... and getting paid nothing at all for that time which is otherwise unscheduled.
If you're up for it, then let's start building a nationwide union of notaries with agreements not to accept payment for NSA/LSA work that falls below a certain value floor.
I'm not in disagreement about the need to push SSs to offer higher rates, but if it's the choice between accepting a lower rate with a smaller profit margin, and not getting paid at all and not eating today (metaphorically speaking), then the choice is obvious. And doubly so for newer notaries who lack the experience to get work directly from the source and need to build up experience and relationships.
That's simply reality, and attempting to shame starting-out notaries does nothing to remedy the problem.
The SSs know this and exploit it, but resisting as individuals means nothing at all when the market is saturated with notaries who are not in the know, and are willing to do things like refis with scanbacks for 45 dollars (yes, there is a ton of that in my area. No, I don't partake).
Resisting as an organized industry would be different. The fact that there already exist notary associations, but that they aren't working on our behalf to ensure fair pay, means that either notaries should be organizing to pressure them to adopt a more notary-defensive approach, or that notaries should be organizing to launch and grow a "National Signing Agent Association", or something to that effect. And, judging by the people who post here, there are enough highly-experienced and well-respected notaries who are aware of and possibly suffer under the same issue to put some weight behind such a movement.
I have noticed a lot of complaining about low-ballers from individuals (I include myself in that statement), but very little conversation in the way of organizing notaries across the country to resist the decreasing rates.
Why don't we start to oganize? |
