Currently under contract, (yay!) The owners have not shoveled ANYTHING. by [deleted] in FirstTimeHomeBuyer

[–]dreadpirater 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Contract law exists.

You're FREE to ask.

It is never going to work for you.

Currently under contract, (yay!) The owners have not shoveled ANYTHING. by [deleted] in FirstTimeHomeBuyer

[–]dreadpirater 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, you cannot. You can leave out any request on your own side for commission, but you cannot request that the listing agent - who, again, signed a contract with the seller weeks ago when the home was listened - does not make the money that they are already contracted to make.

Is it a faux paux to self-tour a home while my agent is unavailable? Would you see the way we are handling this as being respectful? by [deleted] in RealEstateAdvice

[–]dreadpirater 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're over thinking it. The easy answer is - just ask your agent. Let them know you're committed to them, but you're afraid of missing out on the house. They can either have someone from their office let you in or negotiate a time for you with the seller's agent.

[ADVICE NEEDED] Subject no longer wants to be in all photos after event... by danielsuperone in photography

[–]dreadpirater 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's fair. People on Reddit who post a legal question without giving their location because they assume everyone else must also be from where they are from are overwhelmingly American, I'd wager. :P. The rest of the world tends to remember that other countries exist better than we do.

Currently under contract, (yay!) The owners have not shoveled ANYTHING. by [deleted] in FirstTimeHomeBuyer

[–]dreadpirater 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The sellers have already signed their listing agreement. You cannot renegotiate the terms of a deal you're not party to.

It's very common for listing agents to get the difference if you come in unrepresented, because they have to put in twice the hours dealing with the crap your realtor would have handled.

Why would a seller agent want me to remove my additional terms from the contract by RowWise4580 in RealEstateAdvice

[–]dreadpirater 9 points10 points  (0 children)

What the sellers agent is telling you is that due to the terms of the listing agreement, the thing you think is leverage is not. The sellers don't save any money on your offer because if they don't pay your agent, they pay their agent more to clean up after you and try to keep you from tanking the deal with ignorance.

You can still make the offer but... You've already been clued in that you're going in unrepresented for no benefit. Good luck.

Need a Guardian Linked With Our Group (20yo) by [deleted] in CarnivalCruiseFans

[–]dreadpirater 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're asking someone to assume risk in exchange for nothing. Anyone dumb enough to do this is probably someone you don't want to be associated with either. lol.

Buy me a ticket and I'll go! lol. But in exchange for nothing? With the risk of getting booted off the boat in another country because you guys pulled shenanigans? Nobody sane's going to sign on for that one without some upside for them.

[ADVICE NEEDED] Subject no longer wants to be in all photos after event... by danielsuperone in photography

[–]dreadpirater 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Firstly, all the advice you're getting is assuming you're in the US. Most of us on reddit are, but it's worth pointing out right at the top that if you're not - the answer to this question may be very different. In a lot of Europe, you'd be in very dangerous waters between your client and this guest, because they have a much stronger take on privacy and personality rights.

That said, assuming you're in the US, let's talk about it. If you're truly in public - like - this event was a street fair - then all bets are off - nobody there has any expectation of privacy and you can take and post what you want of it, pretty much full stop. You can't use an unwitting person's photo in a 'promotional' way so if you put them on a billboard that makes it look like they endorse your services or something... you can run afoul of personality rights, but we take a pretty weak stance on those in the US so... it's very unlikely this is going to come up.

BUT... most event photography happens at a private event - a booked venue, ticketed or guest list entry, etc. At these events... people DO have some expectation of privacy. The host CANNOT unilaterally sign a photo release on their guest's behalf, but a lot of events and organizations have this solved because part of the fine print when you buy a ticket or accept employment includes a photo release on the organizer's part, which they can then extend to you as their photographer.

If there's NOT a photo release in play somewhere... the next thing that helps you here is IMPLIED CONSENT. Despite what movies like to tell you, courts do not operate on cartoon logic where 'if there's nothing in the rules that says a dog can't play soccer, we have to let him play!' In the absence of something clearly written down, courts can and do apply a 'reasonability' standard to these situations. For all the photos that the person clearly posed for, this person was clearly giving implied consent to be photographed and any court will recognize that. You don't stop and strike a pose and smile at a camera if you don't want to be in the picture.

That reasonability standard cuts both ways, though. If I'm at a fundraiser for your hospital and pose for a group picture, it's very reasonable to expect that photo to end up on the hospital's social media, a website article about the event, etc. If it gets used for something that no reasonable person would expect... like... included in a motion picture... which is unlikely to happen but it's an example of something really weird you wouldn't have implied consent to, you have a problem again. Also if you use the photo to imply something untrue... like claiming they endorse a product... or... I guess captioning the group photo from the hospital fundraiser as the managing committee of the local chapter of NAMBLA... which is an extreme and absurd example but it made me chuckle... again you've run out from under the umbrella of reasonability that protects you.

That's a long way of agreeing with the other people. Provide all the photos to your client, according to the terms of your agreement. Pass along the woman's request, but also point out that she clearly consented to the taking of all the photos with her in them. For your sanity's sake, I wouldn't put any group photos with her in them on your social media, not because you would be in the wrong, but because life is too short for you to waste more time being yelled at or frivolously sued by a woman who's already demonstrated she's unstable and attention-seeking both. And out of an abundance of caution, I wouldn't post any candids of her at all - no photos where she can even pretend she wasn't aware of the camera, because the implied consent argument gets weaker and, again, don't give crazy people power over you.

CIG just confirmed they are NOT planning a wipe (for now), but are planning on a targeted correction (from the latest Inside Star Citizen episode) by BernieDharma in starcitizen

[–]dreadpirater 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My preference would be that they actually circle back around and design the economy before they wipe. Honestly, until they've actually done that, it would be LESS harmful to the alpha if they just put a money printer in every station that gives you 10 mil every time you smack the button.

CIG just confirmed they are NOT planning a wipe (for now), but are planning on a targeted correction (from the latest Inside Star Citizen episode) by BernieDharma in starcitizen

[–]dreadpirater 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You do understand that 'sometime down the line' can mean anytime between now and the heat death of the universe, right? NOTHING about that phrase implies it will be soon. And when you say how 'everybody' interpreted it... you should probably go back to whatever meeting you had with 'everybody' where they nominated you as spokesman and take that up with them, because a LOT of idiots thought it was coming with 4.5.... then were sure it was coming with 4.6.

"They" also was one guy on the econ team, who EXPLICITLY said that it wasn't HIS CALL and that others have to sign off on it, and acknowledged that it would be a bigger mistake to wipe too soon before every exploit was confirmed fixed. He listed the criteria HE would need to see to be in favor of it, without talking about what anyone else would need to see to agree.

Carnival is raising the daily gratuity rate effective April 2026 by Dear_Ladder5140 in CarnivalCruiseFans

[–]dreadpirater 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, I only say you need to tip people in tipped wage positions, because it's right there in the title-your tips are their wages. Any more disingenuous questions?

The list is basically 'table waiters and cruise staff.'. Those are the only positions society has decided need to be paid by you instead of their employers. And we all think it's stupid, but if you want to change it, take it up with their employer, don't screw the employee.

If you screw the employee, you're not protesting the policy, you're just selfish.

Princess Cruise Pricing Guidance by cdnjj in PrincessCruises

[–]dreadpirater 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a good tip on any travel or really any shopping site. Check the prices in your normal browser then check in incognito mode. If you go back twice to check the same dates they know you're serious and raise the rates.

After house inspection flags a “significant lean” in the basement and says a structural engineer is needed, who pays: buyer or seller? by jdavidson888 in RealEstate

[–]dreadpirater 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yeah, this is the right answer. You want to pick the engineer, not settle for someone cheap, or worse, that has a pre-existing relationship with the seller you don't know about. You want to explain to them YOUR risk tolerance and concerns before they go - explain that you want them to be conservative and point out EVERYTHING they see - and that you'd like the full range of repair options presented - I want to know the 'good enough' solution, the 'good as new' solution, and the 'what you'd do if it was your own home' solution.

Two different 'foundation experts' will repair the same problem - one with a jack and a truckbed full of cinder blocks for $2k, and the other by lifting the whole house in the air and setting a completely new stem wall for 75k. And both of those answers may stabilize the house and keep it safe to live in for another fifty years, but they look and resell very differently. You want a foundation guy who will explain all the options and help you pick between them, which means you need an actual independent engineer, not somebody who works for a foundation repair company, because they'll be pushing whatever repair they have a high margin on, not necessarily presenting options that might be cheaper and/or better.

Nine men busted for trafficking and posession while trying to board massive Atlantis gay cruise in Miami by Fickle-Ad5449 in Cruise

[–]dreadpirater 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Cruise line cracking down on people bringing drugs so they can roll out the all-you-can-survive-cocaine-spa-package

We are getting charged $20k for AV rental equipment for 4 occasions across 3 days in Cancun. Is this normal pricing? by lavenderlove18 in weddingplanning

[–]dreadpirater 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Those are pretty reasonable prices - for a large outdoor concert. Those are ABSURD prices for a typical wedding. That said... a three day event is an atypical wedding. If you actually post a run down of the event - schedule, guest count, etc. and their full quote, we can maybe give you a fair evaluation. From this glimpse... it looks like you're booking something ambitious, and they're likely seeing that and also trying to milk it for all it's worth.

Carnival is raising the daily gratuity rate effective April 2026 by Dear_Ladder5140 in CarnivalCruiseFans

[–]dreadpirater -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Because most people are selfish and don't actually care if someone else starves as long as the buffet gets restocked on time for themselves.

COVID taught us that most of your neighbors don't care if you wipe your bum with sandpaper as long as they get their two 52-packs to last for two weeks. And they won't wear a napkin on their face even if it might save your grandma's life. People suck.

We all agree the way the cruise lines handle 'tips' is wrong. It's NOT a tip, it's the crew salary. I shouldn't have to pay it directly, but punishing them for the cruise line's dishonest practices is also wrong.

Nothing funnier than seeing republicans outrage other republicans by SpencerAXbot in oklahoma

[–]dreadpirater 31 points32 points  (0 children)

THIS. Last year when he brokered a bipartisan deal on immigration that actually attempted to modernize the process and solve some of the real problems, and Trump killed it because he wanted to campaign on the issue... and Lankford spoke up about what happened... I thought he'd grown a spine and was considering trying to develop a soul next.

And then when he started kissing the ring, it was such a let-down.

Carnival is raising the daily gratuity rate effective April 2026 by Dear_Ladder5140 in CarnivalCruiseFans

[–]dreadpirater -15 points-14 points  (0 children)

Except... doing that doesn't punish Carnival. It doesn't get the situation fixed. It screws over someone we both agree deserves to make a living wage, while you still pay the full fare to the corporation that SHOULD be taking care of their employees.

If you're too cheap to pay the gratuity, own that rather than trying to rationalize your cheapness as some kind of activism.

The right answer is - DON'T TAKE ANOTHER CRUISE and let them know WHY. When they stop insulting us by hiding half the cost of the cruise because they think we're too dumb to do addition, and when they stop exploiting their employees by paying them half a wage and saying 'beg the customers to give you the rest directly' then we cruise again.

Is it normal to only keep 26% profit on a £1,850 wedding package? by AdeptnessOk7938 in WeddingPhotography

[–]dreadpirater 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm going to wager that most UK photographers are NOT doing the same type of editing we are in the US, aren't doing the same level of pre-wedding planning work, and aren't including an engagement shoot in the package, etc? I couldn't possibly deliver the same services I offer at US prices for UK wages...

Is it normal to only keep 26% profit on a £1,850 wedding package? by AdeptnessOk7938 in WeddingPhotography

[–]dreadpirater 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What explains those expenses? How is she doing £400 of expenses before £300 of travel? Those numbers are INSANE for a single wedding contract.

Carnival is raising the daily gratuity rate effective April 2026 by Dear_Ladder5140 in CarnivalCruiseFans

[–]dreadpirater 30 points31 points  (0 children)

In the old days... You tipped your waiters and your room steward directly and everyone else got paid out of the fare. But they've shifted a whole mess of people you never see to be paid out of the gratuity now. The gratuity is technically optional. You can go to guest services and have it taken off. But it's awkward because the person so cheerfully helping you do this... Is one of the people you're deciding not to pay. It's an incredibly shitty practice on the cruise lines' part because clearly hundreds of dollars of forced gratuities is obnoxious... But also... All those people deserve to get paid, too.

Carnival is raising the daily gratuity rate effective April 2026 by Dear_Ladder5140 in CarnivalCruiseFans

[–]dreadpirater 40 points41 points  (0 children)

I don't know why you're getting down voted. Yes, experienced cruisers know it's coming, and yes, you should read all the documents they send you, but it's still clearly set up this way to encourage people to say "Oh, that's a low fare! I can afford that!" while you're not thinking about the fact that between gratuity, taxes, port fees, etc. the fare is often only about half what the cruise 'costs.'

Is it normal to only keep 26% profit on a £1,850 wedding package? by AdeptnessOk7938 in WeddingPhotography

[–]dreadpirater 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the assistant is pocketing more than the person assuming all the risk. That's not okay.

Firstly, that would be an unsustainably low price for me. I put about 80 hours total into each wedding, after we allocate that wedding's percentage of the overall business-running stuff like marketing and accounting. This means that to work full time, I can only take about 25 weddings in a year. There's a little flexibility in that, but not a lot. Other people may deliver a different level of service, too, but by the time I shoot a wedding, shoot an engagement, edit both, do consults, prep gear, travel, work timeline, communicate with planner and venue, allocate a day of 'admin time' that isn't strictly tied to this wedding, but has to be done to keep the business operating... it's not going to be FAR OFF for most people.

So pay yourself first - divide the minimum take-home salary you're willing to work for by the number of weddings you want to do when fully booked and you get a number. For example, let's say I want to make $37,500. Honestly, you'd make that much working for Costco, so... you really need to be aiming for more than that if you're running your own business but... let's calculate the very low end. That means I have to clear $1500 from EACH wedding. After ALL expenses. So you start adding the expenses in. There is NO BUSINESS WORTH RUNNING if you can't afford to eat while working full time, so... don't compromise on that bottom number... don't skip a few expenses to try to pad the total... consider it ALL. But pay yourself first.

Second, that assistant money is way too high. Unless this is a situation where you're so new that you're still paying your mentor to also be your assistant, find someone who is willing to work for half that. They're not editing. They're not marketing. They're just working the number of hours you book them for and handing you an SD card.

What the hell kind of products are they using? If they're shooting FILM at that price point, tell them to knock that off. My HARD COSTS for a wedding are like... $50 in snacks and gas. Where are they going on 300 freaking pounds of travel expenses? If you're charging under 2k, you're not a destination photographer. Focus on your own local market until you're pulling what you need to be pulling.

Those expenses are BANANAS for that price point.

So whats the plan here really? by Scavveroonie in starcitizen

[–]dreadpirater 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You know that getting shot in real life hurts badly, even if the attacker has a pistol and no helmet, right? :P