Through the Lens - CLOSED

Public Liability and the IPPA - 2

Before reading this you should have all the background and read my previous blog.  If you do wish to respond, and I actively encourage it,  please be polite and considerate - I'm a sesitive soul.

We shouldn’t draw any conclusions from the Margaret’s silence on my question but we can see clearly from Nigel’s post he hasn’t had any problems with state bodies and hotels.

With regard to the local authorities I have written to the Department of the Environment to seek clarification of their requirements for local authorities and await their response.  It is hard to get a definitive answer from anyone but as the Department are responsible for all local authorities they should give some clarity to this confused area.

As Nigel has written much better than I could I am not going to rehash his points again.  I would, however, like to make a number of observations and pose a number of questions:-

• By setting a defined level of cover for Public Liability insurance the IPPA has helped to promote the high levels of litigation in Ireland.  Why couldn’t the IPPA simply ask members to have PL cover and allow them be advised by their respective brokers. 
• Is making insurance a major selling point of the association a good idea?  It is important but it shouldn’t be our unique selling point.  What should our letter head say - “Come on sue me – I’ve got the cover.”
• Have the IPPA ever looked for tenders from brokers other then O’Brien Finlay when looking for deals for their members.  Times have changed and with the entrance of many companies into the market place, Quinn Direct, Eagle Star, Norwich Union etc we should be reviewing our arrangements on a regular basis.  If, yes, please supply full details of how this tender process was under taken, when it was undertaken, who was approached and when is it up for review again?
• If not, why not?
• Who are the members of the review committee and how are they appointed?  When was their last report published on the IPPA internet for members to read.

While some may accuse me of washing IPPA dirty laundry in public I see this as an industry wide issue.  The IPPA have set a precedent with this mandatory cover requirement and all professional photographers should be aware of the implications.  Also the IPPA have no forum for addressing these issues as they arise and to date have not facilitated "a right to reply" on issues.  A letter to the secretary re Public Liability was responded to with the answer “It is council policy”.

Thanks

Alan Murphy

Public Liability and the IPPA

The IPPA seem to be getting their act together of late.  Recent innovations such as "Happy Faces" and Orientation Days are to be welcomed - indeed we have acknowledged the work on this blog.  But in a recent letter to all members the president Gerry O'Leary outlined a requirement for public liability to the amount of €6.5 million.  I do believe that all professional photographers should have adequate insurance cover but I would like to know how the amount of €6.5 million was arrived at.  Before going any further all professional photographers should know that every €1 million cover costs approximately €100 extra per annum.

In the UK the standard cover for Professional Photographers is £2 million sterling*.  If work is being undertaken in high risk areas, like airports etc.,  this can be increased to £5 million but this is generally done on a temporary basis.

The OPW has confirmed to IPWS that the minimum cover required is €1.5 million but a more acceptable figure is €2.6 million.  This is the body who control many of the public parks and monuments around Ireland.  Despite enquiries from IPWS a number of other bodies haven't been able to confirm their insurance requirements.  This lack of clarity can really only mean that they don't have definite policy requirements.

So why then are members of the IPPA required to have such a high cover?   I wouldn't have thought we are particularily high risk and in all my years in the industry I have never heard of a claim to a fraction of the amounts being set as a requirement.  I trust they aren't taking guidance only from O'Brien Finlay who advertised only policies for Public Liability limits of indemnity of 6.5 million in the 2007 IPPA insurance leaflet.  When I enquired with the IPPA I was simply informed that it was "council policy" but they were mindful of feedback from members. 

Perhaps the IPPA might revisit this requirement and bring it into line with what the industry really needs and thus save photographers a large wedge of cash!  Then they might set about lobbying the various bodies to accept a figure inline with the OPW because the things we need here are consistancy and representation - not larger bills! 

I would welcome your views.

Alan M

*Please note neither of these sample companies sell into Ireland but Towergate do - and by the way IPWS gets no funding from any company involved in selling insurance - but we welcome support from any quarter.

Insurance Company 1

Insurance Company 2 Uk

Why should I Thank You? It says it on the receipt!!!!. by Dominic Lee, AMPA

True story, old lady who shops locally in a Dublin suburb three times a week after Mass, asked the cashier why she never says Thank You. To which the cashier replied, “Why Should I Thank You? It says it on the receipt”

It reminded me of my first trip to London in 1974. Stepping off the bus in Oxford Street, I asked a newspaper seller which direction was it to Piccadilly Circus, he only had to point left or right but he replied, “What do you think this is? a Fuckin Information Desk”. I was shocked, coming from Dublin with its reputation for Friendliness, Courtesy and Good Humour.

Alas the ugly infection has spread to Dublin. But the next phase is almost as ugly,

“The American Way”. As I got into a lift (sorry-elevator) in a Las Vegas hotel, I was very impressed by the questions the porter was asking, he seemed genuinely interested with his What? Where? When? Which? How? and Who? But after a few days I realised that all the lift porters asked everyone the exact same questions in the very same order and they began to sound like the digital recording, which says “doors opening, doors closing”.

I did experience some good old fashioned hospitality up North, I pulled up alongside a Belfast taxi going in the opposite direction and asked him for my hotel location, he said “follow me”, then he did a u-turn and when we arrived at my hotel he did another u-turn and headed off with a friendly wave. Fancy that happening in Dublin?

Have we become so "fast-paced" that we are casting off graciousness and civility? 

Unless we're banking on Global Warming giving us our own Riviera, in which case we can be narky insincere bastards and still stay in business.

Untill then, look your clients in the eye when you thank them for their custom.

Such a simple thing, but it makes all the difference.

“Yall Have a Nice Day”

                       Dominic