Insulting!

[Lorrie L. Marchant]

Please, please tell me that no reporter would accept a job from this New York firm (New York!) that only pays a $.25 flat per page rate on the copies.  It's not as if the other rates are so spectacular that they offset this absolutely insulting copy page rate.  This rather infuriates me.  I am in utter disbelief that any reporter anywhere would work for this copy rate.

APPEARANCE:
Pre-9:00 a.m. 40.00
9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. 40.00
1:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. 40.00
Post 6:00 p.m. 40.00
RATES PER PAGE:
Regular (8th business day) 3.85 pp
Expedited* (3rd business days) +1.00 4.85 pp
2-Day* +1.25 5.10 pp
Daily* +1.50 5.35 pp
Immediate* +2.00 5.85 pp
*[Redacted] Reporting pays for only one expedite, daily
or immediate order (i.e. both sides order expedite,
we pay you one expedite fee)
ROUGH ASCII
1.00 pp
Combo-rate,
to same firm $1.85
REALTIME
1.00 pp
VIDEOTAPED PROCEEDINGS
0.15 per page
COPIES
0.25 per page flat rate
MINIMUM
Busts, brief statements, etc. $100.00
WAIT TIME
Not applicable to our type of work

[Quyen]

WHAT?!

Expedited* (3rd business days) +1.00 4.85 pp
2-Day* +1.25 5.10 pp
Daily* +1.50 5.35 pp
Immediate* +2.00 5.85 pp

It's not just the copy rate that's a problem.  But, believe me, there will be a taker, assuredly.

Agreed.  Lori, please e-mail me the name of the firm. qdcsr at aol dot com.  Thanks.

[Lorrie L. Marchant]

Agreed.  The O&1 rates are an issue, too, but that copy rate just kills me! 

[Catuogno Court Reporting]

As far as I'm aware, CT is  the worst state for court reporting.  Copies are free! :(

[Lorrie L. Marchant]

Why?!  The copy attorney(s) do not have to pay for a copy?  Or is it just that the reporter is not paid for the copy(s)? 

[Catuogno Court Reporting]

I'm going to have to take that back.  I was misinformed.  Opposing counsel does pay for their copies!  Back in 2001 the law governing this in CT changed according to my contact there.

[Mary Jo Cochran]

My thought on this is this is a lower-end quality of court reporting, not the type of reporting for high quality CAT writers).

About 15 years ago a silent economy killer was borne (the budget cuts).  Aside from the school budgets (which we always read about) it hit the court budgets hard.  Hence, a new class of record making was borne:  Digital, voice writers, low end court reporting.

They say right there, "Not applicable to our type of work."  

[Catuogno Court Reporting]

There are always competitors bottom-fishing.  It's just the way it is.  Most of them will be out of business in a year or 2 or 3 unless they have deep pockets.

Those of us who represent the integrity of the industry on the higher end have to be sure our work consistently stands out to counter the tendency of bidders to choose the lowest cost provider.  Our agency always walks the balance between being competitive and taking work that isn't worth taking, and we recommend that as the best course for everyone.

The best work is work that respects the court reporters skill in getting the record right at a fair price.  Bottom-fishers will get what they pay for, and will eventually go the way of the Dodo (or as better fits this analogy, the blobfish)!

[Barbara Memory]

Did you post the name of this firm? I would like to know.  Or at least initials if we are not allowed to post the names.  I am new to this forum.

Barbara Memory

[Lorrie L. Marchant]

Hello, Barbara.

What is your e-mail address?  I will e-mail it to you.

[Barbara Memory]

Great.  [e-mail].

Thanks so much.

Barbara

[Suzanne Stotz]

Those are ridiculous rates.  If you wouldn't mind emailing me the name of this firm: [e-mail].

Thank you,

Suzanne

[Catuogno Court Reporting]

I think it would be useful to create a forum/post with the title "Lowballers".  In my view, it's vitally important to have information about the market we all work in.  The primary focus of such a forum might be to publicly display unacceptable or “Insulting!” rates offered for Court Reporting Services.

We can’t succeed when there is a full-on “race for the bottom” above all else.  Quality standards are more important than a penny or a nickel here or there.