Anyone lease their vehicle? Need pros and cons please - sm
Posted By: confused on 2006-05-05
In Reply to:
Am considering trading vehicle, and was advised because of the low miles I put on vehicles (under 25,000 miles in 5 years), that I would be better off leasing than buying. Would appreciate any and all thoughts and things to watch out for when leasing from those of you that have gone this route. TIA.
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pros and cons
Being an MT is like any job, it is what you are willing to put into it and what you are expecting to get out of it that matters. I have been an MT for 15+ years and have been home based for the last 8 and if I have my way I will never go back out of the house to work. Are there days - OH YES. But the rewards far outweight those days. When my children were at home, to hear them say "it is really great that you are at home" made it worthwhile for me. I may have been typing and had a pair of headphones on, but they had access to me and that made a difference. You have to learn what is important and for me, being there for my kids was. Yes, I work long hours, yes I sit in the same spot for hours, yes I type, type, type, (I sit in a big easy chair with pillows propped around me, and a foot stool at my feet, I am comfy) but that is not what I focus on. I have learned a lot about the medical field, which I love. I could set my hours around tennis, cheerleading, basketball games, football games, graduation, etc. I really believe that the bottom line is what you are willing to put into the profession. If you believe that you will be able to type on a so so schedule, you will recieve the equivalent of what you put into this profession. I do this because I love the medical field. It is the most fasinating thing in the world to me. I truly enjoy what I do. I would not do anything else. I would suggest that you really take a look at what you are willing to put into this after you take your training. If you are willing to put as much effort into working as it took into getting the education, then you are headed in the right direction.
there are pros and cons
Never once late on paycheck, reasonably good pay, leave you alone, keep you on same primary, inform you of updates, technicians are helpful for the most part, good equipment.
cons: More like a sweatshopt atmosphere, just shush and do work, hard to get raises, hard to get anything, definitely geared towards the client, not the MT, feel like a number.
For me the important things are being left alone and a good paycheck, so it works out for me.
Pros and cons
There are pros and cons to this. I have been doing this for almost 20 years. I have had some accounts for as long as 18 years. They do expect a LOT. The office staff is sometimes the hardest as they will sometimes treat you like the janitorial service. I do envelopes, printing, cutting apart chart notes, cc envelopes, 24 hour turn around is a MUST or else they really come down on you. Have had one vacation other than a long weekend during the past 4 years. They do not want me to get others to cover for me and one account has asked that I absoulutely do NOT subcontract any of their work. So it is waiting for me when I get back and they expect all of that within 48 hours. But that is just one account. Also when the doctor is gone, you do not get paid and that happens a lot during the summer time. I try to get a monthly schedule from my accounts but it is sometimes hard to do. If you pull on another account to cover for this you sometimes get overloaded and then behind. If they would all take off at once you could have a vacation. Usually have to work one day on the weekend to do the Friday dictation to get back on Monday.
So you ask what are the pros: They do pay me on time within usually 2 days receipt of invoice - never had to ask or had a bounced check. I do give a 1% discount though for payment within three days. I do get Christmas bonuses even from the one account that treats me a little like hired help. I do have templates, auto corrects set up, on one account I can make $45 to $50 an hour if they do a lot of consults/letters. On another I make $30 to $35 doing chart notes. Still not bad but that has to pay for all my benefits and putting some aside for when the docs are gone.
Sometimes it scares me as I am single, 58 years old and supporting myself towards retirement and one of my accounts could pull it and I would be out and looking and so guess that is why I try my best. They also expect 100% correct and when you have to proof your own work it is hard.
Anyway, would I work for a company, doubt it. Am going digital by the 1st of the year and will be looking for more accounts and maybe add on some subs. Have 2 part-timers now. I do work in a clinic doing their EMR's and that gives me the best of both worlds. For my business I bring in around $55,000 with probably 6,000 out to subs and my clinic work brings in 12,000. I put in 40+ hours a week including your unbillable time. But I have write-offs and pay taxes on less than half, usually abour 20K or less. Any more questions ask.
Pros and cons of IC.
Is it more beneficial to be an IC? Any personal pros and cons on this subject would be extremely helpful and appreciated.
Thanks.
Pros and cons
It's not that there's necessarily anything wrong with giving consumers the option to self checkout and bag their own groceries--it's the fact that you are doing it for free. It's great that you think it helps to keep prices down, but everyone, even those that use the full service checkout, benefit from you doing the work of the absent cashiers if you use that logic. The stores should offer a small discount (even 1-2% would be something) for those who wish to use the self checkout stations.
pros/cons
Pro is it is "easier" but con is you don't make as much as MT (or at least I don't...) at 5c a line as opposed to 10c for MT.
My pros and cons
I recently left an in house hospital position to work from home full time. I had worked from home part time for a national also, before going full time with a different company. My main reason for making this change is that I wanted to get paid by production and not hourly. I am now grossing double or more what I made at the in house job. Benefits are about the same as far as quality, but cost me about $100 more a month (which I make up for many times over).
If you are not a high producer, as far as money goes, might be better to take an hourly position. Benefits generally also are more affordable than with a national at home.
I do miss though the company of the other girls at the hospital and sometimes feel a little isolated. But given that I am making twice as much at home, I don't think I will be going back any time soon.
There are pros and cons to everything
I have typed clinic notes paid by page and made a ton of money with small MTSOs but they run out of work a lot and have little if any benefits.
Let us know how you like them and the pros and cons of each. nm
nm
The pros and cons...
If you decide to drop the cable internet completely in favor of a USB broadband connection, you should know:
1) Speeds on the broadband USB are slower than cable. This is especially noticeable if you are in a less than full-signal area. This will NOT impact your WORK, but it will most definitely impact your recreational browsing, especially things like Netflix and youtube and downloading.
2) There are ways to hook that USB thingie up to a router and gain access from more than one computer at a time, but again, speed suffers, and it's a technological issue that I haven't attempted to figure out yet, so I can't help you there.
3) PRO: YES, you can switch back and forth between computers at will, and quite easily I might add.
4) PRO: YES, you can travel to places and work in places that you would never have been able to before. Especially if you're part-time or an IC, this is useful when you want to go visit relatives and not take vacation time for it. I would think it would be a little bit harder to pull off if you're full-time, just because it really wouldn't feel like a vacation then, but I have successfully worked part-time while visiting and traveling. It's really nice to know that my next paycheck will still be there when I get home.
At this point, I am paying for BOTH cable and USB broadband. Cricket stops short of where I live, so I had to sign a contract to get the USB thing going. Since I so enjoy Netflix, I haven't had the heart to cancel the cable yet.
Oh yeah, one more thing: The USB broadband usually has a 5GB limit per month. With ONLY using it for work, you won't come close to using even 1GB probably. However, those Netflix videos add up REALLY quick! Overage charges are insane, too!
i would definitely do a pros-cons list
but for me personally, having to go back in to an office environment, the politics, the dressing up, the high gas prices and traffic plus having a direct boss again would be my absolute last resort. could you work out a part time position to get you out of the house a couple of days a week. that might help you mentally but still give you a lot of freedom plus give you and your husband a little time to adjust to you working outside of the house? i know working at home isn't for everyone, but i wouldn't trade it for anything. i've made a lot of cut backs to compensate too-but it's been worth it for me. good luck
No pros, just cons. Do a search on any
Stay away!
you don't need pros and cons- what you need is numbers.
Run the numbers on leasing, adding what you put down and what you get back. Then call a dealership and see what you can buy the car new for. Then subtract off what you can sell the car for in three years. You will see it costs at least $12000 to lease the same car. Of course, if it's worth $12000 for you to drive a "new" car every 3 years...
Vonage has pros and cons, for sure...
I just spent 2 months with Vonage (have broadband internet) and my understanding is you can use it with cable or DSL or satellite (high speed). But I had a lot of issues where I had to reboot and sometimes there was so much static/poor quality audio that I could not get cleared up by re-booting. The real kicker is when I went to cancel my service, they charged me $97! To cancel it! They told me its all there in the agreement I signed, and it probably is, in very small print. It is indeed the cheapest ULLD out there, I think, but for me it wasn't worth the frustrations. My audio issues may have had to do with satellite, they may not crop up with cable/DSL, maybe somebody using it with cable can give you more info.
pros and cons for own service?
I was hoping that someone out that has been running their own accounts that they could give me pros and cons for running their own service for local accounts or just doing 1 account, I have been seriously thinking of doing this get kind of worried sometimes of being on my own instead of with a company. Any insight on this would be so greatly appreciated. 
Anyone using Vista yet? Pros/cons over XP?nm
nm
Untion pros/cons
I wrote a long post, and it disappared. So I will try again. I am for a union, if it protects the "good" MTs, and not the ones who only "think" they are MTs who continue to harm the profession. I think if we all, and I mean ALL of us working for MTSO chose a day to strike, everybody call in sick, it would OPEN their eyes greatly. I'm tired of every year losing something else. Been doing this for nearly 15 years now, 8 of which was with a very LARGE top 3 MTSO. I have written Obama's transition team 3 times now regarding NAFTA, fair trade, and our medical records being in other countries unprotected from terrorists and HIPAA regulations. What if the terrorists in Mumbai were getting information for credit card fraud off the med records. There are reports in India which includes SSN, DOB, addresses, EVERYTHING required for fraud )and we wonder why it has tripled in so few years!!). The Indian Institute of Medical Transcription is in Mumbai along with numerous MTSO transription companies (most of whom have ties in the US and are branches off our US MTSOs). If the American people really knew where their records were created and maintained, there would be an uproar. First priority, in my line of thinking, would be to educate the public so they can demand their American records be kept in America. Sounds simple really, but not as easy as it should be I know, as they are oblivious as to how/when/where/why a record is created. And I believe every single clinic/hospital/rehab facility, whatever it may be, be required to post in their waiting rooms EXACTLY WHO there MTSO is, and whether or not they are offshored! I would discontinue seeing a particular physician if I knew he/she was promoting offshoring, as I bleieve a good number of our citizens would. Again, I'm for the day strike, everybody sick all across the US at ALL MTSO....talk about puting a screatching halt to production! And to whomever stated the profit margin is low...is in lala land (no offense, but I've seen the proof and know better). Look at the EIC filings for the big MTSOs, their profit margin is in the billions. Spheris alone brags on their profit margin increasing due to their push to "cheaper wager" offshore! Hello, wake up, and smell the offshore poop! I have chosen to keep or not keep doctors for me and my family based on they way "I think" they might transcribe. I actually care about my record being neat, tidy, CORRECT; and transcribed in our own country!
I don't think so, but if the pros outweigh the cons, I guess you
x
What are the pros/cons of FlashType, IT, Shorthand
nm
Is anyone familiar with SwiftText? Pros and cons? TIA nm
:}
How do you move from MT to QA in this business...and what are the pros and cons for this.
nm
MediTech Pros & Cons- Can you make any $$?
I have researched Meditech on this board and mainly found references to spell check software and MediTech. What are the pros and cons? Can you type 3,000+ lines in an 8 hour shift with MediTech and a lot of shortcuts?
Need specific pros/cons on IT, Flash Type,
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Anyone using DirectTV- what are the pros and cons in comparison to cableTV? nm
nm
Pros & Cons of ESP word expansion program?
Does this work pretty well? (I have Word 2002) I'd like not to have to buy any software. Any opinions on ESP? Any other Word-compatible programs that work well, also?
Make a pros and cons list for each "position" -sm
Also, can your husband get a job where he carries the benefits so you don't have to kill yourself to ensure them. I am sure there will be weeks you won't meet your quota and say bye-bye benefits for a while. Also do you absolutely depend on the salary you make now? The odds are you will make less than you make now and have to pay SE taxes on that to boot. What was/is your cpl? How many hours of working did it take you to meet your daily requirement? Factor 80% ESL into that amount too if you are going to work for a national. Factor in interruptions from family since you would be at home, getting kids ready for school, meeting them at the bus (if you would do that), people calling, etc. Just remember you might be physically home but not available to "see" your family. I know my kids aren't thrilled that I always seem to be working, but part of that is my lack of discipline (which I am getting better bit by bit) and getting side-tracked because I don't want to work or I hate who I am transcribing so it takes me twice as long to do so I procrastinate (I type 10-20 minutes of dictation an hour normally depending on the doc). Yes, there are a lot of pluses to working at home, no gas (big+), no dressing up if you don't want to, possibly flexible hours (I don't work on a schedule), though you may have to work a schedule and STICK to it depends on who you are working for of course, my downside is getting side-tracked by this site, surfing the web, taking care of the animals (we have a 2 dogs, cat, hamster and 10 chickens), laundry, trying to clean, phone calls from the DH, trying to execise if I ever get motivated, burnout and not wanting to work. I am glad that I work at home, and we don't have to have the money I make so that makes it hard for me to stay motivated but I do like the work and keeping my brain active. I really think a list is the best way to go and be honest on it and think of every scenario you can of good and bad. Good luck.
Emachines anyone? Thinking of buying one just for MT/wordprocessing. Pros? Cons? Don't want to p
nm
Pros and cons on SOAP transcription versus MediVoxx? nm
s
INMO, pros and cons to both -- easier on the hands but harder for me mentally.
nm
Any Stedman SmartType users? Pros & Cons? Will it retain bold formatting without using DOS command
DOS commands like ShortHand does?
If the vehicle has been totalled (sm)
by an insurance company it will have a salvage title, so those will have evidence that the vehicle was totalled. I have heard of auto salvage companies using creative measures to disguise the real damage to the vehicle (like pounding the body with a hammer to simulate hail) leading the buyer to believe there is only body damage. We bought a submarine once and it was the best deal we ever made, a year old full sized fully loaded truck for less than half price. It was river water though and only 3 weeks after the flood. The only problem with it was the cruise control didn't work! Anything out of LA or MS at this stage probably already has rust.
I'm wondering now if you use a vehicle...
for easier application or do you just use straight water? I got quite a bit of the powder in my eyes, etc. I'm sure I could get used to this and even improve my technique over time, but I just wondered. I've read about using just about anything from honey to soap to apply it. BTW, my pores look better after 1 use. Thanks!
Hybrid Vehicle
Yes, I love my Insight. It is 2001, never had any problems and has 50 to 60 miles per gallon of gas usage! When I purchased this one, I received a 15% off the top for the 21K cost of the car on federal taxes. I could never go to a regular car again.
The best part is: the mileage is even more because the engine shuts off at a stop sign or when in road rage traffic. This would prove to be even better mileage since all other automobiles are steadily burning while this Insight is completely off. Of course you can adjust if you really need air conditioning. It came with auto everything: windows, transmission and power brakes and steering.
leasing vehicle - sm
Thanks for all the reponses, honest and otherwise. You all basically told me what I felt inside - the only one who makes out on a lease is the dealer. Thanks again.
leasing vehicle
If you travel 12-15,000 miles or less and do not want to worry about repairs, etc, and know you want to drive a newer vehicle always - having a payment always, leasing is good. I leased for a while and it was fine, but then started putting on a lot more miles. So now I buy my vehicle and drive until it dies. Matter of opinion.
I would think that owning a vehicle with low miles is a plus - sm
at the end of that 5 years you own the vehicle, versus leasing you don't; and you would owe a huge chunk if you choose to buy it. After 5 years of paying a car off with low miles, you can choose to re-sell and get a better price because of the low miles (big selling point). So whoever fed you the line above is, I think, totally off the mark (or trying to lease you a car).
Husband bought a vehicle, in his name,
husband died. Money still owed on the car. I did not want, was not responsible for HIS bill and nothing they could do. Told them sitting in my backyard, come and get it. I did not own, had not signed my John Henry on it, so glad. Could be similar if you are not signed on the house.
anyone have personal experience with leasing a vehicle
I've never owned a car, end up upside down on the loan, owe old loan on top of new loan, and own it for so long it starts to tinker and I pay for repair on top of the loan. What is the downside of leasing? I heard you sometimes have to pay, but only if you drive over the limited mileage right? Working at home, that saves mileage on commute which makes up 70% of it I would suppose. Plus being new it won't nickle and dime me to death with repairs, low payment because you only pay for the amount of money it would depreciate for the time you own it. Any personal experience with this, and is there red tape or hidden small print? Going to start looking really soon, I only hear bad things but its from people who drive a lot. I think a new car is a necessity in this day and age, with all the swindling mechanics and the dependence to get from here to there. A new different car every three years doesnt sound so bad either.
It's a form for vehicle accidents. It looks funny without
the caps, but I am not sure of this grammar rule.
TIA~
We lease
It's a version of living beyond your means.
"Lease payments are much lower than buying" talk about needing instant gratification! Leasing per mile is always more expensive than ownership. You forget, at the end of the lease, you give the car back. At the end of the same $$ spent in car payments, you could sell the car and get MONEY back.
My husband is also in the car business and although he has a car that is now paid off, we've been leasing my vehicles for over 8 years. I also resent what one of the posters said about living from pay check to pay check and living beyond our means. We do not live beyond our means in any way and if we live pay check to pay check, I'm sorry we aren't as priviledged and as you and your family. You don't know everyone's situation so please don't judge those of us who don't do things your way.
oh, puh-lease. you don't have to QA here. nm
x
puh-lease
I'm sure you weren't the original "just me". Lots of people use that as their name on here, as well as mtmt, mtmtmt, radmt, happymt, etc. Due to the way this site is set up it is unavoidable. If you want to post somewhere where your name is exclusively yours, this may not be the site for you.
Equipment For Lease
Hi! I would be doing part time transcription for two months and would need micro casette transcriber. Does anybody know if there is any company that lease transcription equipment. Thanks in advance.
Lease Equipment
Part-Timer.
Do you need a cassette transcriber. I bought one from ebay that works great. Think it was about $80.00 and never used it. Will sell it to you for the same. Or you can try EBAY.
my email:
ray-m3comsys@cox.net
Hope this helps.
ray
I only lease. I want a new car every 3 years. sm
After 3 years, things need fixing. I have had no problems whatsoever leasing my vehicles. You can even bargain the price and lease amount. Negotiate is the key. I always get the 0 down, 36 month leases and they work out great. Mind you, I have to negotiate hard for the 0 down, but it always works out and the sales people given in.
I am on my 4th leased vehicle 2nd year. By next year, I will be ready for a new car again.
I considered a lease once (sm)
but when I found out my payment would be only $1 different I decided to buy instead. My loan was for the same length of time as the lease, had no "fees" attached, and didn't require a down payment. Make sure you read all the fine print on a lease. They can determine who services the vehicle. They determine "wear and tear" when you turn it in, early termination fees (you never know), and on and on. Any little dent that might be on the vehicle will need to be repaired, either by your insurance or out of your pocket, or they will charge you for it at turn-in. Beward of leasing salesmen that call you after you have already leased the vehicle and try to squeeze cash out of you. I've heard of that scam more than once.
The only way to end up upside down on a loan is to pay more than it's worth to begin with. As soon as you drive a new vehicle off the lot you are upside down on the loan and will be for at least 6-12 months. You'd be better off buying a vehicle from someone else who made that mistake. Not a lease buy-back, but from a private individual who needs to get out of their loan and hasn't driven the vehicle into the ground in a year's time. With a year-old vehicle you can easily determine whether there are major problems with them too, unlike new vehicles where you just hope it's going to be okay. Check epinions.com and read reviews from owners who are already driving that vehicle. Good luck!
I personally like to lease and SM
decide at the end whether I want to keep the vehicle or not (I have low mileage also)...but if you have dogs/kids/heavy wear on the car (burns, stains, scratches, etc.) when you turn the car in they charge hefty fees for rehabbing the car.
I just like to have new cars under warranty, which is the great part about leasing.
System lease or buy?
If I had my own clients, wouldn't I have to make a large investment for a call in system? Any advice on that? Also, I did make up flyers and put them all over medical offices and I only got 3 calls and one came to be out of hundreds.
leasing in like renting - paying someone else for the privilige of driving their vehicle..sm
with the low mileage you put on vehicles, you would have an easy time selling outright to a third party. Crunch the numbers. figure out what you would pay for leasing, including deposit. Figure out what you could buy that same car for. If you hold it for 5 years, you can get an idea of how much cars depreciate by checking blue book prices on the current model and a 5 year model. Use that to figure what percent it would depreciate. Then add your leasing costs all together. Add your car payments all together. Then subtract from the car payment what your car would be worth in 5 years, because you'll get that back, ya know. IMHO leasing is done by people too lazy to figure out the numbers and by people that it's important to "look good" to the neighbors, regardless of what your bank account actually holds. Hope you don't mind my honesty. 
Here in North Carolina they get to operate a motor vehicle at age 15 when accompanied by
a licensed driver. No, they do not state WHO has to be the licensed driver (i.e. friend, neighbor, etc) or how long the licensed driver needs to be licensed, but at 14.5 years they start driver's education in the schools! It is ridiculous to me, as they are children operating a very dangerous toy and I pray they up the age before my children reach it, as I do not feel children possess the maturity and forethought to drive at such a young age.
Busy MTg...quesiton for you, lease sm
I read your post that you are on DQS (all my accounts will be on DQS beginning Nov 15; right now, only a few are).
Do you use the DQS expander? I'm asking because I find it just simply dreadful and I use Instant Text, but have only been using IT for a short time and haven't gotten completely used to it.
The transition from MTShell Expander to DQS expander was difficult because the DQS expander doesn't allow for nearly as many expander keys. IT is pretty good, I suppose, but uses a completely different system so that is taking some getting used to.
Just curious as to what expander you use. My expander database is huge, but I'm having to do some major modifications for it to be used to any great degree in IT.
TIA
Regards,
CB
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