Paying scopists

[Christie Browner]

I am a scopist and have a few reporters where payment is still pending after a couple weeks. For you reporters out there, how soon (or long) do you consider appropriate to, 1, pay your scopist, and, 2, for the scopist to send you a reminder. I don't want to burn bridges, but I have bills to pay as well.

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

They charge me every time someone pays for one of my Cover Depo groups.  Every single time.

[Delicia Struss]

Kelli, they probably take 3 percent.  That's what they take from me when I get paid for scoping.  If someone hits "send money" tab, then clicks the "personal" tab, there's an option to click "other" and then it sends the money w/o taking out that 3 percent.  I'm always too embarrassed to ask the person sending money to do it that way. Ha ha!

Take care.

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

I didn't know I had a choice.  I'd prefer they didn't take any money.  Call me cheap!!

[Janet]

Delicia, I'm sure the reporter would rather you have the money than PayPal. 

[Delicia Struss]

Kelli, Janet, I'd rather have it too.  :P

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

My routine is that after finishing my proofreader's corrections and figuring out what she gets docked for blatant errors she has missed (her idea), I then finalize the invoice that I've been generating (keeping track of when I've sent her which pages and which rate applies), go online to my bank and pay it, put confirmation number and date the bank says she'll receive it on the invoice, log the transaction in my 2012 taxes Word doc, print and file it in my 2012 proofreader envelope, and email it to proofreader with a TY and a note about what's next in the queue for her.   Online bill payment is the greatest thing in the world.  If checking account is low on funds, I post-date the payment to whenever I know I'll be making a deposit and tell her that in the email.  Rarely happens but it happens.

[Delicia Struss]

Hi, Marge. Out of curiosity, if your proofreader's error is blatant, she gets docked (her suggestion), but if the mistake is not blatant, she doesn't get docked?  B/c I do my best job as a reporter, but I make mistakes. Then scopists make mistakes. Hopefully, by the time it also goes through the proofreader, a job is sent out that is as perfect as possible, but proofreaders make mistakes too. So, really, I'm just asking how that works. Thanks!

[Marge Teilhaber (TILE hobber)]

Hi Delicia,

Here's some examples of errors missed that I consider important and reallly glad I caught: 

1.  In your considered opinion, did the damages to his nerves occur during the delivery of the baby (should be damage and should have been flagged as odd language)

2.  Q. Where is "unusual," ma'am?   (that was an answer, not a Q.   The wit is male and the Q’g atty is female)

3.  Q.    Are any of them OB deliveries?

     A.       Yes.

    Q.   Of the ones that have been settled, what have been the claims in the ob deliveries?   (OB or ob)

3.  If they weren't supplied to me, then the answer is, no. (answer is no)

4.  That's what it says ma'am, yes.

It's so easy while proofing for eyes to glaze over.  It's an impossible job!

Marge

[Delicia Struss]

Thanks for the explanation.  Yep, I don't know if I could do it.  I think #1 would have gotten past me. :)

[Joyce Davis]

Christie, I'm not a reporter; I'm a scopist, like you.  My payment terms are spelled out in my rate/reference sheet, which every reporter gets when we start a relationship.  We have an agreement on how we'll do business with each other before I scope the first job. 

If you're not doing something like that, I suggest you start.  Once you have an understanding, if payment is late by a week, sending a reminder makes sense.

 

[Lisa O'Sullivan]

1. I prefer to pay right away via Bill Pay (no worries over PayPal percentages that way). But I think a lot of reporters don't pay till 30 days, since that's about when they are getting paid themselves.

2. Two weeks after the agreed-upon/stated-on-your-invoice due date. That's how long I wait, anyway, when an agency is late in paying me.

[Laura Renke]

I try to pay my scopists as soon as they bill me, like within a few hours of getting the bill.  I don't like when reporting agencies keep me waiting forever for payment, so I'm not going to do that to someone else.  The work a scopist does for me isn't dependent on when an agency pays me, as I see it, so I'd rather not risk forgetting to pay a bill, which can happen when there's too much going on.