A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
All this equipment we have to buy - John Doe
Posted: Feb 16, 2014
why do they keep gouging us for this crap even though it should be painfully obvious to anyone with half a brain that your average MT has hardly any money for it? Amphion had told me that my workstation was not up to snuff, and after they specified what I needed, they told me *where to buy it*. I ended up sinking almost 300 bucks into it. Then, after working there for a couple weeks, they micromanaged me intensely, and after a performance review where I missed the mark by probably about a fraction of an inch, they tossed me aside like yesterday's garbage. That was quite an investment that I didn't get a return on, it was really quite insulting. I'm wondering if it was a scam to drum up business for the people selling all that overpriced junk. And yes, when you demand a serious investment from someone, you DO owe them a return.
To John (sm) - Rose
[ In Reply To ..]You stated: "when you demand a serious investment from someone, you DO owe them a return" Not if it is not in the contract. If you are an employee you can be fired for wearing the wrong nail polish. If you are a contractor your services can be canceled per the contract.
Write the costs off on your taxes.
That is about all you can do. The next MTSO will probably require a different operating system, foot pedal or version of Word.
Equipmennt costs - Been There
[ In Reply To ..]While I have not spent that much for equipment costs, I have bought a foot pedal and Shorthand and Express Scribe and I don't even think that was fair. The Shorthand Express Scribe expired and so did the job. I still have the foot pedal. I had to buy a new keyboard today, because my other one died. I will write off the cost of these things on my taxes, but again, what Amphion asked of you was a bit much; I have never head of anyone having to pay that much, unless it was a scam and the other post is right; read the small print and we are disposable no matter if we are an employee or IC. It is truly sad!
I missed the part about the gun - at your head
[ In Reply To ..]You could have said, no, I'll find a service who is not requiring these upgrades (although with XP phasing out, most are requiring SOMETHING).
Second, they suggested where to buy the stuff but you're a free man/woman who could have gone anywhere and bought the stuff.
And then of course, they micromanaged you and through NO FAULT of your own you didn't keep the job.
I've worked for Amphion and for them to let you go, you simply were not up to muster. (You can save the you've done this for 100 years and you're wonderful. I've met many MT who think that about themselves and well let's just say they needed a better mirror.)
Yes, it simply sucks to have put out the cash and then not have the job, but EVERY step along the way you had a CHOICE to do something different.
300 is not a lot for a new computer - me
[ In Reply To ..]Investing in equipment is part of being in this profession.
Well - see msg
[ In Reply To ..]The OP didn't say it was for a new computer, the OP just said something about the work station.
It could be that the place Amphion sent the OP to was a discounted place, but you had/have every right to shop around.
Anyway, I got out of this dumb business completely.
Speak For Yourself!... - Not Me
[ In Reply To ..]Three hundred dollars is A LOT OF MONEY for most people these days, so if I'm going to shell out that much for a computer and then get fired a couple of weeks later, I would be ticked off, too! John Doe, you should be be able to write it off on this or next year's taxes.
Happened to me, too - Not Me Either
[ In Reply To ..]I spent $300. for an update to my internet, new foot pedal, and Word 2007 which I never needed before. The result was 3 cents a line for pay and they were never happy with my internet speed, which is the best and fastest I could get here. This was not the same company, but I had to upgrade for them just the same. Now I see ads where they don't want Windows XP and I am sure not going to buy a new computer for 3-4 cents a line. I am out of MT and my stress level has gone down 1000%.
Definitely no need - for a new computer
[ In Reply To ..]to upgrade from Windows XP, or to add a newer version of Word and some more RAM to your computer. A computer shop can do it for way less than a new computer would cost.
I'm sorry Amphion did that to you... - Current Amphioner
[ In Reply To ..]I bought my PC in 2008 with Vista. I was told that Triton was compatible. It is but the bugs need fixing. My PC met their requirements and I'm able to work just fine. However, I'm planning on getting out of MT altogether for many reasons, and yes I agree with you about being micromanaged to death. I guess my best suggestion would be to completely wipe your PC out and try to sell it. The most recent it is the better. There may be a market for it out there. I think it's pretty crappy that an MTSO wouldn't even reimburse some of your expense. Can you write it off as a home office expense on your tax prep? I can write off anything over a certain amount over the 2% standard deduction of my gross total yearly income. For example, I spent well over $1000 one year on my PC/home office expenses and I was able to deduct the overage because I spent over the $1000. That included anything I bought for my PC, office, and a percentage of my electricity, gas, internet, and home office square footage. I got some refunded. If you haven't prepared your taxes yet, try it out. Good luck.
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