Photos go missing for ordinary reasons: a phone with location services off, a corrupted folder, a label forgotten at the final walk-around. Whether you can fix it depends on what is missing and what the evidence is meant to prove.
What the CER says
The CER’s guide to battery evidence states that failure to meet the photo requirements will result in delayed or rejected STC claim processing, and that it may lead to compliance action, including surrender of STCs. It also says installers may need to go back to site to rectify a problem.
Sorting the gap into three types
1. The photo exists but was not sent. Easiest case. Find the original file, check it still has its metadata, and resubmit in the right format, one battery claim per email.
2. The photo exists but is unusable. For example it is blurred or cropped, or the label is partly obscured. If you have a clearer shot from the same visit, send that. If not, you may need a return visit.
3. The photo was never taken. A new photo will be taken after the fact and will carry a later time and possibly a different location trail. Where the job is compliant and the label is in place, a return visit and a fresh photo is the honest route. Where something is missing on site, such as the circular emergency label or the shutdown procedure, fix it on site and then photograph it.
Do not reuse photos from another job, edit metadata or create images of a label that is not installed. That is a compliance problem, not a paperwork one.
Steps to take
- Read the rejection or query carefully and identify exactly which item is missing.
- Check the original files on the phone, in the cloud backup and in any messaging history.
- If it is a labelling gap, visit the site, fix and photograph.
- Send the full corrected set, not only the missing item, so the assessor sees a consistent record.
- Keep a note of what happened and what you changed, in case of audit.
See how to fix a failed STC claim for the general process and why STC claims are rejected.
What this means for installers
The cheapest fix is the pre-check. Compliance review before lodgement means a missing photo is found while you can still get it, and not weeks later in a rejection. The battery submission guide, the STC photo requirements and the battery STC overview set out what a complete claim contains, and our pricing page shows what the certificates are worth when they do clear.