Words and Pictures
Pictures never lie but they can bend the truth if given half the chance. There is a trend currently that is going to hurt people in the long run. No not fidget-spinners, but the reliance of photographs instead of a professionally completed written report.
A common issue we are coming across is people turning down inventories because ‘I’ll just take some photos’. Here are the advantages of just taking photos:
- Image capture technology is prevalent and cheap
- DIY it, have it done in twenty minutes
Pretty good reasons, except, they’re not. Here’s the disadvantages:
- Image manipulation technology is prevalent and cheap
- You don’t have a trained professional who knows what to look for
- Deposit protection schemes overwhelmingly favour written reports over photographs.
- There is a conflict of interests
Photographs can be easily manipulated which is something that has to be taken into account when using them for evidence, the TDS has over and over again stated that a professional written report clearly stating description and condition is far more valuable than a photograph. And it’s kind of shocking to see badly framed photographs held up as proof.
Taking photographs is only one step in the process a professional inventory clerk use, we are trained from the beginning to make descriptive, detailed reports and work with the deposit schemes to be able to supply the most useful evidence for their adjudications.
Cutting corners will get you where you want to go faster but in the long run it will set you back further. Use a professional written inventory, at Valensole Inventories we are professional Inventory clerks who also write.
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