Incompetent Court Reporters Accepting Work Through CSRNation

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

One of the agencies that I know sent out a job offer to Massachusetts for a three-day job that needed covered.  This reporter, who I won't name, picked up the job.  She's had the job for over a month and not turned it in.

Finally, she turned in the first two volumes with multiple mistakes.  She still has not turned in the last transcript.  She turned in a rough because the court reporting agency had to have something to give to the attorney because he's going to trial.  The rough ASCII was literally unreadable. 

Now, I don't understand why a court reporter would take work through this website if they are so incompetent that they cannot turn the work in.  I wish there was a way I could filter all the bad apples off of here.

The agency owner called me and wanted to know if there is a way that I filter the qualified reporters from the incompetent reporters.  I told her no, I have no way to do that.  Once I hear someone has done a poor job, I ban them immediately from the website.  I'm a full-time reporter myself; there is no way for me to filter through thousands of reporters.

I'm just very frustrated about this situation.  This is not the first time it has happened either.  There must just be a lot of lousy court reporters out there I guess.  Unfortunately, it looks like it cost this agency their client.  Unbelievable. 

Reporters:  Please don't take work from this website if you can't handle the work.  You're giving my website a bad name!!

[Mary Jo Cochran]

P. P. S. NCRA consulted their legal team on these issues.  Hopefully, this site could use it as an example, with CSRNation having had to expend zero dollars; just use NCRA policies as an example.

 

I may be overstepping my boundaries.  NCRA (and its website) is a professional organization, a legal entity, capable of being sued and suing.  Kelli's website is private.  She invites in who she feels is entitled.  It is a place for court reporters and scopists to share - whatever they have to share.  As Kelli's website is attached to her name and her reputation, she does have a right for "outing".  If reporters or scopists have bad experiences with each other, certainly sharing their experiences is not slander or slanderous.  It is a reference - albeit good or bad.  A  good way to deal with HAS ANYONE HEARD OF __________send me an email at __________). 

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

I don't think Deby hangs out here much because she doesn't know about these groups.  If she did, she wouldn't have stated what she did above. 

You may want to learn a little bit about the groups here on CSRnation, Deby, before going off about what you have no knowledge of what happens here and what resources are available to reporters and how we deal with these issues.

[Ann Medis]

Kelli, I'm sorry you are experiencing this grief. 

Happy New Year to you.

[Deby]

Dear Kelli and Mary Jo, by requesting no "outing," I was referring to others' writing, "Have you ever heard of _________," and then the responses are written online, not in a private email.  I never personally said anyone wrote anything, I don't want to be accusatory, but I believe I have read where others have.  I've also seen pricing listed, particularly about proofreading.  By listing NCRA as an online model, I was trying to give you the experience of a group who has invested money in dealing with similar issues.  If CSRNation can benefit from this knowledge, great.  If not, that's fine, too. 

[LEONORA L WALKER]

O M G!  Audio-Sync (audio)  is creating pseudo Reporters. 

[Janet]

You've got that right, Leonora!

[LEONORA L WALKER]

Reporters must acknowledge their limits to themselves.  Every job isn't for every body. Some people just don't have an "ear" for certain subjects/cases.

[Grace M. Thompson]

No kidding!  When I first started a hundred years ago, the agency owner demanded that I take a tape recorder in my bag and SECRETLY turn it on before the depo.  (before laptops even).  But at the time tape recorders were so TABOO that I was too terrified to turn it on!  I never used one EVER until years later when I got a laptop with audio.  If they were going too fast at the depo I politely slowed them down.  I have a friend who had a reporter tell her she didn't get a half a page of arguing exchange between counsel because she was FREAKING texting!! You've got to be kidding me! 

[LEONORA L WALKER]

TEXTING???  During a proceeding?  Now that's a new one.  I no longer wonder why the President, as part spending cuts, has put our jobs on the chopping block.  I guess "they" figure if Reporters are recording anyway just cut out the Reporter all together and record the proceedings themselves.  Audio was not intended to be the "Reporter".  My goodness. 

[Mary Chmura]

Oh boy - I'm 99.9 percent sure I know who this reporter is.  If it is her, she covered a job for the agency I worked for many years ago, and I couldn't get a transcript from her.  I ended up having to do it from the video of the deposition - at one point when the attorneys asked for a question to be read, all I heard was the question being played on a tape recorder.

I know prior to my problem with her, she was a decent reporter .  I think there may be some issues at play that I wouldn't want to go into on this forum.

Even after all that, she STILL contacted me for work.  She's called my current agency looking for work too.

When I saw that she was on this site, I couldn't believe it.  Kelli, I'm sorry for any grief you're getting for this.

[StenoMiss]

Hey there, Mary!

Nice to put a face to the name.

[Mary Chmura]

Hey Melissa!!! Happy New Year - how were your holidays?