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Original poster

Pay with Dict8

999 replies

juju1507 · 09/03/2015 09:19

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.

OP posts:
Original poster
juju1507 · 21/02/2020 11:13

@lucylizzylovett123 It's very worrying. I remember being sent emails because they had so much work to clear last year, now almost nothing. I've done one letter today and it's now nearly 11.15 Confused

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carosel2 · 21/02/2020 13:23

Hi,
Oh my goodness! I have been typing for DICT8 for 5 years now and must say, I was going to send an e-mail regarding the lack of work, (Again!) but seeing this thread, I will not be bothering. Of course, they won't tell us if the work is dropping off. However, I have looked at their last turnover and all the directors last year received an enormous bonus. That compared to their permanent members of staff they must employ then surely they must be making some money. I agree with the comment about who they are banking with (Coutts). This bank only allows members to bank if they have a minimum of £500,000, so yes someone is getting the work. Perhaps their own employees are doing the work if it is becoming less. I can bank my cheques via my mobile app, so I don't have to go out of my way to bank anything coming in, but SURPRISE, SURPRISE, Coutts do not allow this facility, where most banks do, so I still have to go miles out of my way to bank the pittance I am earning, then wait for it to be cleared, its a disgrace.

flutterby18 · 21/02/2020 13:44

Carosel2

I pay my Coutts check in on the app but my banking app will only accept the cheque if it is under £500.

carosel2 · 21/02/2020 14:12

My cheques have only been up to £200 at the most, so it can't be that. It states that 2this bank does not accept this facility2?

Lucylizzy123 · 21/02/2020 14:30

Will be interesting what happens in the new financial year in the NHS and whether Trusts still propose outsourcing their transcription. I guess time will tell

It is nice to have contact with other transcribers out there by the way.

carosel2 · 21/02/2020 14:41

Yes, I agree Lucylizzy123, at least it makes you feel it is nothing personal, as it seems most of us are all having the same problems.

Gally123 · 21/02/2020 14:47

I use my local post office to pay in my cheque as I do not have a mobile phone. I also do not have a printer so I have to go to the library in town to print my invoice every month and hope that their computers and printer are working. It would be nice to be able to email our invoices in, especially as the price of stamps is due to go up again next month. I know we can claim postage and printer fees ( and the bus fare into town) back on our tax but it is still a pain time wise sometimes, especially when I get to the library and the computers or printer are out of action, causing a delay etc to my getting the invoice sent.

IamVictoria · 21/02/2020 15:12

The cheque thing is annoying. I asked about two years ago if they were going to start paying us by BACS because my local bank branch closed down so I have to drive to one miles away, which I only do once a month and only for their cheque. They said they were going to look into it. Also annoyingly, because the cheque has a silver logo thing on it, it won't go in the machine and I have to queue for a window. We should be able to email our invoices in and get paid by BACS, it's the modern way.

Original poster
juju1507 · 21/02/2020 15:25

@carosel2 on the note of banking the cheque via mobile app, I can bank the Coutts cheque as long as it is under £500 - I bank with Lloyds and I've not had a problem doing it this way. I agree that in this day and age we should be able to send our invoice via email, I have a fear that one day my invoice will be "lost" and I would have to wait until the following month to request payment again. What's wrong with paying us by BACS as well? I wonder what they are doing with regards to a system upgrade?
I've typed only 6 letters today....

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deewu · 21/02/2020 15:35

My cheque was lost in the post last year and I had to wait a good couple of weeks before they were happy to issue a replacement. I asked at the time if they were looking to use BACS in the future and my reply was there were no plans to do so. 71 lines so far this afternoon from 4 tasks.

Gally123 · 21/02/2020 15:42

@deewu - well, you beat me - 38 lines from 4 tasks this afternoon so £3.04!

ElleBee56 · 21/02/2020 15:43

It's interesting to read all these posts about the lack of work. I actually emailed to ask if things were changing, with more hospitals taking up voice recognition, as I was concerned that there were very few, if any, tasks on the system and I was assured that volumes had increased significantly in most specialties and Dict8 had had to take on many new transcribers to cope. I've been logged on now since around 12 noon and nothing! I also do work for TPro which always has lots of work although I do sometimes find some of the work difficult as you're expected to pick up in the order it appears and a lot of it is specialties I have no experience in. Having said that, I have done work which is clear and understandable and with lots of help from Google! I agree about the way we're paid by Dict8. It's outdated, inconvenient having to send invoices by post then having to wait for the cheque to arrive and then having to go into town or to the Post Office to pay the cheque in and wait for it to clear. Thankfully now though I can pay in using the banking app on my phone which clears a cheque in 2 working days.

carosel2 · 21/02/2020 16:14

Thats interesting about the banking app. My bank is Yorkshire bank and just wont let me do it. Ive tried a few times. Wonder if its something to do with my bank then unless there is anyone out there that can do it with Yorkshire Bank?

IamVictoria · 21/02/2020 16:27

I've done 872 lines today (and two hours checking) ... but there are only 12 tasks waiting and there always used to be 150 or so by Friday. It's been a steady trickle but nothing like it used to be.

Lucylizzy123 · 21/02/2020 16:52

I was also told that volumes were exactly the same and work wasn’t hanging around long on the system especially during the day time due to more people working on the system. I am afraid I totally do not believe this. The morning used to be prime time for tasks coming through but all this week there has been just about nil. I was told half term also was causing a slow down this week but again I am doubting that. I feel the work just is not there any more personally.

deewu · 21/02/2020 17:04

I have been typing for Dict8 since 2008 and the last time the work more or less dried up for me, in around 2011 I think, they did issue an acknowledgement, probably in the newsletter, and said they would not be taking on any new transcribers until volumes increased

Original poster
juju1507 · 24/02/2020 10:01

I managed two tasks so far this morning in Cardiology and nothing now for over an hour. If you go onto Dict8 website they are still looking for transcribers! it just feels odd now that since Christmas it has gone from pretty full on for me and now hardly anything. I do think as Trusts change their own working practices, ie, electronic transfer of clinic letters from VR, we are becoming less needed. I'm starting with T-Pro next week and it will be interesting to compare workload.

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smiffypeabrain · 24/02/2020 10:18

Nothing here yet. Waiting patiently.

Chrissols · 24/02/2020 10:40

I have had nothing today either yet when I asked for another specialty she said I was already in the busiest one? Certainly not making a living

Lucylizzy123 · 24/02/2020 10:49

Same here too. Sitting and waiting

It would be nice if they were honest with us.

Original poster
juju1507 · 24/02/2020 11:16

I have emailed them this morning. I have not had a reply...Yes, I agree they need to be honest, if the work has dried up or if Trusts are using different transcription providers, just tell us! we can then make up our own minds what to do.

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Original poster
juju1507 · 24/02/2020 11:28

So just had a reply and it's almost the same as @Lucylizzy123 mentioned earlier. Must be their stock reply - to quote "we have the same amount of work as always but have noticed that more transcribers are now logging in. It was half-term last week and that causes workload to go down". Frankly, I don't believe a word of it...

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Lucylizzy123 · 24/02/2020 11:35

Seems like half term has been going on since last November. Next up will be Easter drop in workload!

I too don’t believe it

smiffypeabrain · 24/02/2020 11:43

Even if more transcribers were logging in, the amount of work would still arrive as usual but tasks available would disappear more quickly. We are covering different specialities yet we are all experiencing a lack of tasks.

IamVictoria · 24/02/2020 12:46

So the upgrade has a new weird thing where spell check used to ignore words with apostrophes but now it just picks up any word with an apostrophe as a mistake, and you can't add it to the dictionary either. Not entirely helpful.