CPSTs charge money?

MomtoLE

New member
I have a friend in CA who says she's hiring "someone" to come to her house and install her carseats.

I told her to make sure she's a CPST and that she shows the mom how to install the seats properly and make the mom do it so she knows how.

The lady is charging $90! :eek:

The mom said her friend had a bad experience at the police department and that's whey she's going the paid route.

Does this make sense? I told her there are other CPSTs out that other than the police department.

Thoughts?
 
ADS

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Yup. Our time, training, and expertise are worth something, and cops and firemen are getting paid to do it at their job, so why not?
I used to make $20 an hour at a baby store to have 45 minute teaching sessions with parents who wanted a really good tech experience, instead of the hit-or-miss situation they could get at the CHP... parents were happy, I was happy, it was good. (Sort of like the difference between going to the free-walk-in clinic when you are sick, and being able to make an appointment and pay for your own doctor when you are sick, if you want to put an analogy to it).

$90 seems a tad high, but if she has 2 cars and 4 seats and it takes over an hour to train her to install them all, for example, it's really not *too* bad. And lots of us still do plenty of free work, but some parents' time is just too valuable to sit in line at a carseat check all morning. :twocents:
 

keri1292

Well-known member
I want to take the tech course, but need to find a profitable way to use it. I'll need to arrange/pay for childcare. I'll be happy to do free checks when DH is home, but I'd like a permanent paying gig.

Plus, some have a disposable income and dropping $90 on their childrens safety is peanuts.

However, for $90 I would expect nothing but the best from the CPST...ERFing, EHing, up on all the newest seats, etc. Like any one of the CPST's on car-seat.org! :thumbsup:
 

MomtoLE

New member
I hope she's good for that amount of money!!

This mom wanted to to move her son over to her DD's Triumph, but I was encouraging her to keep him RF'ing to 35 lbs and get a new car seat for DS.

Here's hoping the the lady coming to her house encourages her to do the same as she was just planing on FF'ing him at one year in the Triumph!
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
I will be starting to charge for seat checks soon, but it will be $20 for up to 2 seats, $10 additional for every 2 seats after that or if the same family has another vehicle it will be $10.

I volunteer at free clinics, and will continue to inspect seats for free for people who can't afford to pay. But we're on a single income and I paid for my course. Getting a little money back would help us out a lot.

I don't think it's wrong for techs to charge, although $90 does sound a bit high. I've been told I should charge more than $20, but I figure $20 for a bit less than an hour of time is fair to me and affordable for the parent. And as child safety is ultimately my #1 priority, I'm not going to charge an arm and a leg. :twocents:

eta: Considering that the tech is going to the mom's house, than I think it's reasonable to charge more just for gas and travelling expenses etc. I know people around here wouldn't pay that much though... I'd hope a tech doing this as a business would still volunteer for free clinics every once in awhile though.
 

steph

New member
For the lady I went to it depends, for an at home or meeting at a store it is around $75 bucks, for meeting at the program (happens to be part of a local childrens hospital) it is $25.

Sounds wierd but I kinda like the fact that she charges (of course I would love if it was free) because I know that she has to pay for training (or rather the program does) and this way they can afford to send her to all the conferences, classes, etc. The thing is is that before I found her, I called another tech and he was a full time car salesman and did this on the side. He really knew nothing. Said that I couldn't put the seat in the center of my Pilot because the seatbelt came from the ceiling and such.
 

waterbaby

New member
How are CPST's insured? Does charging for seat checks change anything insurance wise?

I've wondered this same thing... does taking a payment change liability? I assume free checks would be covered by the Good Samaritan law (or similar).
I've just always told DH my services will be voluntary only (when he's asked if I will get paid once certified).
 

Namegirl

Senior Community Member
How are CPST's insured? Does charging for seat checks change anything insurance wise?

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.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Non-techs (separate from fire/police stations, etc.) would fit the Good Samaritan ... but techs have taken a course that the general public hasn't, earning the certification & are therefore liable (even outside of fire/police stations) -- I have individual liability insurance to do private appointments, workshops + school assemblies yet my local fire/police stations also require training to be on their liability insurance (which is why I do private appointments: I cannot fit extra training, etc. into my life as a single homeschooling mama in full time college courses).

When I taught childbirthing classes through my ex SO's women's clinic, I billed the health insurance for seatchecks as an office visit. My other local techs were not fond of this idea, but the state coordinator was OK since I had a niche audience of mostly high risk pregnancies (I did home visits). Because of the flack [sp?] I received even for that, I now only accept donations with a SafeKids form; the $ is obviously then forwarded directly to SafeKids. Most of my appointments are for low income families, though so only 1 person so far has requested to make a donation :eek:
 
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joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
If you go to www.hpso.com (I think it's .com, might be something else?) and call yourself a 'health educator' it's like 2 years of a million bucks of insurance for 90bucks? last I checked, anyway...
 

azgirl71

CPST Instructor
How are CPST's insured? Does charging for seat checks change anything insurance wise?

I have insurance through HPSO.com I was quoted $90/yr, but then when my bill came it was $175. I believe price may depend on where you live as well. Different states different laws. I do not charge though. However I will accept donations.
 

Jewels

Senior Community Member
Non-techs (separate from fire/police stations, etc.) would fit the Good Samaritan ... but techs have taken a course that the general public hasn't, earning the certification & are therefore liable (even outside of fire/police stations) --

Wouldn't this depend on where you live? When I took the course and asked about personal insurance I was told it wasn't needed since our public insurance company for our province is a no fault insurance company so they would be liable either way :rolleyes:
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Yeah, I guess it could ... especially Canada vs. US -- I was under the impression, though, that it's more or less universal within the US :confused:
 

CRS

Senior Community Member
I would pay most of you guys to install my car seat any day! Probably not $90 but maybe a $20 and some lunch! LOL
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
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
 

jen_nah

CPST Instructor
I have insurance through HPSO.com I was quoted $90/yr, but then when my bill came it was $175. I believe price may depend on where you live as well. Different states different laws. I do not charge though. However I will accept donations.

Check and make sure that the $175 wasn't for a 2yr agreement as I know that is how mine was set up. Which reminds me I need to call and get it activated again as I let it lapse.
 

jen_nah

CPST Instructor
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

I had the HPSO when I wasn't working and I have been out of school for a very long time. I would call them to find out for sure their requirements.
 

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