Posted by Becca/Fl on 3/8/05 9:58pm
Msg #24449
American Title - here’s my LONG story
Don’t you just love EOM? Let’s face it; you never know what you’ll be hit with. Well, it was about 8pm on 2/23 when I received a call from a “new to me” Title Co. Apparently, I was referred be another Notary Service a few counties North of me. I was on my way into a closing and had one more to finish.
I decided, what the heck, if they’ll meet my fee, I’ll do one more tonight. I quoted a fee of $250 (we all know it’s no big secret now) and told the scheduler I would not be able to do the signing until 10:30pm. Troy, the scheduler, said he would check with the borrowers to see if that was acceptable to them and call me back. Troy called back and said 10:30 was alright with the borrowers, but wanted to know if my fee was negotiable. I said, “No it was not. I had been on the road since 11am and had a 9am in the morning. I really did not want to be out all night, but if they wanted it closed by EOM, I would do it for $250.” Troy agreed to my fee.
I asked Troy to send a CO via email with the docs and asked about their payment procedures i.e.: would I be on the HUD, do I need to send an invoice, etc. I heard discussion in the background that I was not in their database and how was I to be paid. Troy asked why I needed a CO when I was getting the docs. I explained that it is my practice not to print docs or go to a closing until I have a CO confirming my fee. Troy said he would send everything and I told him I would call him and the borrower when I was on my way to the appointment. I made it to my 9pm; it was now 9:20.
Back home at 10:15 I check my email for the docs and a CO. Docs are in, no real CO, just an emailed message stating “This is to ensure your fee of $250.00 will be paid” from Troy Pfeifer, Director of Closing Services, American Title & Escrow Services. All right, I just want to get this over. I call Troy and get vm, I call the borrowers and guess what? NO ONE HAD CALLED THE BORROWERS TO LET THEM KNOW I WOULD BE THERE TONIGHT. Mrs. B said, “No problem, we want to get this done. Just let me put some clothes on.” I get the borrowers @ 10:50.
The closing goes off without a hitch! Mrs. B was just upset that she had not been called about the time. Mrs. B said, last she heard someone would call to let her know when the closing was. Thank God, I was blessed to have gotten the best borrowers any SA could hope for – they really were Good People. When I left they said, that’s enough for you today, the day is over and pointed to the clock. It was 12 midnight.
I got home at 12:15 and started going through the days work. I went to bed @ 3am. I woke @ 7:30 with the help of an alarm. I had a 9am appointment 30 minutes away. When I returned home from my 9am I received a call from a woman @ American Title asking when they should expect the docs. I said I was glad she had called because I needed to confirm the return address and get their overnight acct. # to return the docs. The woman said the docs HAD to be back in their office today. I asked if they had a courier that they used and said I would be happy to meet with the courier. The woman said she would have to call me back.
If I’m losing you, please hang in there. This is the good part. I guess I need to learn how to edit. Oh well, this is good therapy.
It’s now about 11am on 2/24. I receive a call from a man by the name of Thayer, he says he is the manager @ American Title. Thayer, in a very intense tone, begins to tell me that it is my responsibility to return docs to their office today. I explain that I am 2 hours away and none of this was mentioned in my conversations with Troy. Thayer said it is in the agreement that I signed with them; I inform him I have NO agreement with American Title except to conduct the closing I accepted the night before and I would NOT be driving 2 hours to return docs that don’t fund until Monday 2/28. Thayer then berates me, tells me what a BAD Signing Agent I am and says he will never use me again. I said, fine, I still need an account number to send the docs back. He says he will NOT provide a shipping account number because my fee was high enough for me to cover the cost of shipping AND they had not made arrangements (on the HUD) to incur the cost of shipping. Thayer hung up on me and I was left shocked and bewildered.
So, here I was tired, worn out and almost to the point of tears with hours of work ahead of me and two signings that evening. I tried to call Sylvia, she was not home. I didn’t know what to do. I called a friend, a SS owner I had worked with for almost two years. (One of the first things you learn in outside sales is to have a designated “safe place” or a client that likes to see you. It helps to make the bad days better when you can go see someone that appreciates you.) Thank you, MB for your guidance, support and mostly for listening. You are the best!
My friend gave me excellent advice on how to handle the situation. I called American Title and left a message for my initial contact, Troy, to call me back re: the Smith closing. I then called American Title back to find out exactly who I spoke with that morning. As it turns out, the man that berated me was Thayer Fairing, CEO & President of American Title. At that point, I figure, if the CEO talks to his vendors the way he spoke to me, there is no telling how abusive his employees could be. I decide to wait for a call back from Troy and if I get no call, Plan B.
It’s now 3pm and still, no call back from anyone at American Title. I have a 4:15, a 6pm and a 7pm. I need to get the docs shipped soon, or they won’t go out until 2/25, time for Plan B. I call the LO listed on the 1003. I explain to the branch Assistant Manager that I the Title Co refuses to give me a shipping account number to ship his docs back and if I do not get one w/I the next 45minutes, I will call the borrowers and let them know it will be their responsibility to return the docs to the Title Co. The AM says this has been a problem before with American Title, but they do such a great job that he continues to use them. HELLO! Clue? Says he’ll get back to me.
3:30pm: leave the house to hit FedEx, UPS and make my 4:15 appt. 30 minutes away. I get a call from Mel with American Title @ 3:45pm saying he will give me FedEx acct #. I explain that I have just made my FedEx drop and am on my way to an appt. and can’t possibly make the last drop – sorry. Had you given me the info. I requested at 9:30 this morning your docs would be on their way. I ask Mel to email the info and I will return pkg. the next day, thank you, good bye. Mel calls back 4-5 times telling me the pkg. must be shipped today. I explain that it is impossible at this point. There are no drop boxes anywhere near where I am and I have stacked appts. that I am not going to adjust to meet his needs. Again, Mel, if this were so important to you, you would have taken care of it this morning when I called. Mel calls back again, saying he will drive down to pick up the package. I said, fine I’ll even meet you out @ the interstate, but it won’t be until about 8:30pm as I have appts.
After driving and thinking about what had just transpired, I had a thought. I hit last number call back on my cell and called Mel. I told Mel that as long as he was coming to pick up the pkg. he may as well bring my check too. Since neither of us wanted to do business with each other again, I said I wanted our first meeting to be our last and I would rather not have anymore dealings with American Title. Of course Mel said he couldn’t do that because I would be paid out of escrow. I said, cut me a check out of your operating account and reimburse it out of escrow, I’m not on the HUD, it makes no difference. He reluctantly agreed.
5:15pm: Lender calls me and asks why I am being difficult in regards to returning the pkg. I explain, I am not being difficult; I have been trying to get info. to return the pkg. since 9:30am and have even made plans to go out of my way, on my time to meet Mel with the pkg. At this point I find out that Mrs. B has called him and given him an earful about the Title Co that scheduled a 10:30pm appt. w/o informing her.
Mel didn’t make it that night. Mel didn’t make it until the next morning. I helped him find his way around town and met him on a main hwy. He gave me my check, I gave him the docs. I let him know that I would warn other SAs of the misleading practices of American Title. He said why would you do that?
P.S. Brenda/TX, I think I may have beat your record.
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