Pay with Dict8

[juju1507]

I have been working s/e with Dict8 for 3 years now and my payment by cheques are arriving later and later. My last cheque arrived 8 days after it was issued and I noticed they are now sending cheques second class. Does anyone else work for Dict8 on here and, if so, are you finding that your cheque is arriving much later than it used to? I have direct debits set up deliberately for the middle of the month in order that my cheque would have cleared in time but now I am worrying that even by 15th of each month the cheque will not have cleared. Sorry for the ramble but just curious if others have noticed this.

[Thumbcat]

I haven't really noticed a change. Sometimes it comes really quickly and other times takes longer. It would be lovely if they could do direct bank payments as I'm also always waiting for the cheque to clear.

[LinBee1503]

I've been working for Dict8 for 8 years and have also noticed that cheques are getting later and later and are now being sent second class. I've just checked to see whether I've been paid and I haven't! It's Friday 8th May so if they finally get round to paying on Monday 11th May the cheque probably won't arrive until the 13th and won't have cleared until at least the 19th and that's if the postman actually gets it to me in time to get into town to pay the cheque into the bank! I'm so angry as, like you juju1507, I have direct debits set up for the middle of the month to ensure that my Dict8 pay has cleared into my account. I emailed Dict8 a few months ago to ask if it was possible to be paid by BACS as other companies and individuals I have done work for have paid this way. Their reply was that they are not planning to change the way they pay. I just don't understand why, as surely paying by BACS is a much easier method of payment. I've been doing work for another company, in addition to Dict8, for over a year now and they pay on the 1st of the month (unless it's a weekend) straight into my bank. No problems and 2 pay rises (albeit 0.5p less than Dict8 at the moment but rising to 8p per line in the future).

[Gardeninggirl56]

I also work for DICT8 and have done for over five years. As you, I have noticed that they seem to be taking longer and longer to send cheques, and when I have queried it they are not very sympathetic at all. Unfortunately, I think they treat their workers like battery hens, and really seem to forget that we are the ones that provide their service. Although generally it is a good firm to work for, I think they are too detached from their typists and don't really care about them. I have also asked for a rate rise on a number of occasions, with always the same response - no. Very sad, because I think they could be a very good employer if they made a few small changes to their attitude to their subcontractors. I also agree BACS would be the way to go, but I think they want to hang onto the money as long as possible in their bank, rather than passing it on. Although I notice that the MD seems to say the busy is growing and expanding, they still can't afford to give any rises at all

[Wordylicious]

Are there other firms that do the same thing?

[wirethorn]

Gardeninggirl56 is spot on with her comment 'they treat their workers like battery hens'. They are making a lot of money and have just announced 'We are now well and truly settled into our wonderful new offices'. All paid for thanks to the pittance they pay their transcribers, some of whom have been working for them for 8 years or more at 8p a line with no hope of a pay rise. Everyone gets paid the same rate, regardless of how long they've been working for them, although, as gardeninggirl56 points out, the MD is always boasting about how the business (and presumably his bank balance) is growing.

This is becoming increasingly unfair because the work offered is taking longer to transcribe (and payment is by line typed, not by time taken) due to the rise in the number of foreign doctors dictating in poor English, which is often hard to understand and has to be corrected. Dict8 seems to be doing little to encourage their clients to at least make an effort when dictating hospital numbers, dates of birth, drug names and doses, and to spell out foreign patient names, which are significantly more common than they were 8 years ago. But improving the clarity of dictation would be of no financial benefit to Dict8. They don't care how long it takes to type a transcription, they are not the losers!

[juju1507]

You are all absolutely right. All this business as well as having to send an invoice by post! Dark ages. It would be much easier for us and safer to send invoices by email so there is no risk of it being lost in the postal system. Unfortunately we have to comply by this in order to get paid! I will be glad when my daughter starts secondary school and I can get back out into the real world. I absolutely love working in the NHS and took time out whilst my daughter was so young and working for DICT8 seemed the perfect opportunity, however, I am now seriously disillusioned with them though. We offer a first class service and unfortunately they treat us second class with their method of payment. I bet the staff at DICT8 would not like it if they had to guess when their salary was going to arrive! Keep strong girls xx

[macschoice]

I have worked for Dict8 now for two years and I think the reason they work the old fashioned way paying by cheque is because it saves them money. If they were to change their payment method if would involve them employing PAYE staff. I also waited 10 days for a cheque to arrive some month's ago and went overdrawn to pay bills.

I agree with "wirethorn" that the dictation can be difficult and time consuming with the poor English and some doctors dictate a never ending list of medications totally irrelevant to the speciality, which is difficult when you don't have the case notes in front of you.

[Thumbcat]

With regard to the poor English some doctors dictate in, I used to pride myself in making it all make sense and be grammatically correct while not altering the meaning in any way. However, since getting a telling off for not transcribing it exactly as dictated I no longer bother and just type the pidgin English it's dictated in.

I'm getting increasingly disillusioned with Dict8 and now get more than half of my work from elsewhere (who pay by BACS as soon as I email the invoice).

[Whitestar5]

I have worked for DICT8 for years now, at 8 pence a line. I generally find the support quite good, but I have asked about a rise, and mentioned that the pay doesn't reflect the skill and effort required. Sometimes it feels like an endurance test as I have to work so intensively (work availability permitting) in order to earn not much more than the minimum wage, by the time I have researched, typed and proofread, at the end of the day. I too have noticed the increasing number of foreign names, that end up in the query box, which of course is not included in the line count, and then there's the dreaded dictator's instructions that we have to type out in the query box, sometimes as long as the actual letter/report, all taking up our time and key strokes without the pay. I'm sure you can all relate to all this! My pay cheque is taking longer to arrive too.

[wirethorn]

Whitestar5, I can certainly relate to your comments about 'the dreaded dictator's instructions'. Then there are those who dictate a sentence, change their mind and just go on to dictate a new version without 'winding back' the recording, so you type something twice and only get paid once. Also, those who hold the microphone so close to their mouth, the sound gets distorted, others who slur over words (perhaps to hide their linguistic insufficiencies) and mumble drug names... Oh, I could go on and on.

Thumbcat, 'just type the pidgin English it's dictated in' is exactly what you have to do. I, too, took a load of flak for correcting garbage, even though, like you, I had made corrections 'while not altering the meaning in any way'. Some of the proofreaders are either really stupid or else they have a vested interest in sabotaging the company they are working for.

WARNING TO ALL!
If you come across any discussion site where the subject of DICT8 has been raised and there is an option of contacting a person who has posted there, be aware that this might be someone who works for DICT8 who is fishing for info. You should certainly not use the email address/name you have given DICT8.

[MandyMoo1982]

Hi ladies. Came across this thread as I'm thinking of working for Dict8. I'm a little apprehensive as I'll be going from a weekly to a monthly wage if I do decide to work for them. I'm just curious about the month in arrears with payment. Do you submit your invoice at the end of the month? And also, they state that they will pay you within 28 days of receipt of the invoice. Is that usually the case as I don't want to wait 28 days; I would be without payment for two months. Any advice in on setting up and payment would be much appreciated as I'm new to working from home. Thanks

[wirethorn]

Hello MandyMoo1982! You can submit an invoice monthly but DICT8 say people who do very little work for them don't need to send one every month. The company sits on the money they owe until an invoice is submitted. I can't remember ever having to wait more than 2 weeks for payment.

However, unless you are very lucky with the quality of dictation that turns up in your area of expertise, you are not going to find the work very lucrative. I used to find the dictation was a 50:50 mix of good and bad but now it's nearly all bad and I wonder whether this is because DICT8 now works with Crescendo Systems, which seems to give medical secretaries in hospitals the chance to cherry-pick easy bits of dictation and farm out the garbage to transcription agencies – see
www.crescendosystems.co.uk/outsource/pdf/crescendo_transcription_outsourcing.pdf

If I could find another company that doesn't oblige you to commit to a set number of hours of transcription per week, I'd leave them immediately.

[Whitestar5]

Can anyone recommend any other transcription companies? DICT8 is not really proving so lucrative alone.

[SimLondon]

If you have a look on moneysavingexpert guide there's a firm mentioned on a guide they have about making extra money.

[Whitestar5]

www.crescendosystems.co.uk/outsource/index.html

To add to Wirethorn's link, I have also found this.

[Whitestar5]

Automated Transcription Outsourcing to
UK based, Grade 4 Medical Secretaries!

Oh to have the grade four pay again!

[ElleBee56]

Try Accuro //www.accuro.co.uk. They have recently won a number of contracts so are looking for transcribers. They pay directly into your bank account so no messing around with cheques.

[grannybeth]

I've read all posts and totally agree. The cheques are arriving later, and they are nit-picking to say the least. I think people, glass houses and stones come to mind, too. In the latest newsletter I've found two mistakes, so who proof reads that?

[Anna505]

Now that the minimum wage is to be increased, Dict8 should certainly give us a rise. I find much of the dictation is extremely time consuming due to often appalling dictation and often the time taken for certain tasks makes the amount earned for that task sometimes as low as £5 per hour( pro rata.)

[Gally123]

I agree that it is about time that DICT8 gave a pay rise. I sometimes think the occasional odd feedback message is to deter people asking for a rise.

[wirethorn]

Reply to Anna505
Based on the majority of the dictation, I reckon £5 per hour (pro rata) could be the norm these days, in my specialty anyway, due to poor English and/or mumbled speech, not to mention the widespread inability to hold the recording device in the correct position to avoid distorting the sound.

DICT8 is under no legal obligation whatsoever to give us a pay rise, as we work on a self-employed basis. They will only increase the rate when they can't find mugs like us to make them rich. After years and years with no increase, I think it's time for us to pause before clicking to accept what will obviously be a difficult task and ask ourselves 'Am I really so hard up that I'll accept £5 per hour (and perhaps even less), so that the DICT8 directors can laugh all the way to the bank?'.

Remember, too, that by correcting bad grammar/wrong words used we allow the medics to appear more articulate/coherent than they really are to those who receive their letters.

[carosel2]

I have recently joined dict8. Cannot even make the minimum wage here as I only type one speciality and the work is never there other than a few odd letters. I have queried this, but the answer I get is you have to keep login on as it is there 24/7. I have deliberately made myself available and used full days refreshing work and can only earn a minimum of £1 to £2 an hour if I am lucky. I spent six hours waiting for work to come in one day and earned £3 all the time I was sat refreshing my button, (which by the way happens on a regular basis). My payment is being delayed more and more. We work a month in hand and end up having to wait nearly another month before the invoice is paid. I agree with the above comments. The dictation is absolutely atrocious by most of the doctors and if dict8 are selling their package they need to advise the doctors dictating how to use the equipment/software, and speak slowly and more clearly, and spell out names etc. (which are impossible to second guess). Surely, the doctors (their secretary's) must be wondering why their work is being submitted incorrect all the time (and I'm sure even the proof readers can't understand). Surely it is dict8s responsibility to give feed back to them why, without criticising (obviously they want the work) but I think are frightened of telling them in case they lose their business. I have also had proof readers supposedly correcting my work saying I have typed something wrong when their version of the correct answer, is so apparently wrong and mine has been right all the time. Most of the dictation is absolutely appalling. If you can get one doctor dictating so clearly (odd time) why can't the others be pointed in the right direction at least. I have 15 years experience of being a medical secretary and have never heard of such appalling dictation. COME ON DICT8, START LOOKING AFTER THE HARDWORKING PEOPLE THAT ARE MAKING YOU RICH!! WE NEED SOME INCENTIVE HERE! The faster we can type correctly is surely in your great interest too! (AND!!!!!! I am still waiting to be paid!)

[Whitestar5]

The cheques seem to be arriving a little more quickly now, if only the dictation was more efficient. It's sooooo tiring trying to transcribe the bad ones compared to the good ones, it actually gets me down.

[Gally123]

Has anyone had this happen to them? I have just had some feedback saying I entered a wrong hospital number - however, I remember noticing it when I proof read and changed it - it was an obvious error as the number was clearly given hence I remember noticing it as I thought how could I have got it wrong the first time. So knowing I changed it (and double checked several times as I was surprised I had made the mistake) I am now surprised to get this feedback so I am wondering if I did not "save" the change before I submitted the letter. Has anyone else had feedback on something they know they had corrected? Is this a warning to make sure you save everything before submitting as the act of submitting does not save any changes? Thanks.

[fatima07]

Can I ask something about Dict8? I have an offer from them, but I have to pay 50$ to have an access to their server (server fee or joining fee)? Is that okay or legitimate? Thanks for your time..