Gerry,
I think your concerns with D2D and OEConnection are unfounded. At its core, the switch to ordering via Collisionlink is similar to the move we saw years ago from phone to fax.
We are the most active Collisionlink supplier in the nation. My experience has been that OEConnection really has no concern for *which* dealer a shop orders from. From the Chrysler, Ford, GM perspective, their goal is to sell more OE parts vs Aftermarket. I have seen very few shops (one or two) that considered Collisionlink a reason to buy from one supplier or another (and in both cases, they bought from another Collisionlink supplier). Pretty much every wholesale player in this area is on Collisionlink (CL) or will be in the near future.
From the supplier perspective, it's an awesome tool (both CL and D2D). We have seen our returns go down and our accuracy go up. It also saves significant time processing orders. Now, instead of hiring another specifier, you can prompt a number of your shops to use CL. The money you save more than pays for the cost of CL. Add D2D to the mix, and your specifier can go right from the CL order, locate and order the parts. There's no downside there.
The shops that use it, love it - provided they have a persistent internet connection (DLS, Cable, Satellite, etc.). For now, it's a waste of time setting up someone on dial up - it just annoys them to the point where they'll never like the product. Vikki from OEC tells me they are working on a dial up friendly version.
As for your concerns over the insurance companies... I don't see a problem there. In the past few years, insurance companies have steered their DRP shops towards a certain estimating product & digital cameras, In the same manner, I believe they may look at the use of CL as a means to increase parts order accuracy and limit returns. That's a win for you and the shop too.
We've worked with the product and company for over a year now and haven't found a down side.