Trades disputes are one of the most common small business headaches in Australia. A customer claims the work wasn't done properly, or wasn't done at all. A scope creep argument erupts. Someone insists the damage was pre-existing. Without documentation, it's your word against theirs — and that's a stressful place to be.
An increasing number of tradies have found a simple answer: photograph everything, and make sure the photo proves where and when it was taken.
The before/after photo is your best witness
A photo taken before you start work — showing the existing condition of a wall, pipe, roof, or wiring — combined with one taken after completion, with embedded GPS coordinates and an uneditable timestamp, is a powerful record. It proves you were at that address, at that time, and that the job was completed in the condition you're claiming.
Most tradies already take job photos. The issue is that photos sent via text or email often lose their metadata, and photos stored in a general camera roll aren't always easy to retrieve months later when a dispute arises.
I used to just take photos on my phone and hope I could find them later. Now every job gets its own activity in Preserver — before, during, after. Takes two extra minutes and has saved me from a few very awkward conversations.
What tradies capture in Preserver
- Arrival photo — shows the property, the date, and sometimes the clock on a wall if you want belt-and-braces proof
- Pre-work condition — existing damage, wear, or issues before you touch anything
- During-work progress shots — useful for complex or multi-day jobs
- Completion photos — the finished work in its final state
- Voice note summary — a quick spoken debrief of what was done, any issues encountered, and what the customer said at handover
No Wi-Fi required on site
A lot of trade work happens in areas with poor mobile signal — underground, in new developments, in remote properties. Preserver captures all metadata via GPS satellite, which doesn't need a network connection. Everything syncs when you're back in coverage.
It's not just about disputes
Good documentation also helps with insurance claims, warranty work, quoting future jobs based on documented past work, and simply running a more professional operation. Clients notice when a tradie arrives prepared and leaves with a clear record of what was done. It builds trust.
The barrier to doing this properly used to be that it required extra effort — a separate app, a folder system, manual uploads. Preserver makes it as fast as pulling out your phone. Which is what you're already doing.
