Posted by Mary_CT on 4/26/07 11:02am
Msg #187115

How typical is this? Signing agent behavior- 1st for me!

5:00 Signing agent calls- convinces me to do a signing at 7:30 as I am walking out to a signing- says borrower is flexible when I balk at the closeness of the timing.
After my other signing - it was quick 5:40, check Blackberry and nothing from him so I call to see if it is still moving forward and am I still needed. Yes, I am still needed...and he will send me the confirmation and details. Said edocs on their way soon
Wait half an hour 6:20- call back because no edocs and no confirmation. Get the borrower phone number and name and address so I can call and advise I will be later. Call and buyer is cool- no rush.
Finally get the first of 2 packs of edocs at 7:04. Start printing. Call SA he is still overwhelmed and will send confirmation, etc ASAP.
Go to signing- confirm the address with the borrower first (the one he gave me was not showing up on my GPS....wrong street...lol)
Great signing- nice borrower. Get home, still nothing from the signing agent.
Looked him up on forum here- got his full name, etc.
Wake up- scan and send PDFS of package to closing agent- all approved- excellent job (but of course...lol).
Still nothing from SA.
So used his address and contact info from the web- emailed him my invoice, W9, certificate, insurance, bkgrnd chck.
Got the FEDEX label from the closing agent- enclosed all my billing info and fedexed it out.
STILL HAVE NOTHING FROM THE SIGNING AGENT.

Personally, I find this a little odd. What if he had a less resourceful notary handling this? They would be lost.

oh well.....let me know if this is normal- first time I have had this kind of experience. ALL other signing agents have been harried..but communicative. This one fell asleep on the job.

Reply by MistarellaFL on 4/26/07 11:03am
Msg #187117

FYI......Signing Agent= You

Signing Agency=Them, the company that hires you.

Reply by Mary_CT on 4/26/07 11:07am
Msg #187121

lol...sorry...signing agency who is also a signing agent.

Typing too fast.

Reply by closerchris on 4/26/07 11:08am
Msg #187122

Like you said, they would be lost, the borrower wouldn't get his refi in for this month, and nobody would have gotten paid. Unfortunately, this is another problem with signing services, yours was not an atypical experience. Good job.

BTW, YOU are the "SA"

Reply by SueW/Tn on 4/26/07 11:13am
Msg #187126

"We teach people how to treat us"....ummmmmmm...my only worry would be getting paid. I am not as nice as you, I must have that confirmation in my hot little hands before I do anything. Let us know how this works out please.

Reply by Mary_CT on 4/26/07 11:17am
Msg #187129

Re: How typical is this? Signing agency behavior-1st for me!

I added a note in my email with the invoice that payment is due or receipt- after 30 days if payment is not received, I advise the Secretary of State and Attorney General (both are personal and professional friends of mine) and I will not accept future assignments from slow payers.

So far, have not had any difficulty with payments. Everyone pays in 30 days- had one slow one -almost 30 days, but I sent her a note and payment is on the way (we shall see ... :-) )

Reply by Jenny Coates on 4/26/07 11:19am
Msg #187132

Re: How typical is this? Signing agency behavior-1st for me!

General Rule of Thumb - No confirmation - no closing.

Reply by Dorothy_MI on 4/26/07 11:42am
Msg #187139

Jenny check your PM n/m

Reply by Becca_FL on 4/26/07 12:18pm
Msg #187146

My rule is No C.O.= No Go

Especially when it comes to new to me companies. I work with a few TCs that don't send a C.O., but I have worked with the TCs for years and have never had a problem.

Reply by CaliNotary on 4/26/07 1:24pm
Msg #187165

"Personally, I find this a little odd."

I find it a little odd that you did the signing without any confirmation or contact info other than the phone number he called you from, and that you waited until after the signing to even do a search for him on this board.

If someone can't even pull it together enough to send a confirmation to me for a signing, I'm not going to have a lot of faith in their ability to send a check to me either.

I don't care how overwhelmed they are at the SS. "We're so busy" is one of the oldest excuses in the book that's used to blow us off when we call about missing payments.

I hope you don't end up getting screwed on this one, but you really should have told him on the last phone call that you were ready to leave, but wouldn't do so until you had the confirmation in your hands.

Reply by Mary_CT on 4/26/07 1:34pm
Msg #187167

Well, I had a borrower waiting for me, edocs printed and a stressed out agency guy.
I found him before actually and read about him but did not pull up his contact info til this morning. He seems to be a bit of a character- clearly is eccentric.

I also spoke with the closing agent- the one sending me the docs so it was clear that I was the one on the job- not one of many waiting for a confirmation.

Invested about an hour's time already - who knows- this was a first and if I get "screwed over" it will be a learning lesson!

I agree with you about insisting on the printed proof... that would have been the smarter thing to do if I were worried about "me"- but at the time, I was more concerned about the borrower waiting for her loan signing.

lol - and I am very task oriented. So completed the task...then realized how strange it really was.

Mary

Reply by CaliNotary on 4/26/07 1:39pm
Msg #187168

"that would have been the smarter thing to do if I were worried about "me"- but at the time, I was more concerned about the borrower waiting for her loan signing."

There is nothing wrong with having your main concern be YOU. It's not like anyone else is looking out for our interests, and it's not like we're working with the Red Cross. These are pure business transactions and should be treated as such. If the borrower is inconvenienced, so be it. That's a much better alternative than us doing work for free.

Reply by Mary_CT on 4/26/07 1:42pm
Msg #187170

YOU are right.....but what do they say about trying to get a zebra to change his stripes?

I will probably always focus on the customer before I worry about me; but I absolutely agree with you that would have been the wiser thing to do!!

I'll update the board on my payment status on this event- not that getting paid on time makes it any less dumb on my part not to get a confirmation first!.

Reply by CaliNotary on 4/26/07 1:50pm
Msg #187173

Well, unless you saw something on this board that would indicate otherwise, I'd say odds are good that you'll get paid just fine. In my 4 years of experience I've found that non paying companies are really few and far between, it just seems like more of an epidemic than it is because we don't talk about all of the companies that pay us with no problems.

But I'd definitely recommend making the effort to change your stripes. Remember, what makes us a good human being doesn't necessarily make us a good businessperson. It's quite possible to achieve a balance that provides excellent customer focus without putting yourself at financial risk.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 4/26/07 1:56pm
Msg #187178

Mary, you have to learn who the customer is, its not the BO

its the SS in your case and if you dan't have an greement (confirmation) you don't have a customer.

Reply by Mary_CT on 4/26/07 3:25pm
Msg #187201

Re: Mary, you have to learn who the customer is, its not the BO

I had a customer- (that signing agency)- I just did not have it in writing, but his customer (closing agent) was sending me the information (a gatekeeper of sorts) so I had the job, just not the written confirmation.

"MY" customer was apologetic and certainly under strain as he was busy putting out the EOM fires- so I had the customer locked verbally- just nothing in writing.

Getting the written confirmation is always best - particularly in light of reading about everyone's terrific problem of getting paid around here (have not had that problem yet, but I am anticipating it as my web of customers grows to the more marginal characters out there.) I prefer not to work with signing agencies, but they are an inevitable part of the business. I do ask anyone who seems marginal to pay me upfront via Paypal and that seems to be working- had one person balk at the idea so I told them to move on along and find someone else.

My fee is not low (a few hours of my time is not worth $75-$100) so to a certain extent, the signing agencies that tend to stiff people are put off by the fee and do not hire me... or are so grateful I bailed them out that they pay quickly (paypal)- when they ask me what it will take for me to take on the assignment, I tell them how much and to pay via Paypal.

Who knows! Different things work for different folks. I am pretty straightforward and friendly- try to help out everyone as best I can. So far, so good.

Now let's us hope this has not clicked into attention the bad paying signing agencies who swarm like locusts to a field of plenty.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 4/26/07 3:51pm
Msg #187209

You're right, its your business, but...

<<<<so I had the customer locked verbally- just nothing in writing.>>>>>

Hardly worth the paper its written on. Good luck!

Reply by Life Saving Services - Doug on 4/26/07 7:54pm
Msg #187251

Re: You're right, its your business, but...

I see this all the time in these forums. What do I see ? Confusion, You see the signing service is your customer not the guy signing the loan. In business if I do not have an agreement with my customer I could even open myself up to litigation by following through without written permission ( confirmation ). Is it likely ? Not really but if you are nailed it could be your home as well as other assets you lose. I am a Real Estate Agent, as in Real Estate "If it is not in writing, It Did Not Happen !".

If everyone respected the business more then these bad companies could not exist in the first place.

Reply by Lee/AR on 4/26/07 8:07pm
Msg #187255

Switch it around...

If we demanded respect as a business, this junk wouldn't happen.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 4/26/07 8:39pm
Msg #187261

Re: You're right, its your business, but...~Actually, Doug

she could be creating an ostensible agency with her actions which could be construed to ratify whatever it is that the SS has in their contract. What a horrid thought

Reply by Mary_CT on 4/27/07 6:15am
Msg #187305

Re: You're right, its your business, but...

I won't even get into the UPL part of your comment, but a written confirmation is hardly required - a verbal contract is a contract.

Yes, it would be smart to get a confirmation- everyone agrees, I believe- on that.

That said....and this is not directed to Doug.....here is my impression of the "culture here."

This forum really gets off on attacking people- which is sad really. You can lose a lot of valuable insight and input. As much as people like to throw words around like "confusion" " newbie" " hit the search" button.....and act as though their expertise in attending/managing loans/notary signings has put them in some special place --the reality is this - there is LITTLE to NO BARRIER to entry in the notary signing business. No degree is required for most states, very little special training- so stop acting like "Mother Superiors."

Many people will come here and ask nebulous questions- either answer the question or don't waste your time - attacking them is hardly valuable - except for entertaining those who resent the competition that might be entering their market.

This resource can be better utilized by SHARING info, SHARING tips on growing the business, SHARING the goofy day to day things- not attacking or jumping on folks who enter in and post.

Just my two cents.... now back to lurking- I've shared more than I should.