Camera Phone as CYA Tool
Using the little camera in your phone (or in my case, my Sony PDA) can keep you from getting ripped off. If the camera has a date imprinting feature, make sure it’s on by default.
When renting a car, take pictures of it before you drive it for the first time, especially paying attention to any scratches or dings. Then take pictures right before you turn it back in. This way if they try to claim you damaged the car, you’ll have proof that you didn’t.
Do the same for your own car before you hand the keys over for valet parking. When you get the car back, walk around it once before you get inside, and if you see anything suspicious - anything at all - take a picture of it. You can always compare the photos later, and if you do find a scratch or ding, you have evidence to back up your claim.
Here’s an example that worked for me personally: I suspected a place I used to take my car in for an oil change wasn’t actually replacing my oil filter (I already knew for a fact that they weren’t doing some of the other things they were supposed to do). So I opened the hood and took a picture of the oil filter the day before taking it in for service. Then, after taking it in for the change, I opened the hood right there in the parking lot and took a new picture of the oil filter. The picture was identical to the one I took the day before.
The service manager was on the defensive, but couldn’t explain away the pictures. So he sent my car back into the shop and had them do it all over again, on top of refunding my money.
These are just a few of the ways you can use that ever-present little camera to cover your butt. Any time you’re responsible for the condition of something, or someone else is responsible for something of yours, a few quick little snapshots can save you significant trouble or money. Think of it as insurance that you don’t have to pay for.
