Posted by BrendaTx on 2/1/07 2:50pm
Msg #173567

What/Who is rude? The fee, the caller or me?

XXXX called. I very politely declined the signing.

-If we do it later?

No, thank you.

-What’s the problem?

Faxing back 50+ pages... and your fees. It’s not personal, it’s just a business decision. I hold no negative feelings against you!

-What’s the problem? We don’t require faxing back any longer.

I charge $XXX and that’s usually more than you’ll pay. I was just trying to save us some time here.

- You are correct! (A tiny bit huffy...) We only pay $XX.XX...you’re fees are a problem!

Thanks for calling me anyhow.
==================

I was very polite...very nice...the problem is not on this side, it’s on the other side. This lady was not so bad, but the most of the time people mock me for charging a certain rate. I feel that it is rude and it’s unprofessional to get huffed up just because of a difference in an opinion on a fair price.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 2/1/07 3:03pm
Msg #173569

this business has been screwed by the amateurs, the

partimers, and the low-ballers! You are absolutely right Brenda! I called a plumber this morning to clean a drain for one of my tenants because I couldn't and right up front it was the call will be $XXX.XX no pause, no questions nada! I always call several when I shop and some were higher, still no problems with quoting the fee. If all these amateurs would just drop out this business might return to being marginally profitable but I don't see that happening. I'm waiting for the NNA to trot out their newest advertsing campain: "Make $250,000 a year cleaning out drains. Simple tools and only a half hour per house" and destroy the plumbing business. Do you realize how much plumbers make? NNA are you listening?

Reply by BrendaTx on 2/1/07 3:07pm
Msg #173571

Charles! Perfect example! I will bookmark this one. n/m

Reply by PL on 2/1/07 3:08pm
Msg #173572

You know you always pay more for the view. :) n/m

Reply by Charles_Ca on 2/1/07 3:35pm
Msg #173578

Plumber's butt is not real high on my list of vistas ;) n/m

Reply by ColleenCA on 2/1/07 3:42pm
Msg #173579

Re: LOL Charles, I needed a laugh big time! Thank you! n/m

Reply by Charm_AL on 2/1/07 4:27pm
Msg #173597

Re: Plumber's butt is not real high on my list of vistas ;)

LOL! plumber's butt is one of those necessary phenomenas! Like a diet or a tetanus shot, everyone loves it.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 2/1/07 5:03pm
Msg #173605

I'm sorry Charm but I don't love diets and tetanus shots

I may have to utilize them but from my perspective sometimes there are unavoidable nuisances that must be painfully endured to achieve desired results. Tolerate maybe, love never.

Reply by Treasure Valley Notary - Tina on 2/1/07 4:22pm
Msg #173595

Brenda, I think I owe you an appology! I am so sorry. I may have contributed to part of the problem.

You see, the other day, I got a phone call offering $40 to do a complete refinance with fax backs. I know that I shouldn't have been caught off guard by that, but I was. And before I knew it my laughter escaped. To which the person, who was offering such a "generous amount", got upset over.

Can't blame her in some ways. I should have at least offered to do it here in my office, so I could have cut out the travel. And I should have told her that if they do come here they will have needed to presigned, date and initial everything, so that all I really needed to do was check to be sure the signatures were correct. They will also need to find a local notary to notarize anything in advance of our appt. I would do the proof of it, do the fax backs and then send it off. Because for $40 that would be as far as the fee would go.

As you know . . . stick to your rates. They know what you are worth, and so do you. If you don't value yourself, no one else will! (I know that you know this, but maybe others throughout the country will get it) You are one very sharp lady and I always appreciate your words of wisdom. Have a great day!

Reply by Charles_Ca on 2/1/07 5:09pm
Msg #173606

Tina I wish they'd call the aforesaid plumber with that

request. I' d love to be fly on the wall to see what the response might be. In fact since I have a cold, I'm freezing my buns off in So Cal, I'm bored out of my skull, and just plain cranky. For diversion (I feel like doing something evil) I'll plug in my rtape ecorder and call a plumber, a physician, a dentist, virtually anyone and TELL them how much I'll offer them. Then I'll play the tape back to the next low ball SS that calls.

Reply by BrendaTx on 2/1/07 5:10pm
Msg #173608

**They know what you are worth, and so do you. **

Thanks, Tina...funny bunnies that they are...this SS (who is part of a title company and calls from the 412 a/c) hired an SS to help them find someone to do it. And, they just called me. Now...they can pay an SS $xxx but they can't pay a notary!

Well...it is what it is...folks...they are going to be busy 'cos the next notary town is Austin or Houston. The $50 notaries around here decided that was a big ol' pita to deal with for so little money. However, there are still a couple of lowballers in Austin and Houston who'll drive 90 miles for $85-$100 edocs just to have something to do...'cos they just enjoy the people...don't need the money. LOL Good! I want to watch Ugly Betty tonight.

Reply by SharonMN on 2/1/07 7:17pm
Msg #173646

I see so many people on this board talk about "laughing" at a "ridiculous fee." It goes both ways. Anyone in business (on either side of the transaction) should negotiate professionally and then politely excuse themselves once it's clear that a deal is not going to be agreed to by both sides. There is no room for bullying, or laughing, or mocking. Stand up and be professional. Maybe that scheduler will go work for a higher-paying company someday, remember you as the notary who was always pleasant and professional, and give you a call.

Reply by Elizabeth Soliday on 2/1/07 11:11pm
Msg #173667

I like your idea, Tina...must have been ND n/m

Reply by Renee Kovacs on 2/1/07 4:37pm
Msg #173599

And then there's the whole conspiracy theory ...

I think sometimes it's an 'Us and Them' dynamic, and in this field I think THEY do their best to intimidate the bazillions of folks who are easily intimidated. I seriously do think it's a tactic that's being done quite deliberately. We might easily assume it works (and I'd probably have to vote YES in that box), but the truth is - we have no real way of knowing.

I just ask myself this - if you wanted to get a bunch of SA's to take on lower fees, what could you do to accomplish that???

Make them all think they are the ONLY one in that area asking for such fees, try and make them second-guess themselves, and keep on calling them as if you just can't believe they STILL haven't aligned themselves with reality.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 2/1/07 5:12pm
Msg #173609

OK Renee, I just got a really weird mental picture....

Imagine a mild mannered notary standing next to a burly plumber with a big pipewrench in one had and the possible scenario of having to take spongebaths for the next two weeks; who would you try to imtimidate, the plumber? I don't think so!

Reply by JanetK_CA on 2/2/07 7:32pm
Msg #173839

Re: And then there's the whole conspiracy theory ...

Interesting possibility and probably on the mark in many cases. Here's my guess, though:

I picture a fairly young, inexperienced person who is new to this industry (who else are they going to hire at the salaries most low-ball ss probably are willing to pay?), and has likely learned everything s(he) knows about signings, and business as a whole, from the ss owner who has the bias of a low-ball company. The scheduler has possibly been making call after call trying to find a notary, but most of the people s(he) has called already either haven't answered their phone OR aren't available OR have also indicated (in a variety of ways) that the fee the scheduler has been told s(he) can offer is less than adequate.... AND s(he) has an employee mentality and thinks that $40 an hour sounds like pretty incredibly good money. (Yea, right!)

Somehow I don't see that equating to a positive attitude and great phone ettiquette, although that doesn't excuse it - at either end of the phone. Having said that, I'm sure that, in my surprise, I have involuntarily let out a chortle, guffaw or worse over the phone on occasion with some of the fees I've been offered. I hope it hasn't been too often and I will try to do better in the future. I promise. Truly!