Word Indexes

[Pamela Moceri]

I'm curious what other agencies/reporters do when it comes to word indexes.  Do you charge?  Do you charge per page for the index as if it were at what page amount the dep was billed at?  Do you charge a flat rate fee for the index.

Thanks!

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

I would think the index comes free as a courtesy with the transcript.  That's just my thought, though.

[Phyllis J. Stinson]

I agree, Kelli.  About mileage, does everyone out there charge mileage over a certain radius?

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

No, I don't.  I've tried to charge for it but my agency won't pay it.  Too bad.

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

I have a 70-mile one-way limit and don't ever agree to go further.  I've been offered mileage for further, even hotels, but I say no.  Not going to take a chance that all that driving, even with the per-mile surcharge, will result in a crazy small job.  So no, I don't charge mileage.  I charge a daily attendance from 9-6 with an hourly overtime before 9 and after 6 which I prorate by the minute.

[Janiece Young]

Free index

[Janiece Young]

Yes, we charge mileage after 80 miles.  First 80 miles we don't charge for.

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

It's got to be a stupendous job to drive all those miles + potential extra hours in traffic.  Ugh!

[Quyen]

I don't think the word index should be free. It costs money for the paper, toner, wear and tear on equipment (printer/copier) and time to produce/bind it. It also adds weight to the transcript, which increases cost to ship. To charge a reasonable flat rate is fair. Over time, that adds up to a lot of pages = money you spent (additional overhead for you).

[Roberta-Anne Schmitt]

My understanding is that some of the larger agencies give them away while others bill full page rate for them as if they were a page of testimony.  Wasn't a class action suit started against the big firms for that very same thing???

I totally agree with Quyen!  

[Kyung]

I think it was Esquire/Paulson that was doing that.   They'd charge full price for the index as if it was a page of testimony.

As far as mileage, anything over 50 to 60ish one way.   Anything over 50, I'm doing a hundred mile round trip.  That eats into my time.   I kind of decide on a case-by-case basis.   Depending on which direction you're driving and traffic, you could drive, but it would be a faster drive because of traffic conditions.

[Maverick Reporting, Inc.]

Yes, there was a large suit involving many of the major agencies, including Veritext, US Legal, etc.  According to this link, the courts denied certifying a class related to the action

http://www.ncra.org/files/MCMS/BEC87326-C1DB-41D9-A2CD-2ED7101505D5...

The suit was ultimately dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. One thing you'll now notice is that the agencies have explicitly stated that they charge full page rates for the word indices either on the client rate sheet or via the company website.  The courts have decided that the practice is acceptable and is not in any violation of the law.

[Dean Morris]

Absolutely charge full page rate.  In addition to what Maverick Reporting, Inc. wrote, federal court reporters charge the full page rate.