 26028 2.0 PPS system.

The VSS3125 is in stock now!

Let me know if you have and questions.

Thank you,

PPG COLORMOBILE

To get setup with PPG ColorMobile, follow these instructions:

1. Go to www.colormobile.com to access the ColorMobile software application.

2. For new users, click on NOT REGISTERED.

3. Complete all sections (4) of the User Registration. Follow instructions carefully.

Note

Due to PPG Corporate guidelines, unauthorized users will not be granted access. PPG Paint technicians must contact Buster Coppage buster@drvinyl.com or David Lang davidl@drvinyl.com to receive exact information needed to complete the ColorMobile registration process. If you enter incorrect information, your registration will be denied.

4. Click on Register when complete.

5. Generally it takes 24 hours for your registration to be approved. Confirmation will be sent to the email used when registering.

2024 DR. VINYLGROUP TRAINING SCHEDULE

Training is by appointment only! All owners & eligible training associates must complete and return all necessary paperwork to Dr. Vinyl headquarters before the start of training. Note: ALL TRAINING DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE!