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Good Point, But Contracts One-Sided

Posted By: anon on 2007-03-28
In Reply to: I just brought this up below but... - M.E.D.

Sorry for duplication, I now see both your posts. You bring up a good point, though sometimes these contracts are one-sided and allow a lot of manipulation of job pool by client. But fact remains that US-only work remains and someone has to do it, preferably those of us already trained. Hopefully one way or another we will remain working for those clients. ???


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Good point.
I agree with you. What you do is between you and your manager. If you can type like the wind (and maintain quality) you deserve to reap the rewards.

The day someone tells you to slow down because someone else isn't getting enough lines, well, then I don't think we'd be living in a democratic country any longer, but rather under some other regime's rule.
Good point!

Good point.
nm
Yes, good point!
.
Very good point!
There are sooooo many TT posts on here that all of the other posts get buried underneath them, and at least half of them probably never get seen or answered. I am so glad that I don't work at TT!
Good point!!! LOL

Good point. Thank you. NM
Goldbird
Yes, that's a good point, but that is
the exception, not the rule.




That's a good point
That's very true! But, now I feel horrible, because there are people with no work and lots of people waiting for work, and I would be an additional transcriptionist, causing there to be less work for the day shift! I know you all love the place those of you at TT, that is why I thought I'd wait a while so when things calm down, perhaps I can reapply...
LOL ... good point.
nm
good point
coco about them seeing it. Mine, however, sometimes becomes distorted and into computer speak rendering it unreadable when I paste it. I'm sure that gets thrown away quickly.
Good point. So what is up with that?
Are people losing their jobs and thus insurance and so canceled their elective surgeries? Or are they so worried about job loss/insecurity that they put off treatment or going to the doctor? Whaddya think?
You have a good point.
Like I said in my last post - I was having a pity party. I apologize for that statement.
good point
Never thought to ask. I shouldn't have said it seems unfair...bad choice of words. javascript:editor_insertHTML('text','');
Very good point!! nm
nm
Very good point!!

That's a really good point....

Who, exactly, are women flaunting their body to?  I find it so bizarre the way some women feel this need to flaunt themselves to strange men.  What good comes from flaunting yourself to random men?  It makes no sense.  A women is like a pearl.  The most beautiful part is on the inside.  Why not save your best for your man/your family?  Why not cover yourself and be respected for your intellect, your personality?  I can really see why so many women in this country have issues with body image.  The reason is that we have placed so much emphasis on this...on the outside.


Also, just an FYI, the black dress worn in Saudi is called abaya.  Generally, a headscarf is referred to as hijab in Arabic; however, hijab is not only a headscarf, it is the way you carry yourself, your attitude.  The verse in Quran prescribing hijab for women is also followed by a direction for men, as well.  There are, believe it or not, quite a lot of women who wear a headscarf who are not Muslim (or Christian or Jewish).  Here is a youtube video of one such woman describing why she wears it -- it's quite interesting:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0SsYD2yRsk


Good point! Horrible mgt.
They speak out of both sides of their mouths.
You made a very good point.

As patients, we need to be more proactive with our medical records by asking to inspect them every now and then.  I have a close friend who was an independent contractor that tried to get health insurance on her own and was denied by several different companies.  She finally found out that there was a diagnosis of cancer made in one of her medical records that was made in error.  She finally found out that her doctor never proofread his reports and it was transcribed on one of documents, but she had to jump through hoops by providing all sorts of documentation to prove she didn't have cancer.  It took investigation by the insurance companies to bring this mistake to light, but just imagine the mistakes that are not caught because of our medical records not being regularly examined.  I think we, as PAYING clients of these physicians, should start demanding more accountability and accuracy in our records. 


From the point I found out about my friend's problem I've been asking to see my medical records at least twice a year.  My family does the same.  Maybe it's time we start spreading the word.


You make a good point..
You know what, you're right. An experienced GOOD MT will hit the ground running and not need their hand held. I'm sure an experienced, good MT is worth their weight in gold and SHOULD be paid more. There should be a way to do that, and if all those companies out there that are crying because they can't get experienced MTs would compensate in a way that is perceived as more fair, people would be beating a path to their door. The only thing that bothers me is the assumption that all MTs with many years experience are good at what they do. I've seen with my own eyes that this is not the case. Some of them don't seem to even know proper English usage. Why should that person be paid more just because they've put in X number of years? I guess it just reminds me too much of the labor union seniority systems that protect and reward the mediocre. I didn't mean to offend anyone with my post above; just wanted to give another perspective. If I were sitting where you are, I'd probably feel the same way. The MT profession has been eroding for years, and it's got to be tough on those who were part of the good old days of being an MT when they felt reasonably rewarded for their expertise.
This is a really good point. First impressions mean a lot.
Mine of Keystrokes is not a good one.
Good point about attrition below

I have never run out of work at TT.  Hmmm, could it be because I work instead of sitting on the boards complaining while I'm *waiting* for work to come in.  Adjust your hours, stop playing on the message board, and be willing to type whatever comes your way - all work types.  They sure aren't going to take work away from someone who is busting her butt for a minimum of 8 hours, producing a lot of high quality work, and give it to somebody who *checks in* when she's not complaining on the board.  So maybe it is a form of attrition after all.  I'm not a manager pretending to be an employee either.


TT is the best company EVER, and every single blasted day it's the same 2 or 3 people hogging this board and griping about low work.  Good grief, get a life! 



You make a ver good Point.
The stuff that I have read was from 2 years ago, alot can happen in two years time. Every company has something wrong with it in someone's opinion. I just saw a lot of bad remakrs about it. Maybe it will be more of a positive experience for me.
You make a good point
You were able to get some recogniton because the doctor knew who YOU were and the quality that you put out. That doesn't exist much anymore. I think THE major factor contributing to the decline of the MT profession is depersonalization. As employees of MTSOs, we are no longer individuals, but part of a big MT machine that cranks out dictation. The true consumer of the MT product, the doctor, has no contact whatsoever with the person who transcribes the report. That means that there is no recognition for the excellent MT; they are mixed in with all the substandard MTs and the doctor never knows who is typing the report. He gets back good, he gets back bad, and everything in between. Basically, the only reward we get these days is our own pride in doing a good job. Unfortunately, that doesn't pay the bills.
You make a good point -
I think you're spot on ~ each of us has different needs and different capabilities. Some companies get bashed just because they weren't a perfect fit for someone and some companies are really are validly not so good to work for.
I've been with SoftScript for nearly 7 months and I have nothing bad to say. I had about 12 years experience and a few years away - things in this business changed drastically during that time. Softscript gave me a really fair go. I worked for Medquist before for many years and did a short period of time with Spheris, but went back to Australia. I was doing VRE with them ~ that was weird, but not their fault.

Some people can't be satisfied with anything ~ I'm happy knowing I have a job and the people are really nice.

Just my dollar's worth (2 cents doesn't go anywhere anymore)
good point! Problem is along sm
with that now some of the smaller companies are getting very cocky and are following quickly in the big MTSO footsteps!
Laughter is good to a point, but nothing here
nm
Good point! What I found when I sm
was looking for a job was exactly as you say. They list every specialty under the sun and want to know how many years you have done that particular type of MT.

If you have acute care experience for many years (the big 4 and ERs) you really don't have difficulty landing a job. It is very easy for experienced MTs to land a job and right now I don't see age as having a bearing on it at all!
Good point, Miffed. sm
Sorry, you are probably right about that. Hope a lot of coworkers took the coming week off.
Thank you! You proved my point: Good ios better than bad...nm
nm
good point, keep MTing
at least some, and you can still take those tax deductions as well as keep your skills up.
Good point. I was just speaking of their reputation.

I guess my original point was that it's not all good for all MTs

I was thrilled when KS called me, and I had really high hopes, in large part based on what I read here in this forum.  But my primary account dried up after the docs went to voice, and yet it's still my primary account -- with no work!  There are two of us attached to this account, even though there isn't enough work for one part-timer.  Lately I have been checking the account from 7:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., but there simply isn't anything to do.  The docs are doing their own work.  So why do we even have this account?


I too have a great relationship with my lead.  We talk on the phone every day, we e-mail every day, she regularly requests additional accounts for me, but still the work doesn't come.  It is truly a mystery, but based on some of the other comments on the boards, I'm not alone. 


I've already had two backup accounts fizzle out, and I'm waiting to train on a third -- but I'm only to do overflow and won't have any regular work from the account.


That is great for you that your accounts are steady and reliable, and I would love to be in the same situation.  I expected to be in that situation!  I'm used to 1400-1600 lines per shift.  I have had really good feedback from QA, so my work isn't an issue.  All I am doing is asking for enough work.  I thought that was why I was here.  I can't wait for accounts they hope to get in a week, a month, two months.  I have tried to give KS the benefit of the doubt, rationalizing that the accounts drying up is out of their control, but I need work and my family is counting on me to bring in a paycheck.  I've been waiting for work for five months.  Would you wait that long?


Good point - companies that constantly run ads
/
lol you're so evil, but very good point
/
Point well taken. Money can be a good thing....
If you don't get caught up in trying to buy happiness...
I understand your point. Good luck to you
I am hoping it is just because it is before the holidays... the lack of work lately is worse than usual, and I feel very blue b/c I somehow feel that I could have seen this coming. I have turned down other jobs because I keep thinking it will get better. Hoping it will and seeing no work does not a good Christmas ham make. Too late now for Christmas, tomorrow is last day of the p/p. But I sure hope a good company or 2 posts soon, so we can have another option. I know that I am not alone in feeling this way... maybe it is just the holidays, I keep telling myself, and it will get better...
good grief, you made your point. sm
It seems to me 12-13 is better than minimum wage. Find a new company that pays more than 7 cpl OR as they tell us type more per hour (which is impossible most of the time I know). My point is, this profession is the way it is, it isn't going to change so you live with it, work around it or get into a new profession.
good point!!!! summer off plus 5 weeks during the year
if i had my life to live over.... a teacher has the best life
Good point! I forgot to mention that earlier!

.


Hmmm. Good point. I only have a few weeks left,
.
I think the point was to POST names of good companies for all MTs to see,
x
Thank you for proving my point: Being consistently good has a better chance.....nm
nm
Good point. Who do I get on the phone if I have to call customer service
for my credit cards, or software questions, or whatever?  I get someone who I can barely communicate with in the freakin Philippines, or wherever.  It is so WRONG.
Thansk for giving me a good laugh! LOL Great point!
xx
contracts
Everyone should keep in mind contracts work both ways. If the company voids the contract in anyway - nonpayment, late pay if stated in the contract a date it is to be - then the entire contract is void. If you have a problem, go through the yellow pages for a free consult with an attorney - but the contract is not just for them it is for you too - so if it states you are to do 1000 lines a day and they do not offer it up, if the wording is proper - they voided the contract not you. If a company says the payday if Friday and you do not recieve it within a standard mail delivery date, they have voided the contract. So yes please everyone review what they sign to see if you can get what you deserve. So many of us just take it, I say get some legal advice - Lawyers hand it out like candy. If we dont - they will continue to bounce checks, pay late, decrease workloads, etc.
contracts
Tried to email you privately but it would not go through. can you send to my email and let me know company name you mean. I would like to know if it is the same one. thank you.
contracts
Anybody have this experience? I was just offered work from a company that sounded wonderful, just what I needed. No set schedule, work anytime, just set number of lines. Then I got the contract which stated basically paid on the 15th and 30th assuming payment received from client. What? I should do the work for their business and then they don't have to pay me until their client pays, if their client pays. I don't think so. The contract obviously precludes the MT from contacting the client so how do I know if the MTSO got paid or not or when they got paid. Just looking for other people's thoughts on this. Am I being paranoid? Have you ever been asked to sign such a contract? I have seen many postings on this board about people not being paid, and I do not want to be in that situation. I do the work for XXX Company. Doesn't XXX company owe me that money either way. I feel it is their responsibility to pay for work done for their company and THEN deal with the client for any nonpayment issues. What do you think? I politely told them I could not sign the contract with that statement included and asked them to reconsider their position, explaining my feelings on the subject.
contracts
Without reading the contracts, I would say that they need to give notice to change it, unless there is a clause in the original contract that they can change it at will. If you see a clause like that don't sign it.


RE: CONTRACTS
Right ... employees, IC or employee status, should have some type of contract with their employer.  But who usually writes the contract?  How many contracts presented by the MTSO actually allow for input from the MT?  For the most part, they are WORTHLESS, often detrimental, to the MT, since they are almost always one-sided favoring you know who.
contracts
Do you then sign a contract you disagree with? I don't understand doing that.

When I'm given a contract, I surely do take my pen and cross out what I do not agree to, add in what I want agreed to, and sign it.

This at the very least opens the door to negotiation of what I see as issues I can't work with. I've turned down contracts where the MTSO wasnt willing to negotiate to meet my terms. And more often than not, the MTSOs have been willing to work with me.