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I had a completely different experience wtih Dell. sm

Posted By: penny on 2009-04-08
In Reply to: Talk about jerking around with Dell - Kathy

I ordered 2 laptops in January -- one for me and one for my son who is going to college in the fall.  I spoke with a very American man from beginning to end, who then gave me his complete name and direct extension for contact in case I had any problems or concerns.  They arrived well before the approximate date I was given and, all in all, it was a very easy, pleasant experience, as have been my experiences with Dell in the past.  I am so sorry it was not the case for you -- but I do not blame you for asking to speak to someone you can communicate with, as that is so irritating to try to speak to someone who cannot speak the language!


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I work on a Dell XPS and am completely wireless except for headphones...

Wireless keyboard and mouse; wireless pedal in the form of a Playstation wireless controller, although I am sure that only works with Express Scribe.  You can buy wireless headphones, but I have not invested in them as of yet.  Being wireless, I have found it very comfortable to work in my recliner chair. I can even put my feet up while using the joystick on the Playstation controler to play the sound.  My ergo keyboard fits in my lap, which some may find a litte weird, but I am total comfortable without any aches, pains, numbness, fatigue. Mouse goes on the arm of the chair (works only with opitcal mouse, no wheel).  Works for me.  Good luck!!!!


Completely different experience
I have been working with MediGrafix now for about 6 months. They are EXTREMELY easy to work with and for. Everyone is so nice and helpful. Do NOT be afraid to ask questions if you don't know, they are more than willing to help you find the answer. Their platform to work with is SO easy. If you can handle Word, you are in good shape. As with anything, when you start something new it is a learning experience. Allow yourself time to learn and don't get frustrated at yourself or your employer. Do give MediGrafix a shot, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
I have both a Dell Latitude Laptop and a Dell Dimension desk top PC and bought both...
off of Ebay.  The laptop I paid $300 for had Windows XP and works great.  It wasn't wireless, but they sent me a PCI card with it and it works fine.  The desktop PC has XP on it as well and I paid $250 for it.  Both have Pentium IVs.  Both work great for work.  I have no complaints and I feel like I got a great deal both times out on Ebay.
Company provides a Dell for work, I have a Dell for personal use, too.
x
Dell customer service is overseas. I have had a Dell, a
Toshiba Satellite, and an HP.   The Dell was a piece of junk from day 1.  The HP hard drive crashed after 4 to 5 years, but otherwise no problems.   I bought a Toshiba about 6 months ago and it is okay, nothing special.  I was looking at the Sony Viao and the salesman said that some laptops are made to be portable, but that the Sony was not one of them, but the Toshiba was.   My keyboard also has a numerical pad on it, but it throws the other keys off a bit, so when I'm in a portable mode and don't have room for an external keyboard it really slows me down.  I have a Duo Core processor and notice no difference whatsoever in speed, the number of programs I can have open, etc.   I have also noticed that even when I am not on battery power that every so often the battery is charging.  I don't know if this is a defect or something that is supposed to happen, but I need to investigate it. 
I've had two dell laptops and 5 Dell PCs. Here's the thing...

Make sure you get the extended warranty, again, MAKE SURE YOU GET THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. And, here is why.


My first laptop went out on my, though it was a couple of years old.  Because I had the extended warranty, a service tech came to my house, replaced motherboard, hard drive, heat sink, and keyboard.  He was able to back up everything first and restored it once all the new stuff was in place. 


One of my PCs kept giving some weird blue screen error and I couldn't get to go even in safe mode. I called up Dell, told them the problem, they looked up my extended warranty and they sent someone out to repair it.


Overall, I have been happy with Dell products.  The only drag is that everything Dell sells regarding accessories is proprietary and you have to order it through Dell.  No generic accessories will work.  My suggestion is if you decide to buy a Dell laptop, make sure you get the car power supply and you might even get a 2nd regular power supply because I have been known to leave town and forget the power supply at the house.  Now, I have everything in my laptop bag for when I go out of town and can just throw my laptop in the bag and know everything is there.


Lastly, some Dell laptops require a special aircard to connect to the internet.  I ended up getting a 2 cabled USB air card and I'm glad I did because 2 USB plug ins give better reception than one.


If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. I'm happy to help.


I always start wtih the Dr. last name sm
like SmithCThead SmithCTabdomen

This way I can always find it by doctor and then scroll through for the particular template I need. It cuts down on having to remember what shortcuts I used because just typing the doc's name goes to all of his templates.
I pay $67 a month wtih AT&T - sm
you can go to their website and I believe can see if your area is covered. I got lucky and where I am is, but only a mile or two south of me is not. I have a cell tower about 1.5 miles from my house so I am sure that helps.
agree wtih snow bunny
Agree with snow bunny. It should be made into two sentences, thereby avoiding the use of "who" later in the sentence, which BTW, should be WHOM.
As wtih every company, they have their good and bad points - sm
As long as you do not end up with L.L. as your account supervisor, you will do just fine! There is more bad than good about this company, huge turnover, etc. But you can easily make $$ with them, especially because you get paid for spaces and returns.

I did well $$ with them when I was not being moved to different accounts all day long. If I was on one or two accounts for the day, I did great, but needless to say management has other ideas.
Start wtih hotels.com and see where it takes you. nm
s
Not sure, but I started wtih a new company as an IC and they said they were not compatible
with 2007 and that I had to have 2003 or older to use. I think the majority of companies out there are not using the newest version.
Is that the MS keyboard wtih the riser you can attach?
It gives you a negative wrist tilt? I saw one at Office Depot and I wanted it so badly I could taste it. I test drove it there and fell in love with the touch. It is about $60?

Next paycheck, I am going to treat myself to that keyboard. I have no more numbers or letters on mine, and it does not auto cap anymore. DH says use mine. But it is one of those tiny, little rectangular ones. I have fat fingers and cannot type on them. LOL
I don't like Dell. I bought a Dell laptop and it

was a piece of junk, so I'm not the one to ask if you should buy a Dell.   I'd get at least double that processor speed.  My computer is about 10 months old and I have 5 times that, which means that there is probably something faster out now, or soon will be.  It is more than I need for work, but I also use computer to download music/pictures, and a bunch of other stuff.   The Dell I had had 650 mHz and it was slow and that was almost 6 years ago.   You may have to customize anyway to get XP unless you buy one previously owned, which you can also buy from Dell.   It is always a good idea to buy bigger than you need currently just to allow for updates to any software or new software you may add.    You need to also think about tech support.  I know Dell has tech support in India, which can be extremely frustrating.  I don't know that other computer companies don't offshore their tech support, but that would be a question I would ask and find out if there is a locally authorized dealer to handle warranty repairs or if you need to send off the computer.    I would not recommend a Gateway computer and I would not recommend any computer that has a Celeron processor.   They tend to be in all the lower end computers. 


 


You're the racist. You have a problem wtih Caucasians
my relatives came here LEGALLY from Czechoslovakia, registered at Ellis Island and took the naturalization test.

They are now productive LEGAL citizens.
Buy a Dell!! You can't go wrong with a Dell but
I bought an Emachines and had trouble with it from day one. I returned it, as the store I bought it from a six month return policy, so I returned it after about five months. I bought a Dell two years ago and have had no problems since!! Buy a Dell, you won't be sorry!! :)
I am not a Dell lover. My Dell has been
a lemon.  I just replaced mine with a Toshiba Satellite and I have seen a few others here recommend this.  Dell's customer service is in India.   The only thing I dislike about my Toshiba is that because it also has a number keypad the shift key is in a different position than I'm used to and I end up deleting and retyping when I use the laptop keyboard.  I normally use an external keyboard, but I travel a lot and try to work on the road and just don't have space for an external keyboard.    
Where did you hear that everything you buy for a Dell has to be from Dell?

I have LOTS of peripherals on both my laptop and desktop Dells and they certainly didn't come from Dell. You've been misinformed.


I love my Dells.


Lemon pound cake wtih lemon drizzle. mmmmmmmmm
x
Experience on top, current experience first. Education second. Leave out ALL fluff.
Recruiters don't need your life story. They need to know if you can do the job. If you want, put your current employer, then state "I have 20 years in the profession doing....." Keep it simple; keep it clean. If you want to go into more detail, do it during the interview. A HUGE red flag is to see that you've worked for 10 different companies, for months at a time. I know that someone who has worked for the same company for 2 years or more is going to have some degree of loyalty and will work through issues rather than cut and run.
Orange cake wtih orange drizzie......Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
x
I had one of those. If you have a completely sm
level back yard, you should do okay with yours. My yard had a slight slant to it which made the pool lopsided which made it very susceptible to collapse. Since I lived in South Florida at that time, I could never use the pool past May because the water was as hot as bath water.

They require a filter change weekly and lots of chemicals. The rim will easily get holes in it, so be very careful, especially if you have dogs that like to jump in and out. And never sit or lean on the edge, or your pool will quickly collapse. If you expect heavy rain, better drain at least 2 inches out of it beforehand.

Strongly advise getting a cover for it!
They are completely different - sm
Smartype is geared toward medical transcription specifically and is much more user friendly than Intellicomplete.
While VR won't take over MT completely,
With VR, one MT can do the work of 2-3 MTs doing straight transcription. So while there will still be MT jobs, there will be less of them. At the same time, you have MT schools churning out new grads willing to work for 1-2 cpl just to get their foot in the door. One MT company is so actively recruiting they are placing ads on Craigslist to get new students. Meanwhile, they have a ton of new grads complaining on their forum every day that they can't find a job. Things are definitely changing in this industry and it is not for the better.
I completely agree
These ESLs work hard to learn the language before they come here, many learning it through their school years, come here and legitimately and legally set up their practices (I haven't heard of any doctors complaining that their jobs are being taken by foreigners), and they still have to fight for any respect.
you are welcome and I completely agree with what you are saying!
it seems that so many like to twist around the Word or leave parts out that are uncomfortable. 
I disagree completely. Please SM
It is MY job to ensure MY work product is as error-free as possible. Just because I get paid piecemeal does not give me license to just send it to QA for the sake of make a few extra pennies.

As far as your statement on the influence on our paychecks, you're right on -- but for a different reason. Because of higher quality, you will qualify for incentive plans, be offered more variety in worktypes, and when the chips are down STILL HAVE A JOB.

I NEVER want to be paid by the hour again, regardless. Minutes are NOT tick-tocking away at my pay! I'm too fast AND skilled to ever limit myself in that fashion again!
Completely understand now -- wish
I was still in house.
I understand completely...
Every morning she jumps onto my desk, goes behind the monitor, on top of the printer, comes down the printer (which by now is beeping from her stepping on the buttons), then she steps in front of the monitor and bumps her head into mine. She will not let me work until I get up, go into the kitchen, and open a can of the most gosh-awfulest smelling food.

This is a ritual...what a way to start the day! :)
I agree completely!!
When I first started typing for MedQuist, if there was a difficult doctor, I would skip over it. As time progressed, the more typing I did, the better I got and didn't want to skip over reports, I wanted to be able to type whatever came up! If you NEVER type these heavy accented doctors, you will NEVER learn to do them. I agree with you "Got the Letter" and am waiting for my phone call!!
I agree with you completely

when EVERYONE criticizes how the government is run and how they do things? Why put your life and those of your family in jeopardy waiting on the government to help you. What happened to PEOPLE helping each other?  People seeing that their elderly neighbors get to safety? People pulling together to solve these issues? Why do so many seem to be waiting to see what the government can do for them??  The government has enough problems!  I certainly would not rely on the government for ANYTHING!  Do these people want to government telling them what to do in their everyday lives?  If so, move to a country with no democracy! 


 


  I'm finished for the time being.. but WAKE UP PEOPLE!


I agree with you completely

and believe me, they don't give a patient a discount because they feel guilty. They don't give the employees yearly raises. While they (and the 2 office managers) get their bonuses and go buy brand new cars, SUVs, boats, vacation homes and, yes, even airplanes, they have plenty of employees struggling to make ends meet. One employee (that I know of, a newly divorced woman) recently took bankruptcy and our insurance is so bad that most of us can't afford to even go to the doctor as we have $2,600 deductible for a single person!  I would NOT feel guilty one bit!  


  


I completely agree with you . .
Did you see Tanya Tucker's reality show? I loved that. There's one about roller derby girls and a new one is coming out about rodeo cowboys - sounds exciting to me.
I completely agree - sm

I love it when they say thank you.  It makes me smile every time.  It also makes me smile and chuckle a little when I get one that will laugh at themself when he/she gets tripped up on their words.



I agree completely
Sad but so true.
This is completely not true

If you read the instructions of any of the federal returns about the issue of filing for an extension, it will tell you that you can file a form to ask for time to get the finished return in to them (until August 15 I believe), but you must send in what you believe you owe with the form filing for the extension.  If at the time of filing the actual return, you still owe money, then the issue regarding penalties and interest comes into play.  If you fail to file a return or an extension request and you expect a refund, you have up to 3 years to file the actual return with no penalties.


Just remember, you still must pay what you believe you owe when you file for an extension.


Have I just completely lost it?...
Sometimes when I am working if I get a doctor with a sexy voice I try googling him to see if I can find a picture.  Every now and then I do find a picture but most of the time I am disappointed with how they look.  Does anyone else do this?
That is completely unethical.

That service found you that job. They trained you on that job. They did your QA on that job. And now the doc's office wants to go around the service and hire you direct, and obviously cheaper?!  First of all, know that if they can replace you cheaper, they will. Second, I hope it's a really, really good stable job, because you will be blacklisted among MTSO's and never work again... Talk about ungrateful.


Clueless but not completely
I’m somewhat clueless and really don’t know what to do.  I have over 5 years of distant (1973-1978) orthopedic experience, before MT was a hot item and have been working as an IC for one person for 2.5 years, doing mainly Urology and Urology-related Radiology.  I have not had formal MT training.  In reading all these board messages I don’t totally get it, i.e. Acute care, what is it? I just found out what the Basic 4 are.  I feel like a moron even though I know I’m not.  Nonetheless, I’m not getting enough work, have submitted a few resumes to a few sites.  Am wondering if I need to get formal training/certification.  I was lucky to get what I did without the certification, but I’m ready to go further in terms of specialities, OP reports, consultations, etc.  But, I am apprehensive about the whole enchilada.  Is anyone out there who has been in my shoes?  Any advice and/or recommendations would be appreciated.
I agree with you completely!
And now that many companies are cracking down on and checking quality due to client complaints and sloppiness, I would bet many MT line counts will be going down real fast.  Remember, haste makes waste... and slow but steady wins the race!
Not completely true
You can work IC or temp and still draw unemployment just have to report what you make.  If it is more than 1/2 of your weekly pay, you then begin to lose 1/1 dollar and when you eventually make more than what your weekly entitlement is, you lose it completely.  But she will have to actively be looking for work and AVAILABLE for fulltime work.  Just like insurance forms it is all in the wordking.  Available and looking for work.   I have drawn years ago when I used to be an employee and still worked temp jobs.  If they ran over the amount I did not file for that week and drew nothing.   My brothre-in-law last year was laid off as the CEO of Smukers jam as they closed  his plant.  They kept him on as a consultant as an IC and when he worked he did not file and when he did not he drew his unemployment.   It went on for a year as he was entitled to 26 weeks and because of him working off and on it lasted for a year.  You just have to report the earnings. 
Completely addicted to that
Craigslist. I have bought several very nice items off lately including 2 Persian rugs, 1 for $75 and the other for $95, both large, the last 8 x 11. Fantastic buys. I absolutely am in love with it.
Oh, I completely agree. (sm)
I've also seen 20-year MTs who proudly announce that they don't know the difference between there, their and they're, and it doesn't matter anyway. (?!!)

It is appalling. But those people also rarely post on boards because it's just a job they put in and they don't usually want to use a computer or talk about work outside of work (in my experience).

Maybe if somebody had let them know differently in the beginning, they would have chosen another career or taken the time to learn the English language.

You are only the second English major MT I have come across, and the other one is the best MT whose work I've seen.


Completely agree
Always have two companies, at least.
i completely agree.
"Assault" may sound nicer than "rape" but it's NOT the same thing. It's the MT's job to accurately record the doctor's words, pretty or not. Of course we may correct grammar but certainly not the meaning of a document.

These are sometimes used as legal documents and that should always be taken into account.
I COMPLETELY agree.
I mean, it's not as though we have nothing else to do! These tests take a long time and unless you have no job, they are much too time consuming. The worst is when you don't pass after spending so much time.

Also, you go through the grammar, etc. and then come to that?!

I think a couple of carefully selected files will tell them everything they need to know about your skill level.

NO. Not lazy at all!
I completely concur.
.
By the way, my keyboard completely different from the other 2
NM
Agree completely. Sometimes I am not even
sure if I am talking to the same person when they do not use their same initials or names with every post.
This is completely untrue. SM
I emailed a response while they were looking for moderators. I received a wonderful email with no broken English giving me all the sign-in information needed as well as complete instructions. It was NOT signed by Dr. Ahmed. I will not give out the name, as they clearly stated they do not want that known until this whole mess blows over. I will, however, delete any more of these outright lies I see on this board.
I agree completely (sm)

As another poster said, our bodies "know" when we have typed a certain number of lines.  Having worked for various transcription companies, I found it difficult to even reach the minimum lines with many of these places.  I feel very fortunate to have found an MTSO that is honest.  Guess what, I am transcribing over 2,000 lines in 5 or 6 hours!  I am saving every penny possible because I know it will not last forever.