Posted by CaliNotary on 12/31/05 12:08am
Msg #85410

A satisfying experience - Surf City Moblie Notary

I got a call for a signing from Surf City Moblie Notary yesterday afternoon. I had never worked for them before, nor was the name familiar. The signing was a redraw because the first notary had screwed up - some sort of printing issues and she filled out the acknowlegements wrong. I accepted the signing, printed out the confirmation and hit the road for a couple of other signings. Called the borrower and made an appointment for the next morning.

When I got home I did a search on the message board and yikes! There were a ton of posts about not getting paid, by many many different people. So I called and left a message, told them what I had seen and that I was giving back the signing. I tried to contact the borrower again to let her know I wasn't coming after all, but only got voice mail and the mailbox was full so I couldn't leave a message.

I decided to take it one step further. The title company contact person was listed on the confirmation, so I called and left HER a voicemail. Explained that I was supposed to do this signing but had since learned that Surf City has a habit of not paying their notaries so I was cancelling, and suggested that do a search on NR and GMN to get a better idea of Surf City's business practices.

I then sent the following email to Surf City:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I left you a voice message earlier tonight, but I also wanted to send this via email.

After accepting this signing I did a search on the notary boards for your company and got an eyeful. Apparently it's common business practice for you to stiff your notaries, as there were many many posts by several different people who hadn't recieved payment or had to go through hell to get it.

I don't work for companies who screw over their notaries like you do. Maybe if you didn't do that you wouldn't get stuck with the incompetent, bottom of the barrel notaries who don't know any better than to work for the likes of you, such as the one who messed up this particular signing in the first place.

I did try to contact the borower again tonight to let her know that I wouldn't be coming after all, but was unable to reach her and her voice mailbox was full. I'll let you deal with calling her in the morning. I also left a message for Beverly Mulligan at Alliance Title explaining exactly why I was refusing this signing and suggested that she do a search for your company on notaryrotary.com and gomobilenotary.com so she can see for herself how you've treated your notaries. I reminded her that there are a whole bunch of signing services out there who DO treat their notaries fairly, and those are the ones who have a pool of competent notaries who will do the signings right the first time.

You reap what you sow. You're a disgrace to this industry.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I got this in return:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I received your voice mail and this e-mail.
It is unfortunate that you rely on only one source, or one side, of this information that you have acquired.
I work with hundreds of Notary Publics every month. I am not concerned by a handful of them that don’t have the good sense God gave them to send in a completed W-9 to be paid or are so paranoid they decide to make up their own rules for my company on how and when they should be paid. (Some assume that should be paid in 3 days at COE which is not realistic and not how I am paid.)
What is more interesting to me is that these people you have relied on for such important information and opinions very rarely identify themselves or sign their comments in a code name or worse ~ "anonymous".
In addition, it is not your place or your privilege to contact anyone related to my assignments to provide your opinion. The only person that reflects badly upon is you.
Lastly, your unprofessional language and behavior has placed you in the same category with these disgruntled complainers.
Good Luck and Goodbye
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I gotta say, it felt good to do this. Kind of a like a belated Christmas present.

I have zero tolerance for deadbeat signing services and I hope I was able to give some food for thought to the Title Company. They deserve to know the shady business practices of the signing services they use.

Reply by Calnotary on 12/31/05 12:18am
Msg #85414

I hope this lady doesnt read this, otherwise she will reveal your identity Calinotary.
One time I also cancelled one job, after I red all the bad rep she has. I bet you had to ask
twice for a confirmation letter.

Reply by CaliNotary on 12/31/05 12:42am
Msg #85420

No, she sent the confirmation letter right away. And she sounded very nice and professional when we talked on the phone, didn't argue my fees, there was nothing that gave me the slightest inkling that I should be concerned until I saw the bonanza of posts on here - 9 threads spanning over a year.

As for revealing my identity, that's not a huge concern. It's not a secret I'm guarding with my life or anything. I've actually inadvertantly revealed it a few times by accidentally changing the name in the author field when scrolling!

Reply by TitleGalCA on 12/31/05 12:27am
Msg #85417

No comment as to the SS. I trust your search/research as being bona fide.

As a long time title company employee in SoCal and/or being affiliated with the title industry, I wouldn't take an assignment from a small/non-existant title operation as the one you mentioned, or any signing service they employed. I know it smells trouble.

With that being said, go figure about FASS. The red-haired step child of Fatco. Still - I'll stick to the Big Three or Four...or even Five. After Five - I won't do business with them - whether self-employed as a SA or in any other capacity.

Reply by Jacqi Shifflett on 12/31/05 9:17am
Msg #85444

I read this last night and enjoyed it so much I had to read it again today........good for you!!!!

Reply by NM_CO on 12/31/05 9:24am
Msg #85446

Niiiiiice.

I am so BURNED out on ss's that do this and then have every excuse in the book as to why EVERYONE else is wrong except them.

Reply by LilyMD on 12/31/05 9:37am
Msg #85449

Re: I do the same

Cali, I have this same practice. If, for whatever reason, I can't do a search before accepting and later find it to be a deadbeat company, I immediately call, cancel and tell them why. I don't give them a song and dance that some SAs do about emergencies or whatever. I simply state that they do not have a good reputation among notaries. Their payment history sucks and therefore, I don't wish to do business with them. My sister in NC does the same. I don't have time/money to chase payments from deadbeat companies. I also tell these deadbeat companies on my NO NO list why I won't accept their signings when they call. I am not going to lie and say I'm booked. The truth is I will not work for free.

Reply by Calnotary on 12/31/05 10:30am
Msg #85471

It would be a great idea to do this everytime we get a call from:
SOX,Signature plus,united notaries and some others. Accept the asigment and then contact
Title to let them know, just like Cali did it in this case.

Reply by PL/WA on 1/1/06 11:48am
Msg #85496

I certainly understand one's right to conduct their business as they see fit. I often wonder though why do people find postings on an internet site as almost biblical in nature? I have done work for Surf City, I was treated well, I got paid in a reasonable time, and I will do work for them in the future.
May I suggest you take a chance occasionally? Who knows you may find out that whatever service may call you works out just perfectly and you have aquired a great business partner. Or you can take the musings of some anonymous people on an internet site and work your business on their thoughts. Either way good luck on your buisness and to all who struggle at being successful in this buisness.

Reply by CaliNotary on 1/1/06 12:03pm
Msg #85499

Every time I work for a new company I'm taking a chance. And it almost always works out with no problems.

But when there are a bunch of different people posting the same story on here over the course of a year's time, there is a reason for it. I'm not going to take the word of one or two people as gospel, but the word of 10 or 12 people is going to get my attention.

With maybe only one or two exceptions, the deadbeat companies don't stiff every person who works for them. A lot of people get paid fine, a lot of people have to ride their asses before they eventually get paid. How or why they choose who to pay and who not to pay, I have no idea. But I'm not going to take a job where I know there is a good chance I'm going to have to make 10 phone calls just to get my check sent out.

Anonymous or not, people generally don't come on this board and trash companies just for the sport of it. We can all interpret things on here how we wish, and my interpretation of a large number of different posters saying the same thing about a company is that it's true.

Reply by BrendaTx on 1/1/06 12:30pm
Msg #85501

Good luck to you also, PL/WA. Thanks for your good wishes.

I wonder how people take every word they find here as biblical, as well, when they are new and needing assistance rather than calling someone up the chain to get the answer. Your point is well-taken.

However, for a poster who has been watching a board for over a year like myself or CaliNotary, we have placed meaning with the poster's name and know if they are BS artists or if they are straight up, helpful people.

Based on the *many* negative posts by solid posters I'd have said "no" as well. I have contacted a title company when I felt it was warranted, but thus far only when I personally had knowledge of the facts. Cali's move to contact the title company is pretty bold but if SC had paid their notaries, this would not have happened.

Someone named Kaye-Ca posted a really negative post about this board on the other board, and against CaliNotary (not by name--just reference) for his post. (Just an observation you may be interested in. )

Reply by Calnotary on 1/1/06 4:54pm
Msg #85516

I been reading this forum more than a year. And it has saved me so much trouble. I have
done jobs for SS that people trash here, and I have been paid. Because you dont know
what really happened when people post their experiences. But when I get a new signing
and if I never worked for that company, I just take it BUT, I do a reverse look in their
phone number if I dont get the CL right away, and after I found out their name and address,
I do a search here and Gomobile, and if I see many posts, and I say many posts about
none payment, trouble getting paid, etc. I cancel. I have cancelled jobs after I accepted it
for Signature plus, one financial co in the San Fernando Valley, and some other that only
pays 20.00 dollars trip fees if borrower no show or no sign.

Reply by Tina_MA on 1/1/06 6:54pm
Msg #85521

I have also worked for Surf City. Twice in 2004 (both signing were paid) and one last time in July 2005 (paid in August).

When I first accepted signings from this company, I did a little research as well and came up with nothing.

I always conduct searches on new companies. I have to say that had I conducted a search on Surf City now (without the benefit of a history with them), I'm not sure I would accept signings with them either.

That said, since I have completed signings for Surf City and been paid in the past, I will continue to accept signings from them until such time that no payment was forthcoming.

Reply by Lola Killackey on 1/1/06 8:39pm
Msg #85527

our message board has a value, we can use information posted to decide who we may or may not accept signings from, however you accepted the assignment, then failed to complete the job, then in reviewing postings concerning Surf City you took it upon yourself to act as if you were in fact a victim and notified a title company and gave information that might damage a business relationship. perhap notifing surf city of your reasons for declining would have been enough. Only victimized notaries have the right to bring such issues to business associates of signing companies.

Reply by BrendaTx on 1/1/06 9:41pm
Msg #85535

**Only victimized notaries have the right to bring such issues to business associates of signing companies.**

You are entitled to your ideas and opinions, of course. My opinions are different than yours.

However, I believe just as we all set our own fees too high, too low or just right, we decide what we will do to and/or about responding to companies who hire us and who have not paid other notaries.

I have worked for a company and been treated well which has stiffed other notaries. Once I received a couple of almost unbelievable bad reports emailed to me from a couple of long timers who wanted me to know the company I liked had mistreated them. I believed the reports and I have taken their maltreatment under advisement and decided about my reactions in my own personal way. *I* was not victimized but apparently my respected mentors felt I should consider their plight in spite of the fact I had posted favorably about the company.

Now...that's no different as far as I am concerned. And, you'd definitely respect those that I mention if you have been around for any time at all. (If you don't, rest assured you are in the minority.)

We are all independent business business people and we individually determine what our rights are in matters such as these. If we *personally* choose to warn a title company or a first year notary signing agent of what we know about a company which is bad news, that's our right - and that's my opinion to which I have a definite right to state.

It's also my opinion you do not have a right to tell any one else what they do and do not have a right to do. And, again, that's just my opinion.

Reply by CaliNotary on 1/2/06 12:30am
Msg #85561

As I mentioned earlier, I have zero tolerance for deadbeat signing services.

One of the reasons that so many of them are able to survive and continue to prey on signing agents is because we're limited in the ways that we can work together to protect each other. So if the opportunity presents itself for me to do so in my own little way, I'm going to take it. And if we can damage enough business relationships, maybe some of these deadbeat companies will go out of business.

I only wish more people would be aggressive about pursuing this kind of stuff. Nobody else is going to fight for us.

And I have every right to do what I did, Surf City voluntarily sent me the Title Company contact info and I did nothing but state the facts as they happened. And I definitely think it's to the Title Company's benefit to take a look at the reputation of the signing service they're using, as it directly affects their loans. Haven't you ever seen stories on this board from disgruntled signing agents who are thinking of holding the docs hostage or the like?

But hey, we're all entitled to our opinions. And mine is that we need to take a harder stand against deadbeat companies and try to drive them out of business.

Reply by TitleGalCA on 1/2/06 12:59am
Msg #85569

*** And I definitely think it's to the Title Company's benefit to take a look at the reputation of the signing service they're using***

ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY.

If you, as signing agents on this board, or any other board, don't protect yourself and educate your own industry, you are only condoning the pimping of your services.

If you care about your own future as self employed, VALUABLE assets to the title and lending industries, you will have the same attitude.

Changes won't happen unless YOU make them happen. You matter.

Reply by ReneeK_MI on 1/2/06 4:04am
Msg #85573

Imagine for a moment what things would be like for us, if we did NOT share our experiences?! If a SS could remain isolated from the NSA World-At-Large? THINK about it.

Thanks, Cali, for 'taking one for the Team' - I wholeheartedly appreciate it, understand the Big Picture, and always tell those I won't take assignments from WHY I'm not taking their assignment. THAT is absolutely necessary (none of that 'sorry but I'm booked' stuff) as a BUSINESS DECISION, to do my part in keeping our field a viable industry.

It is because of your input, Cali - and everyone else who has posted credible info - that I finished the year without a single non-pymt; and the only time I even had to 'chase' a bit, all I had to do was say "...if not received ... this experience will be shared by posting on Notary Rotary." Check was sent over-night. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT WORKED?