Some CPSTs purchase their own insurance policy so they're covered that way. I hear it's not very expensive and if I were doing private checks, I would certainly get it.
Nathan just talked to our insurance guy today about getting me insured. I'm not covered under our homeowner's umbrella policy, and a rider for it is $1500 a year. I can't do hpso.com because I'm not employed. I guess maybe I could say self employed, but I don't have any income, so I don't get a W2 or a 1099, and I'm certainly not a student. If someone has a way around that I'd love to hear it. Nathan won't shell out the $1500. Right now 90% of my checks are private. I'm doing four this week, I think I did three or four last week, the same the week before. Nearly all word of mouth (which of course puts my ego much higher than when this started. LOL). I make sure that the parent is the last one to touch the seat so that way I haven't installed it, and I follow the manuals to a T, I sat out in 90 degree heat today to read the Trailblazer manual about the airbags (2004, non advanced, EASIEST outboard LATCH install ever of a Marathon). Nathan says that's not enough, if someone wants to sue me they'll sue me. But I can't see what they would get me on. Most people seem to be covered for giving bad advice, and since I'm not touching the seat last or going against manufacturers' instructions one would think my advice, good or bad, would be covered under the Good Samaritan.
However, given the paranoia, I emailed my state SafeKids administrator to see what's what. This is what she told me:
You ask about liability insurance. If this were a Safe Kids event
(sponsored by a Safe Kids coalition or chapter), then we could register
it with Safe Kids Worldwide and they would have insurance coverage for
us. The one thing that I remember is that the tech teaches the parent
how to put the car seat in, but the parent is the actual one who does
it. The parent is the last person to touch the car seat and the
responsibility is his/hers.
She's passed on my question to others, though. I know the people here can't be the only ones in North America who are passionate CPSTs and not affiliated with an organization. In fact I told Nathan today that in all honesty, I'd rather not be affiliated because I don't trust any of them. So there has to be some way, short of $1500 a year, to insure us.
Has anyone done hpso.com unemployed? How did you get that through? Did it just take a phone call to explain what's what and that's that?
Wendy