I felt the need to write this blog based on a personal experience by one of our Managers, who heads up our order desk. He is one of the most level-headed, smart, patient, kind person you could ever meet. I respect him and his leadership second to none. We all have our bad days but at the end of one day this week he said, I have had a very bad day, and he left for the day. Those words resounded with me throughout the evening and the next morning. He is a very a proud person, always patient with ordering parties and listening to their concerns but an ordering party had left him drained and very down after a final call with him.
The call originated as a result of an audio file that Videoplus had agreed to transcribe and certify for court use. It was a difficult file; four typists refused to do it as they were not able to understand or hear clearly what was being said. A typist finally agreed to do it. The proofer spent over four hours proofing approximately 30 minutes of audio, Yes, four hours going over and over trying to make out what was being said. She was experienced having done many, many thousands of hours of transcription over the last five years, so it wasn't her first time at the rodeo and she had worked on really difficult hard to hear, heavy accent files in the past. She never looked at money as her goal but producing a transcript capturing everything she could and as accurately as she could
We had agreed to do the transcript in 24 hours but that turned into 48, then 72, and additional days because of the difficulty of the audio. The client was kept up-to-date all the way but had a hard deadline.
Just an aside this was 30 pages, so about 30 minutes, should have taken about 2.5 hours to type and proof.
At one point the client sent us a transcript of the audio he had produced and said to give it to the proofer to assist. Again the proofer attempted to hear what the ordering party was indicating was being said by following what the ordering party had produced. She finally gave up as the ordering party required the transcript and it was taking her hours to go through a few pages to match what he wanted us to put and what she could actually hear. She produced what she could hear and make out. No, she did not type what the ordering party gave her because she could not hear that and was not confident it was what was being said. She would need hours more and was under a time deadline.
A final transcript was produced to the best of the proofer's ability and given to the ordering party without comprising the date and time for completion any further. Yes, perhaps with another 5 or 6 hours maybe a few more words could be caught. Did I mention we charged $80 had worked on it over 7 hours with a possible another 5 or 6 hours of work. Not that the money matters but the deadline was tight and we did our best.
The ordering party demanded a full refund of the 80 dollars or so he had paid, after hours of typing and proofing had been done on about 30 pages, and additional proofing after HIS transcript he made was provided. He was upset because we would not just use the transcript he had done and sent, but it is the person's responsibility certifying the transcript to make sure she could hear what he had typed.
Thus the call with our manager. With professionalism, patience and listening our manager explained the transcript is the best we could do with the quality of the audio and the deadline and there would be no refund. The ordering party became irate yelling at our staff member. He threatened to post a negative google review and have several of his friends do so as well. We either typed what he had given us and use it or he wanted the refund. We refused. He indicated he was not able to use what had been typed for his court purposes — well, he could but he just did not like the result. The proofer was willing to testify in court that she did to the best of her ability with the recording quality.
When Videoplus takes on a project we do not type what is not accurate and what we can't hear or understand. Yes, there may be the odd word or phrase or name that can be pointed out and the proofer will relisten and if can hear it, will amend the transcript, BUT Videoplus will not be bullied and threatened into producing a transcript for someone so their case will be favoured. We work as impartial typists, typing what can be heard, what can be understood and will not be coerced or threatened into doing anything otherwise. Our integrity is to produce quality transcripts first and foremost, meet deadlines and will not be compromised in any way.
If you are looking for a company that will produce a quality and accurate transcript based on recording quality and can testify in court as to what they hear, and not show prejudice, choose Videoplus.
And for that ordering party who did the threatening of bad reviews and having his friends write false reviews, shame on you, but Videoplus will not be coerced and forced to transcribe words that cannot be heard or understood at any cost.
Videoplus has not become the number one choice for Ministries, counsel, government agencies for falsifying transcripts with inaccurate words or made up words based on recording quality and difficulty understanding speakers and the ordering party giving us a transcript "he says" is accurate. We stand behind our work.