I'm not the sort who would ever expect to find my back windshield shot out when I tried to leave for work one morning. After all, I live in a relatively safe neighborhood with relatively safe neighbors. But there it was, clear as day, one large bullet hole through my back windshield. It never really made sense to me how the bullet didn't leave a second hole through the front windshield.

This is despite the fact that the physics were explained to me repeatedly. Last time I had to use an auto glass company, I spent more time arguing to get my car back than anything. It was one of those they come out to your house and take it or leave it deals, only they said my car was "complicated" and it would have to go into the auto glass shop for a day. Fine. Three days later my complicated Ford was returned to me with a leaky windshield.

Window replacement in Dallas has definitely become a competitive market. While most windshield replacement jobs have more to do with stones than bullets, the phone book is loaded with auto glass repair businesses in Dallas. The problem is, with enough money to open one of these businesses, basically anyone can.

That means people with those oh so complicated Fords out there are likely to experience massive window replacement fiascos rather than a simple and easy transaction between the auto glass repair person and car owner. I had learned my lesson last time, and quite honestly, I was disinterested in experiencing window replacement mayhem. I was determined to find an auto glass shop in Dallas that could just fix my back window with a hint of professionalism and a little bit of knowledge.

I carry really good insurance and the bullet hole should fall under the terms of vandalism, but oddly that didn't seem to matter to many of the auto glass services I spoke with since they didn't deal with the insurance companies. Interesting. Apparently, using someone of my own choosing who doesn't deal with insurance companies means that I may very well not receive any type of reimbursement for the cost of the repairs.

So, maybe it's not phenomenal insurance after all. Additionally, there are a mess of window replacement companies in Dallas who answer the phone from their homes. You can hear kids screaming in the background, dogs barking, and one stellar company had such a ruckus going on in the background that I couldn't discern 80% of the words coming through the phone. I don't care if you want to run an auto glass service out of your home, but if you're going to get my business, you're going to do it in a professional manner.

Admittedly, after the first six or seven phone calls, I was a little distressed and felt like just calling the last company I dealt with. Their auto glass service may have been one of the worst in Dallas, but at least I would know what I was getting into and I wouldn't be let down by my expectations.

After all, my complicated Ford was still sitting out on the street with a bullet hole in the rear window, and was now beginning to attract the attention of passers by. One kid on his way to school laughed at it. Why this made me feel all kinds of victimized, I'm not sure, but it refueled my desire to find an adequate auto glass service in Dallas even if it took me all week.

All of this back and forth, phone calls and hang ups and basic frustration made me a little curious. What has happened to the window replacement companies in Dallas? Why is finding high quality auto glass service such an impossible feat? It would be several months before my question was answered, long after I finally got my windshield replaced by a company that didn't think my Ford was complicated and even returned it to me leak free later the same day.

It seems that out there on the information superhighway, there is a company peddling "home based business" materials that tell people how easy and simple it is to open up your own window replacement company. Of course, they don't go into detail about where to get training, how to train your employees, or how to do the job right and do it well. After all, the company already received their $200 or so and is unconcerned with whether or not people succeed or fail.

This naturally has flooded urban areas with auto glass services that are not necessarily run by professionals. I was lucky, as I did find what I needed. But I feel strongly that this information should be out there, floating around on cyberspace, to help other people with window replacement needs understand why their search for a reasonable auto glass company can seem so fruitless.