wedding togs. have you ever been sued?

I ask because a lot of threads with people saying they are going to do their first wedding are always shouted down with the words ''what if your sued?'' so i wondered if anybody had been. Just nosy i guess lol.
 
jolsterj said:
I ask because a lot of threads with people saying they are going to do their first wedding are always shouted down with the words ''what if your sued?'' so i wondered if anybody had been. Just nosy i guess lol.
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Professional Indemnity Insurance?
 
I know about insurance,

just wondering......................................................if anybody has had to use it.
 
jolsterj said:
I ask because a lot of threads with people saying they are going to do their first wedding are always shouted down with the words ''what if your sued?'' so i wondered if anybody had been. Just nosy i guess lol.
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Maybe none of us have been sued because we heed the advice on these forums.;)
 
Not even had a complaint so far - so No

But let me ask you (ALL) this...

Have you ever had your car stolen, or crashed it, or had it crashed into ???

For many, the answer is probably 'No' too - but (legalities aside) bearing in mind the potential loss and costs you'd incur, would you dare drive around all year without car insurance ???

No ?

Exactly the point of having it for Weddings, etc. too - one day it may happen, but unlike a car, your livelihood, home, business is at risk

Pro Tog insurance - don't leave home without it -I say

Having no insurance & doing anything as a Pro is a bit like patting a pet lion, you're fine... right up to the point it rips your head off

DD


PS - a well known Pro hereabouts had to pay for a re-run of a Wedding last year, car, dress, guests, etc. the whole works for about 2 hours. I didn't ask if he or his insurance was paying when I bumped into him waiting for the bride to arrive (again), but he didn't look happy. :shake: Nor in fact did he tell me at the time what he was doing, but by pure coincidence, my neighbour was one of the guests on the re-run, and boy did they slag him off :eek:
 
inaneredstripe said:
nope.
do the job right, no problems.
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That's sort of suggesting that anyone confident they WILL do the job right doesn't need insurance :thinking::thinking::thinking:

I don't think that's the point or thought process that should be going into choosing to have/have no insurance

I'm sure you didn't mean it to encourage anyone confident not to bother with insurance

DD
 
The ones who would risk doing it without insurance are probably the same ones that think a point and shoot or an entry-level dslr are all they need to start charging £1k to shoot a wedding.......
 
Flash In The Pan said:
The ones who would risk doing it without insurance are probably the same ones that think a point and shoot or an entry-level dslr are all they need to start charging £1k to shoot a wedding.......
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;).......chortle.
 
As in reply to dd posts it is illegal to drive a car without insurance

is it illegal to be a wedding tog without insurance?

silly maybe but you cant be arrested for it.
 
But does insurance cover incompetence :shrug: Seriously though! what is covered by insurance?
 
jolsterj said:
As in reply to dd posts it is illegal to drive a car without insurance

is it illegal to be a wedding tog without insurance?

silly maybe but you cant be arrested for it.
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I did say ignoring the legalities for a reason ;)

Ok - so how about home insurance? That's not a legal requirement, not even one of your mortgagor these days, but you'd be daft not to have it wouldn't you - just in case

And home insurance costs more than Pro tog insurance



Also Splog - to an extent, then Yes, it does cover for incompetence, stupidity & accidents

DD
 
insurance is all black and white - till you make a claim - then it's very pale shades of grey!
I have never found an insurance company I would trust.
 
awp said:
insurance is all black and white - till you make a claim - then it's very pale shades of grey!
I have never found an insurance company I would trust.
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So you're advising not to bother then? :thinking:

In this thread so far we seem to have had...

Do a good job and you don't need insurance, and you can't trust them anyway

Seems fair enough, I'll cancel mine then

:thumbs:

DD
 
DiddyDave said:
It goes to a professional body approved by your insurance company for their decision

DD
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but would'nt 'my' insurance company be on my side and not want to pay out.

[by the way dd i lurve your photos:)
 
DiddyDave said:
So you're advising not to bother then? :thinking:

In this thread so far we seem to have had...

Do a good job and you don't need insurance, and you can't trust them anyway

Seems fair enough, I'll cancel mine then

:thumbs:

DD
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:lol:


md:D
 
Insurance is what covers you when you slip in the shower getting ready to go and cannot shoot the wedding. Insurance is what covers you when you have just taken your gear out of the car and your assistance closes the boot on your hand. Insurance is what covers you when you put your bag at your side and a guest trips over it. These are just some examples.

When you and your client sign a contract there are obligations on both sides. If, through no fault of your own, you cannot meet those obligations then your insurance is what is going to keep you out of the poor house.

There are 4 types of insurance you should consider:-

The first is liability insurance. This one is really essential and covers you for accidents and accidental damage to property and persons. You really need this as a minimum. Little Jimmy takes an eye out on your umbrella and you are possibly looking at £2M of damages.

The second is indemnity insurance. This indemnifies you for claims for non-performance eg. no show etc.

The third is legal insurance. This will cover your costs of legal advice if sued.

The fourth is equipment insurance. This covers the cost of replacing equipment in the event of theft or damage.

As a professional (full time or part time) you have to consider the implications of an unexpected event and the cost of protecting yourself. I would bet (and I don't usually bet) that a good percentage of photographers give a higher importance to equipment insurance than they do to liability insurance.

John
 
jolsterj said:
but would'nt 'my' insurance company be on my side and not want to pay out.
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Of course they would, and if they agree the shots are fine - and the client doesn't believe them - then they can go find their own Pro body to see if the argument goes for them instead with someone else

All of which adds costs, and at the end of the day if you lose - it's the associated costs you'll incur that could be more than the re-Shoot :eek::eek::eek:

Which is what the insurance is for and why most policies start at £1million or more cover

DD
 
Thanks for everyone who took part in this debate it has been interesting.:D
 
jpwone said:
Insurance is what covers you when you slip in the shower getting ready to go and cannot shoot the wedding. Insurance is what covers you when you have just taken your gear out of the car and your assistance closes the boot on your hand. Insurance is what covers you when you put your bag at your side and a guest trips over it. These are just some examples.

When you and your client sign a contract there are obligations on both sides. If, through no fault of your own, you cannot meet those obligations then your insurance is what is going to keep you out of the poor house.

There are 4 types of insurance you should consider:-

The first is liability insurance. This one is really essential and covers you for accidents and accidental damage to property and persons. You really need this as a minimum. Little Jimmy takes an eye out on your umbrella and you are possibly looking at £2M of damages.

The second is indemnity insurance. This indemnifies you for claims for non-performance eg. no show etc.

The third is legal insurance. This will cover your costs of legal advice if sued.

The fourth is equipment insurance. This covers the cost of replacing equipment in the event of theft or damage.

As a professional (full time or part time) you have to consider the implications of an unexpected event and the cost of protecting yourself. I would bet (and I don't usually bet) that a good percentage of photographers give a higher importance to equipment insurance than they do to liability insurance.

John
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Good explanation there m8 :thumbs:

And for interest only, I have all 4 of the above cover for some £12,000 of gear, and my policy starts at £2m cover (I'm sure there's a £5m figure in there somewhere too) for less than £300 a year - which is of course tax-deductible and hence not worth doing without

And John, I have a legal background so I went for all the cover under the sun prior to calculating the equipment cover ;)

DD
 
Insurance really is a must for pros even if a guest trips on a
tripod and hurts himself you are in the ****.
 
Just to add my 2p in addition to what I said earlier. I do have insurance (equipment, liability and indemnity) and I think it is a must. I'm still not sure where the OP stands on the issue. Seems to be playing devil's advocate a bit but without giving us his (or her?) opinion.

Out of interest - legal insurace, I'm not familiar with that. I thought that side of things was covered by indemnity. Presume that's something else I need to pay for now then?
 
I have all the insurance,

I was playing devils advocate but in a nice way.;)
 
I haven't but I know of one who has been sued, it happened when I was working for a local paper, the "wedding" photographer turned out to actually be an Architectural photographer, sadly he'd never done any weddings before, and in fact had never shot anything that moved in his life.
I was sent over to cover the story from the families side, the pics were truly terrible, exposures miles out etc etc, hardly supprising he got sued really, end result, he had to pay £7.500 costs and compensation (and this after he warned the couple he didn't have much wedding experience), and his name is mud locally in that area.
I also know a few local togs who have come close, mostly in the last 2 years due to the compensation culture we now live in, they have managed to "buy off" the couples to try and keep their reputation.
Wayne
 
I stillthinkit is an American phenomenon. Those suing risk losing and laibility for costs too. And are not necessarily insured against that risk,as apro wedding photographer should be.
Maybe I have a naive trust in human nature, but in this country still believe the pics would have to be truly awful to induce someone to sue. Better safe than sorry ***,get insured.
And in answer to the original question, no,certainly not. :)
 
I've only ever done 1 wedding, but my friend wants to start a wedding photography business (I'm not so interested in wedding photography myself.). Right now we've been using a disclaimer signed by both of us and the couple.

But where's the best place for her to get insurance?
 
KhalidIbn said:
I've only ever done 1 wedding, but my friend wants to start a wedding photography business (I'm not so interested in wedding photography myself.). Right now we've been using a disclaimer signed by both of us and the couple.

But where's the best place for her to get insurance?
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Disclaimers are hardly likely to work in practice

To stop others pm-ing me about insurance :p

I got mine from Aaduki (Google them), most helpful bunch as I spent ages querying cover etc. before wasting, I mean INVESTING ;) in insurance with them

DD
 
jpwone said:
Insurance is what covers you when you slip in the shower getting ready to go and cannot shoot the wedding. Insurance is what covers you when you have just taken your gear out of the car and your assistance closes the boot on your hand. Insurance is what covers you when you put your bag at your side and a guest trips over it. These are just some examples.

John
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:thinking::thinking:

O.K. so wear non-slip shoes in the shower or better yet, don't shower at all...only hire assistants with good eyesight and common sense and paint your kitbag neon yellow...:D



But seriously, very valid points. Even as a "weekend warrior" I have cover in all those points to the tune of a few million and fortunately never had to make use of it yet.

Except for insuring my equipment for loss/damage...can't afford that...
 
i think i that the people on this thread so far saying no should be ok, since most are skilled professional photographers. who understand and know how to use there cameras. and as such would get a decent amount of usable images.
 
Insurance. There are some venues you wont get into if you dont have insuarance - which is why we keep a copy of the certificate in the car.

There are all sorts of scenario's where you need insurance and other things in place:

PAT tests for mains powered equipement etc.

Im having a bad year - so far I have smashed one SB800 to bits and backed my {insert expletive} behind into some stupid glass shelves held on with nothing whilst shooting a bride at home

In both instances there was no claim, and it all worked out fine, but... one day one of us might break something, miss a shoot, have all our gear nicked, or have a customer trip on a lighting stand... at which point both liabilaty and imdemnity insurance will be a godsend
 
No I haven't, but I know a couple that have been sued. No, I'm not going into it further.

I have equipment and liability insurance, but not indemnity. I like to live on the edge :)
 
It doesn't matter whether or not you know you'll do the job properly. Someone could nick your gear (beyond your control) and then you'd have zero photos of the wedding and would surely be sued.
 
I might be pointing out the obvious here but one thing that's not been mentioned so far is that a little common sense can go a long way to preventing daft claims going anywhere. Don't leave your bags, etc. laying about where people can trip on them for example. Any claim against you has to show you were negligent so there's plenty you can do to prevent blame for any accidents.

Of course insurance is essential but better to have only when you really need it and not because you were an idiot :thumbs:
 
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