bad job

[Marla]

I just sent back a transcript to a reporter only have done. Although the recording wasn't too bad, almost every word needed fixing. I don't think it is fair to send me this. What do you think?

[Marla]

i meant to say half done. I am a wreck over this, even after 35 years in the field.

[Ellen Sarem]

Marla,

That sounds awful! My sympathies, for sure.
I do, however, think that if you had already done half, you may have maybe charged the reporter more for it being so difficult. There's no harm in asking, and if she would have said no, you would have sent it back to her anyway, right?

I'm not so sure this makes sense written down...it made sense in my head...

[Kari Silva Campos]

I have returned a job half completed to a reporter one time in my six years of doing this. I felt awful, but I also felt it was not worth my time to be basically word processing the entire job. I did send her a bill for the pages I had done, including an additional per page fee for extra filling in. She did pay the bill, but only at the regular page rate. I let it go and was happy I was paid for the pages I did at least.

[Marla]

thanks for the input. I feel better.

[Reba]

I say kudos to you for making the statement that we are scopists and not typists. Always when a reporter sends a job, they know whether or not it is bad, and usually most of them will tell me it's a bad one. I've even had them ask me if I want it or not, and in that case I'll always finish them. But when I send a bad one back that deserves comment, they will usually tell me to put extra per page or a flat rate which is higher than the page rate. But I did send one back half done before because it took longer than anticipated because it was so bad and I had to leave town, so don't feel bad. If you lose their business, it's not a great loss, is it? When it gets down to making less per hour than I feel we deserve, it's not worth it.

[Marla]

I really don't want to lose this reporter, her proofreading is not too bad and usually overnight. But that job was far worse than typing. I was a transcriber for 20 years, but I didn't have to spend time deleting and retyping, much more time consuming.
As far as charging extra, it is not the money, it is the headache it gives me, no matter what I am paid!

[Maeve]

Hi Marla

Most of the reporters I work with would be too embarassed to send work like that. A reporter/scopist team can only work if it's treated as a team. There are too many good reporters out there doing their best to have a good note that could use you more than that reporter.

[Marla]

Thanks for the reply, Maeve. Nice to know there are people out there that support my decision.

[Brytta Fitzgibbons]

It really depends on how you look at it.