Posted by fiKS on 4/17/06 10:56am
Msg #113965

Best one yet

This happened several weeks ago. I called brw to confirm appt. the day before. Left message on machine. Day of appt. I called again and spoke to wife. She said her busband was out of town and will have him call me tomorrow. I notified SS who said they will notify their client and wanted me to reschedule a new time with brw. Mr. Brw calls the next day and was very inquisitive. He had never heard of a in-home closing, didn't know his loan was closing, had not spoken with his LO and has not seen numbers. I gave him the "rundown" of my role blah blah blah and was quite empathatic in the beginning.

Then he bluntly asked for my notary license number. I told him that I was driving and cannot give it to him. But I gave my fullname and asked him to call the SOS to verify my license. I was still calm up until when he asked me why if he was calling a cell phone and I was driving that he "could not hear any cars go by" By now, I'm thinking this guy is a real SOB so I told him that if he was not comfortable with this whole arrangement to contact his LO. He wanted to know who hired me, I gave him all the info and the conversation just got worst when he found out that I have his loan docs emailed to me. Why should I have all his personal information blah blah blah. I told him again to contact his LO and she can explain how this whole process works. Told him that I have done more than a thousand closings, I am a public official. The SS did not simply email sensitive info to anybody. He said that he will call SOS for verification and would like to sign at his lawyers office. He is not singing anything without his attorney present.

Hung up and called SS and told them everything and I also told them that I was declining the signing unless they would be willing to pay me by the hour. I already know this one is going to take half a day and ask them to please contact the brw.

20 mins. later Mr. Brw calls back. He may have contacted the SOS because now he wants to sign mid week at his attorney's office. I told him that was fine but please reschedule that with his LO. They will send a notary to witness signatures. I was busy Tues and Wed. I must have hurt his feelings that I didn't want to notarize his closing docs because he started to get upset why I wouldn't do it. If I can't do Tues or Wed, what about Thurs or Friday. I explained that there are dozens of notaries in this county and it was not necessary to work around one notary's schedule. Then we started talking about his loan docs which I have on my computer...what will I do with those???? I told him what I normally do. Shred whatever has been printed. I don't delete docs on my computer for about a month after closing....just in case any problems come about after closing. But for cancelled closings, I delete them right away. He now wants to know who has access to my computer....OMG!!!!! I politely told him that since he was not satisfied with all my answers to his questions, for him to please contact his LO. I was no longer the notary for his closing to which he brought up the closing date again...wanting to close at his attorney's office and wants me to be there! I told him that I had to hang up the phone, I have a closing appt to go to.

10 minutes later his LO called. She started to tell me that her client is really a nice guy. Yeah right, whatever. I told her that she needed to contact the TC to reschedule. She asked me why did I suggest to her client to close at his attorney's office...this was just a refi. Told her that if she knew her client, she should have realized that he would be the one to request such a thing. Explained to her why I refuse to take the assignment....because I would not have the time to sit for hours at the closing table with a borrower who appears to be very insecure and questions everybody's integrity. I also suggested to her that whichever notary was hired to do this closing, to forewarn him/her and that the closing docs should be sent to the client in advance so he can go over them with his attorney before the closing appt. He is not going to sign anything without reading every word, 3 day RTC or not.

10 mis. later SS called and said that he just spent 20 minutes with Mr. Brw and they want me to overnight any docs I've printed. It would be sent to Mr. Brw...this was his assurance that we did not keep anything. How lame and idiotic. If any or us had any bad intentions...how is that proof?

By now I should demand a full fee!!! (joke) If I added all the time I spent on the phone on this deal, it's like I did a whole closing!!! I can't help but wonder what he put his wife through before signing their marriage license!! I can only imagine how rich he is making his attorney.

If the notary who did this closing is on this board, I would surely like to hear how it finally went!

Reply by LauriecPA on 4/17/06 11:19am
Msg #113969

Yikes! I'm glad you got out of THAT closing! (Although, like you said, you spent so much time on it already, it was as much time spent as a regular closing. Not to mention all of those valuable cell phone minutes...!)

Reply by fiKS on 4/17/06 11:31am
Msg #113970

speaking of cell phone minutes

I just want to share this because it is working out for me.

In the past, I hated using my unlimited line home phone to make business related calls because no matter how you leave the message to call your cell phone number, people would call what ever caller ID shows up. So I keep buying additional minutes for my cell phone because the overage rates are SOOOOOO high.

This is what I did. I bought a second VOIP number from Vonage for $15/month. I programmed this number to ring both the physical phone and my cell phone. When I'm at my home office, I don't answer with my cell phone (saving cell minutes). I also use my home office phone to call out from home office (again saving cell minutes) and not worry that people are calling back on the VOIP number that shows on Caller ID because if I'm on the road, I'll still get the call.

Since then, I've not had to increase my cell minutes. I have 1400 minutes and doing well so far.

Reply by Dee_Fla on 4/17/06 11:51am
Msg #113972

Re: speaking of cell phone minutes

Speaking of Cell minutes!!! I don't understand why SS can't call on my main (home/office) number ...they are always calling on my cell phone first. It irrates me.. so i made some changes and took off my cell phone off the database from NNA and here. After all, I dont get pay for my cell phone, only for my printer, toner and my car.

Hmmmm should i start charging for my cell phone now? they are the ones using up my minutes, not my family or friends!!

Reply by Charm_AL on 4/17/06 12:03pm
Msg #113974

Re: speaking of cell phone minutes

that's not a bad idea to take off the cell number, but I'd be afraid to lose biz. I always get calls on cell for some reason and sometimes I'll miss out because of the terrain and no signal. But if I were out, I'd certainly want the call on cell...it's a 50/50 thing. I never use my cell phone for anything else and have never gone over my limit for $39. a month. I've gone thru so many phones to find one that works on my little mountain, so far the razor is the best, but not my favorite as far as opening and dialing.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 4/17/06 12:07pm
Msg #113975

Re: speaking of cell phone minutes, I get a lot of cell

calls because for many of the SS its a local call since my cell is an Orange County number. I also have an 800 number and hardly anone calls it (thats good becasue each call costs) and for some reason hardly anyone uses my land line. I just figured that they called my cell becasue it was a local call.

Reply by CaliNotary on 4/17/06 12:09pm
Msg #113976

Re: speaking of cell phone minutes

"I don't understand why SS can't call on my main (home/office) number ...they are always calling on my cell phone first."

They're trying to get things scheduled as quickly and easily as possible. Since our job keeps us away from home so often it only makes sense to call us at the number where they're most likely to reach us.

I think it's a terrible idea not to list your cell phone number in your profiles. Get a plan with more minutes if you're going over each month.


"After all, I dont get pay for my cell phone, only for my printer, toner and my car."

No, what you get paid covers ALL of your business expenses. If you're not making enough to afford a cell phone plan with enogh minutes to meet your business needs then you seriously need to reconsider your pricing.

Reply by hcampersFL on 4/17/06 1:41pm
Msg #114006

Forward your phones

I forward my phones to each other. If I'm home I forward the cell to the home/office number. This saves minutes. If I'm on the road I forward to the home/office number to the cell. *72 beep, beep, beep then the number. To unforward *73. Check to see if you are already paying for this plan on your phone line or may cost you extra and that would defeat the purpose.
Of course if the phones aren't ringing it doesn't matter anyway. ;o)
b.

Reply by SueW/Tn on 4/17/06 1:54pm
Msg #114009

I do the same thing Bev...

When I'm home I roll my cell number to home line, cell will ring once time and then it rolls to home phone...in the house I always know if it's "business or pleasure". When I walk out the door I cancel the roll over...keeps cell minutes to a min. per month and I don't miss calls. I have unlimited calling on my home phone (everyone I know is long distance from me) and part of that plan is I cannot forward calls so I've left a detailed message on the land line to call me on the cell...I'm in transit...etc. Works for me and I never come close to exceeding cell minutes monthly!

Reply by fiKS on 4/17/06 2:04pm
Msg #114010

Re: I do the same thing Bev...

Sprint charges a bomb for call fwd. Hate it!!!

Reply by Genkichan on 4/17/06 3:18pm
Msg #114026

Re: I do the same thing Bev...

So does Verizon. If you use call forward, you're still using your minutes. It stinks, but...I have a pretty good family plan.

Reply by Dee_Fla on 4/17/06 11:00pm
Msg #114119

Re: speaking of cell phone minutes

Actually, no I'm not running over my minutes, only once that happened so I have a fear that will do it again. However, my main number is my home/business line and they should call that number first. I dont add minutes cuz that means I would have to consider a new contract with Sprint, and I hate them. I'm trying to avoid them as much as possible.

I'm just saying...in general, they should call the main number first. They know it cost us more money to use our cell phones...so why add more expenses, espcially if they are not willing to pay our fees. I just temporary took it off, but the folks who are calling me for signings, already have my cell number in their database, so they continue to use it. If I know they are going to call me back, I ask them to call me back on my main number. And cuz I can hear them better. My cell phone really doesnt work that well in my place. It drops services so fast. That is another main reason I rather they call on my main number.

I guess I'll always be a penny pincher.

Reply by Anonymous on 4/18/06 12:05pm
Msg #114195

Hmm. Yes this does seem to have been a time consuming item but.............This gentleman apparently is very skeptical about things like identity theft, mobile notaries. This usually happens when someone is not knowledgeable about something. They can't trust what they don't know. I think the unknown process may have put him in a panic. Just my opinion but I think I would have found it to be a challenge to prove to the man that the process works and is secure (In my competent hands anyway). As you say, a guy who has money to go to his lawyers office to do this............IMO, this may have been a very lucrative lead for you. Unless you don't think you could have gained his confidence. If you did, don't you suppose he would have delighted in the new process and new ways of notaries and loan signings and possibly sent a lot of business your way. Maybe yes maybe no but I think I would have taken the challenge.