What do non-photographers make of professional photographers: what are the conceptions and misconceptions?

Only yesterday I was approached regarding photographing an event by a group that I have been involved in doing volunteer work, (non-photography media related work) for over 5 years. My first reaction was cringe – this group does not generally value this service, they marvel at the results but they won’t pay when anyone with any camera, in any form, can produce ‘good enough images’. Is this view in part to blame on the medias/cinema projection of the profession which tends to have negative connotations on both the photographer & the industry? As for fine art photography, well artists are well known for not being financially rewarded, in fact bagging a bargain attains bragging rights does it not? Yet, this is a group of mostly affluent women, all are happy to pay, often generously, & often at hourly rates to the likes of cleaners & mechanics & for hairdressers, vets, doctors, black cabs with no qualms. This group is not unusual in this view, the intended output is predominantly web-based, be it social media or newsletters delivered electronically, a good camera phone often suffices – the tolerance for bad composition, odd colour casts & exposure issues is very forgiving. Are we are so bombarded with mediocre imagery that the industry itself has been dumbed down even though there is a huge disparity in beautiful glossy advertising images & personal social media feeds?
But… every now & then there is a realisation that mediocre isn’t representative & after exhausting all ‘free’ channels they go in search of a “professional” – let there be light!
Now is this a balanced view of all non-photographers, I don’t think so but I’d like to hear of a photographer who has never had to defend or justify the way they earn a living or has been asked to go beyond their area of specialty because they have a pro camera or are in the industry. The role of photographer today is complex it is not only to deliver a well researched & planned job they need to do so professionally & in a timely manner & even are under pressure to over deliver on the brief so as to widen the gap between ‘amateur & a professional’ (terms I feel are much too generic). To call yourself professional is tricky I don’t believe it’s always tied up in a cash reward. The deliverables to me count more. Does a non-photographer consider fully what is required for well presented ‘commission’? I don’t believe so, in most instances that is not the ‘non-photographers’ job that belongs to the photographer who needs to rise to the required level of ‘professionalism’. I think we all hold high ideals of what that is!
This statement may be controversial, as a non-Brit having lived here for over 10 years I am still astonished how advertising is predominantly biased towards price over quality – does this also have an effect on how we value the services of certain professions here? I notice much more obviously now how aspirational Australians are & while there maybe resistance in the beginning if it’s something ‘everyone’ is doing then the sell is much easier, just make sure the end result is flawless.