To ask your opinion and experiences with a Bounty Photographer

[Emlou07]

Both of my DD were prem so I never experienced one. But I have read quite a lot of bad reports surrounding the reps.

I’ve been offered a job as a ‘Bounty Lady’ only 3 days a week. Fully aware it’s commissioned based. I’m not doing it to pay the bills. So if I take the job, I wouldn’t be a ‘pushy’ rep. So that side of things isn’t an issue.

I’m more interested in what your expietences were? Good or bad? Value for money?

Are they really that disliked?

Type in the google mumsnet and bounty
It will tell you all you need to know

I found the rep intrusive. She didn’t particularly give me the hard sell but I was a bit of a mess and just didn’t want to see anyone who wasn’t family or a medical professional. I just wanted her to go away. IMO they shouldn’t be allowed on maternity wards.

My SIL had some photos done of her newborn by Bounty. They are nice photos but I still think the idea of trying to flog something to vulnerable women (and women are vulnerable when we’ve just given birth) is fundamentally wrong.

With my first child I was put into a side room afterwards, I was struggling a lot with my mental health, my parents were too unwell to visit me and I felt really alone, generally I was in a bad place.. (just so you have an idea of how I was at the time)
Bounty rep barged in without knocking, told me she was there to take photos of my baby, didn't ask me. Then proceeded to arrange a blanket, lifted my baby out of his cot, put him on the blanket and took a load of photos. She then went on and on about what photos I should buy.
I felt intimidated and like I couldn't say no at any point. Looking back on it in a much stronger place mentally I would have asked her to leave but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
I don't think they should be allowed in hospitals and with my next 2 kids I haven't allowed them near us. The photos of DC1 that I didnt want remain in a drawer.

The bounty lady at my first birth was fine. She asked if I wanted any pictures of my DD, I said no I can’t afford them. She went away! No problems. If you are like her then I would say go for it, although I can’t imagine she would make as much money as a pushy rep.

My baby was premature and on NICU, but that didn't stop the Bounty woman from barging in telling me she'd come to take some photos of him

There was a board near the nurses station with info about who was in which bed and if their baby was on NICU, there was no need for her to make this gaff (& not apologise for it).

MY bounty lady was very nice. Not at all intrusive. Explained who she was etc. No hard sell

Mumsnet started a campaign against Bounty a couple of years ago and for good reason. They are a nuisance and should be removed from access to vulnerable women.

If you aren't doing it for the money, why would you take the job at all? Sorry, but even if individual reps are nice and un-pushy, it's a sleazy job all round and they have no business on postnatal wards, period, which are hellish enough as it is.

With my first, the bounty lady came and offered to take some pictures of my son. She wasn’t pushy at all (I’d never heard of the bounty lady before so didn’t realise they were so hated). I agreed to have pictures done, but I didn’t like them so I didn’t buy them.
With my second, she came around but I said I didn’t want them (as I hadn’t bought them with my son) so she went away!
It was all very amicable

I don't understand why sales people, often "hard sell" people are allowed onto hospital wards where women are often in a vulnerable state. On morphine, exhausted, struggling, having babies in SCBU, trying to BF, trying to cope with pain, stitches, losing quantities of blood etc etc

I 100% supported the MN campaign around Bounty and I believe they need to be off the wards.

HTH

Mine was the opposite. Said she would do some pics and never came back

I was also in a side room with a baby in NICU.
I was a mess and STILL got the hard sell even after telling the rep I wasn't interested. Think I must have given my address as I've started getting marketing through the post.
They should not be allowed on the wards, in my opinion.

On all occasions Bounty lady took photos, took details and left. No problems at all.

No matter how nice the rep is, they are there to sell. To patients. In a hospital bed. That is fundamentally wrong.

By all accounts they make absolute pennies and the managers set unachievable targets, if you're a good photographer could you not set yourself up as a newborn photographer on your own?

Pushy
Overpriced
Intrusive
Generic shots

It's harassment of vulnerable people. I don't think bounty should be allowed on the wards selling. And they NEVER tell the truth about all the data they are collecting from you - you will be on mailing lists for marketing crap for forever.

I feel strongly about this. In no other part of a hospital are sales people allowed access to patients in a vulnerable condition. It's a horrendous breach of privacy.

1st and 2nd dc I had pics taken. I was exhausted and a mess, I felt pushed into it. The pics were crap and I didn't buy even though she really pushed. 3rd dc I was in my own room and I didn't let her in. She insisted but I told her no. I think they are crap and over priced

Please don’t take this job, do you really want to approach convalescing women to try and sell them photos?

Also, newborn babies all look like William Hague.

Both of mine said that if I had to give my personal details (for marketing) in order to get the child ben form, this is quite common I think, from reading threads on here.

I was on morphine after both mine and it's highly inappropriate to let hard sell people go at people who are high, I mean that's just completely obvious isn't it? Apparently not.

They are in many many cases hated and with damn good reason.

There is NEVER going to be a good enough reason why vulnerable women are exposed, without consent, to selling reps while they are in hospital.

Those who say their experience was fine miss the point. They shouldn't be there because it's absolutely a breach of patient privacy. There are many many places where bounty could operate. They shouldn't be allowed access to anyone who has just given birth without clear consent being obtained FIRST.

I'm sad to hear they're still in operation to be honest, last time I heard of one was at least three years ago (friend of a friend who went satisfyingly apeshit and ordered Bounty drone out of her side room, BD interrupted her to start trying to TELL her that she was only going to take a few pictures so FOF picked up the water jug and told her to get the fuck out or she'd get a drenching 😁)

Mine was the opposite. Said she would do some pics and never came back same experience here

www.mumsnet.com/campaigns/bounty-reps-campaign-index

More info on the MN campaign

I didn't bother with the photos as I find them tacky (each to their own and I wouldn't sneer at someone else having them though) so I shooed the Bounty harasser away. You've made me REALLY fancy a bounty bar now. Haven't had one in ages.