Can CPST charge for their service?

[luckyclov]

You have to consider the area you're in as well.

I live in an area where child passenger safety isn't really a big thing. People don't care, don't know, or don't want to know because they think they've got it all covered. I don't do many private (non-friend/family) checks as it is, as a free service, so I'd imagine, if I did charge, I'd have even less.

 

[LISmama810]

You'd have to figure out if the demographics in your area will support a paid service, and if so, how much you can charge.

I live in a relatively wealthy area, plus I travel to THEM. So people have disposable income and can afford the luxury of someone coming to their home.

I'd charge less (much less) if clients were coming to me. I'd also charge less if I lived in a lower-income area. I'd also charge less if there weren't as much demand for the services.

The availability of free services plays into it, too. If someone can walk into a police station and get a check right then, there's no need for them to pay. Out here, there is often a 4- to 6-week wait for free appointments so people are more likely to pay for the luxury of a quick appointment in the comfort of their own driveway.

 

[SafeDad]

CPSTs *can* charge for private seat checks. I don't think carrying liability is *required*, but I do think it's a very good idea, even in states, such as mine, that may have a CPST liability law.

It depends upon the wording of the law, of course, but once you start charging for service, a good samaritan law probably won't apply. The same would be true for a nurse that helps a passer-by who has a medical condition. That may qualify as a good samaritan under some laws, but not if the person was under the nurse's paid care.

Also, having such a law does not protect you from being sued. It can take considerable time, effort and legal expense to proceed far enough for the lawsuit to be dismissed under the terms of the law.

 

[lourdes]

You'd have to figure out if the demographics in your area will support a paid service, and if so, how much you can charge.

I live in a relatively wealthy area, plus I travel to THEM. So people have disposable income and can afford the luxury of someone coming to their home.

I'd charge less (much less) if clients were coming to me. I'd also charge less if I lived in a lower-income area. I'd also charge less if there weren't as much demand for the services.

The availability of free services plays into it, too. If someone can walk into a police station and get a check right then, there's no need for them to pay. Out here, there is often a 4- to 6-week wait for free appointments so people are more likely to pay for the luxury of a quick appointment in the comfort of their own driveway.

I don't lie in a wealthy area but the area that I am focus in it is, and I have made my research and people are willing to pay and if they can have someone that will go to their house, I know that it won't be much but at least it can be like a part time job....

 

[wendytthomas]

I volunteered for years before I realized that I was spending 10-12 hours a week at people's houses. That's a lot of time to be away from my family with no pay, often with Laine in tow, going all over the city. So I started charging. I also try to space them out so I don't do more than two in a day with Laine, but even so, it's maybe a few hundred dollars a month. Not a lot of money at all.

Wendy