Posted by FranMac54 on 8/9/05 9:09am
Msg #57814

BAD SS COMPANIES


ALL NOTARIES should check the following sites before accepting business from a company that is new to you. Otherwise you are truly operating at your own risk. I check each of them before accepting new business.
Better Business Bureau www.bbb.org
NotaryBeware.com
123Notary.com notary forum
GoMobileNotary.com notary forum
NotaryRotary.com notary forum

Our success is completely dependant upon notaries reporting bad companies. If you encounter legitimate issues i.e non payment or request for illegal acts, please fill out a report with the BBB. IT IS FREE AND ONLY TAKES A MINUTE. It also might help you get paid. But, it helps your fellow notaries turn down work from deadbeat companies and is effectively putting the deadbeats out of business.

Reply by Bob-Chicago on 8/9/05 1:18pm
Msg #57860

Good idea, BUT

By the time you check them out the job will be gone
If they don't get a "yes" right away, they keep calling until they do
Also some good companies have bad reps with certain individuals.
Someone may not have been paid because the messes up big time, they may not have understood stated policies for such things as trip fees, may have demanded extra for fax backs, etc.
You have to take ratiings with a grain (sometimes a block ) of salt
If you follow the boards at all, you should know the real losers by heart
You have a !00% chance of not being paid for a job you turn down because you are afraid that you MAY not be paid.

Reply by Bob-Chicago on 8/9/05 1:39pm
Msg #57864

Further

Reply by Bob-Chicago on 8/9/05 1:52pm
Msg #57868

Re: Further OOPS

Unscientificaly, I'll bet that 98% of the payment problems are with 2% of the companies or , in some cases, from many of the same NSAs
Learn your business. You see posts here saying , "I did a job for SOX and did not get paid"
No $*it, Sherlock
The large majority of SS/TC/lenders pay as agreed
Not paying NSAs as agreed is WRONG
That said, some might be better off spending their time marketing or improving their skills , rather than investing hours chasing a $100 fee all over the country.

Reply by Sherry B on 8/9/05 2:08pm
Msg #57872

Re: Further OOPS

Great philosophy Bob...I totally agree with you on this!!! I own a SS and now and than I do overlook a payment. As soon as I realize the oversight, I immediately correct the problem and apologize profusely for my error. Some of the oversights that do occur are because the SA DID NOT FOLLOW OUR INSTRUCTIONS. Example: our only requirement when you accept an assignment from us is that you fill out our closing completion form on the web IMMEDIATELY after the closing. This is how I know what to bill and who to pay. Well..a lot of the time the SA's neglect to do this and therefore, I do not know to pay them. I than receive phone calls and emails inquiring about payment for this closing...

That being said, for the SA's that I am just beggining a relationship with, they sometimes assume that I am one of the low life SS's that never pay....When I have 480 closings going in a month, there are occassionally going to be errors on my part too. I think the point I am trying to make is that sometimes SA's judge a company by one bad experience and that is not totally fair. I understand that there are a TON of bad SS's out there. The thing that really stinks is that the bad SS's are really giving all of us a bad name...

Reply by LilyMD on 8/9/05 2:26pm
Msg #57875

Re: The well known "2%"...

If any of the well known few bad companies call me, I tell them no and that I don't work for companies with such a bad history. The rest I'll take the call and then if found to be a company with a lot of negative threads, I would call and cancel and tell them why. This has happened yet.

Reply by Christine/IL on 8/9/05 6:59pm
Msg #57931

Re: Further OOPS

I also agree with Bob. I've been signing for 5 years now with 100's of different companies and to this day I only have one company I have not collected from. My philosophy is I will give everyone a chance one- I've gotten some great clients that way.

Reply by MsRobboPA on 8/9/05 8:17pm
Msg #57939

Re: Further OOPS

Also in agreement with Bob and Christine. In the past three years there has only been one SS that did not pay me. I give new ones a chance and if they don't pay--don't bother to call on my services again!!

Reply by patti-ca on 8/9/05 2:37pm
Msg #57880

Re: Further OOPS

Very well said

Reply by Mike/NJ on 8/9/05 4:05pm
Msg #57904

The companies that have a rep seem to call my wife all the time and she is unable to check on them at the time of the call. We now forward all calls to me and I run a check while I have them on the telephone.

I will only say something if 1) Payment terms are not met as agreed 2.) We have been outright lied to.

Only 1 company has stiffed me in 2 years and a few I have had to put some time into collecting funds.


PS.. Companies do read the boards.. One called me last week after one of my post.