Posted by MikeC/NY on 6/16/07 7:16pm
Msg #195527

Dropping docs on the weekend

Just trying to get a feel for how others handle this, because it goes to securing the financial documents.

I usually ship FedEx; they don't service drop boxes or Kinko's on the weekend, but they have an office nearby that's open on Saturday to accept shipments. Every signing I've done on a Friday night has gone out on Saturday for Monday delivery - it's a few more miles to drive, but I figure it's good customer service.

I had a late Friday night signing that had to go back UPS. There's no UPS Saturday drop-off service in my area and the UPS facility is closed on Saturday, so there's no way the docs are going anywhere until sometime on Monday.

What do you do? Hold on to them until Monday morning and then drop them, or toss them in a drop box over the weekend and hope they'll be safely picked up on Monday?

Reply by Lee/AR on 6/16/07 7:29pm
Msg #195529

As I live in the boonies, there is NO pickup by anyone after 5:30pm Friday, so anything that signs after about 4pm Friday isn't leaving my area until the one & only weekday pickup time of 5-5:30pm the following Monday. No problem. Besides, nothing I can do about it if there was a problem.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 6/16/07 7:48pm
Msg #195535

Same here - very rural - I have absolutely NO pickup available to me and the boxes aren't collected on the weekends. I use The Mailbox Store about 15 miles from me where I drop all my FedEx and UPS - but for Saturdays I have to call first so they can schedule the pickup for me. I also have a UPS Store about 20 miles from me for Saturday dropoff if Mailbox Store isn't an option. For the weekends where everything is closed I let my scheduler know up front that the package won't be dropped until Monday (or Tuesday if applicable) as I won't drop a package in a box to sit for two or three days. All schedulers have been very good about that so far.

Reply by FLdocrunner on 6/16/07 7:59pm
Msg #195538

I have no weekend service with fedex or UPS. I always keep the docs sealed in the envelope and locked in my briefcase until Monday. I am not comfortable knowing they are laying in a mailbox for 2 days waiting to be picked up.

Reply by kmo on 6/16/07 8:03pm
Msg #195539

Mike, I have as you the same setup with FedEx. Ups is another story. I never use drop boxes on the weekends, and very rarely on the weekdays.I just dont feel secure about leaving docs there like that. FedEx comes to my home area pretty much until 6PM. Ups, if you call after 4PM forget it. I always like using FedEX over UPS. I also have a FedEx guy that lives across the street from me, and he brings me all the supplies I need, so that is a great plus for me, and my pickup driver is aces. Take care and thank again for the help earlier, Maureen.

Reply by Hugh Nations Signing Agents of Austin on 6/17/07 7:43pm
Msg #195590

kmo said:

***UPS, if you call after 4PM forget it. I always like using FedEX over UPS.***

I don't just "like" FedEx over UPS; I have sworn eternal enmity toward the courier. UPS customer service takes poor service into a whole other dimension, reminiscent of the kind of treatment you will receive at Best Buy when seeking a refund for defective merchandise. UPS -- at least my uniform experience with the company -- doesn't just have poor customer service, it actually has hostile customer service if the issue is some mistake on the part of the courier. Beyond that, FedEx simply offers far more accomodating service, schedules, etc. in my area.

Reply by Ernest__CT on 6/16/07 8:39pm
Msg #195542

Drop on Monday. n/m

Reply by MikeC/NY on 6/16/07 10:21pm
Msg #195553

Thanks for the feedback. I wasn't at all comfortable with just tossing them in the drop box and letting them cook for a couple of days - thought about running them over either to the local UPS Store or Staples, but I've heard stories about stuff getting lost at those places. I'll sit on them until Monday...

Reply by thnotary_NY on 6/17/07 12:01pm
Msg #195580

I prefer to drop in the box for over the "weekend" situations. My thought is what if something happens that might affect the package itself.? Maybe a fire, thieft etc. You can never tell and I feel better knowing I've mailed it regardless.

Reply by SharonMN on 6/17/07 8:23pm
Msg #195594

I'm amazed at the number of people who don't feel comfortable using drop boxes. If the hiring agency tells me to use UPS, or FedEx, or DHL, or Joe's Delivery Service, I deposit it with that carrier using any standard method available (often a drop box) and forget about it. It is a waste of time to worry about/track/call title to check on the safety of the package once you've done your job. I do try to get Friday evening's package out on Saturday if possible.

On a related note, what kind of security precautions do signing agents have for accepting deliveries? I'm sure some signing agents have delivered packages sitting on their doorstep all day, and I've never had a TC or SS ask about that.

Reply by Sharon Taylor on 6/16/07 10:24pm
Msg #195554

Fed-Ex Sat AM, UPS following Monday

I live in a rural area about 15 miles outside a fairly small town. If at all possible, I make an extra trip into town (about 30 miles roundtrip) on Saturday morning to drop Friday docs if they are going by Fed-Ex since they're open until 1 PM. UPS isn't open at all on the weekend, so Friday docs go out on Monday. There's a Mailboxes open Saturday morning, but docs handed in there on Saturday aren't picked up by Fed-Ex or UPS until Monday afternoon.
Like others, I do not trust drop boxes and never use them. Doc packages are handed over the counter at Fed-Ex, UPS or Mailboxes.
It's only a problem if it is a purchase/sale or other type of loan where there is no RTC and the package is going by UPS. In those cases, I let the title company know, and because the title company needs the docs ASAP since they're processing the loan immediately, sometimes I have to fax the essential docs (HUD, Note, DOT, etc.) and drop the package on Monday.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 6/17/07 3:09am
Msg #195559

Re: Fed-Ex Sat AM, UPS following Monday

I have Saturday drop off for FedEx (for Monday delivery) and while there are UPS stores where I can leave UPS docs (I don't like to ever use drop boxes if I can help it either), none of them get picked up until Monday anyway. If it's a purchase or investment property where they want to close asap, I try to advise my client of the circumstances in advance. There have been situations where a co. that prefers to use UPS will opt for FedEx instead, in order to be able to get the docs back a day sooner.

Reply by snoopdogMs on 6/17/07 4:01pm
Msg #195584

Get a receipt at the store

I gave a package to an employee at Kinkos on Sat. at 1:30pm. ( last drop at 3:00pm) for Mon. am delivery. It arrived on Tues. They did not place the package to go out and I was called on the carpet. I drove 20 miles to get the package out. Lesson here. Get a printed receipt from the employee (FexEc or UPS). Only takes a minute and if anything goes wrong the ball is in their court. You have proof that you mailed it from that location and time. Handing it over without the receipt is dangerous and we cannot afford these kind of errors as it is impossible to prove that you actually sent it out . Also if you are doing a Friday pm closing always ask the agent if the package is urgent for Mon. delivery and if it is within your means to get it out you will. If they give you a FedEx acc. and UPS is the only method for your area, ask them if they have a UPS acc. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I paid for UPS on an account I trusted and they reimbursed me pronto just to get the package on Mon.am.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 6/17/07 9:28pm
Msg #195597

Re: Get a receipt at the store

Personally, I don't consider Kinko's facilities much better than a drop box. They seem to be more focused on the other business taking place there. I've been using a FedEx location that was a staffed office before the Kinko's merge and their primary activity is checking in packages. I see it get checked into the system right away, whereas at some former Kinko's locations, it's hard to find anyone to take it from you. Your idea of getting a receipt is a good one.

Reply by Signing_Doc on 6/17/07 9:59pm
Msg #195599

Re: Get a receipt at the store

even though, when I send it using a preprinted account label...I ALWAYS insist on a receipt. I clip this to my email instructions and to the invoice I send out. This way, if there IS a problem, I can say EXACTLY what time it was scanned in and who scanned it in. CYA.

"Doc" Stuart

www.thesigningdoc.com [e-mail address]
"I Make House Calls"

Reply by CaliNotary on 6/17/07 11:59pm
Msg #195605

Re: Get a receipt at the store

"Get a printed receipt from the employee (FexEc or UPS). Only takes a minute and if anything goes wrong the ball is in their court."

It takes much longer than a minute to stand in line and hand a Fed Ex package to an employee and have them put it in the computer and give you a receipt. Even 5 minutes, 5 days a week adds up to over 21 hours per year getting Fed Ex receipts. At $50/hour that means you're spending $1050 per year getting Fed Ex receipts. That you'll almost never need.

It takes much less time and expense to just drop the package in a Fed Ex pickup box and deal with the phone calls that come on those rare occasions that it doesn't get delivered on time.


"Also if you are doing a Friday pm closing always ask the agent if the package is urgent for Mon. delivery and if it is within your means to get it out you will."

If it's within your means to get it out for Monday delivery, you should always get it out for Monday delivery whether it's urgent or not. If it's not within your means, then there's nothing you can do about it.

Reply by snoopdogMs on 6/18/07 6:59am
Msg #195612

Re: Get a receipt at the store

To CaliNotary- Very good comeback and calculations but this thread was about weekend dropoffs of which there are 52 my last count. The only time I walk mine in are on a Sat. drop. If I drive 25 miles to Kinkos to deliver, I am going to get a receipt. The UPS store is about 6 miles. Certainly it is rare that a package is misplaced but one lost package could cost me an account that would be lost revenue for the rest of the year. Therefore if this account gave me only 2 closings a week at $125 a pop X 52 = $13,000. The lost account is 365 days a year. I think I can stand in line on Saturdays only for $13,000. And I may only make this Sat. run every once in a while. The point about asking the agent about urgency was if another account was available in my case UPS-6 miles not Kinkos-25 miles why not ask? And by asking also a lot of times the agent will say to just wait till Mon. to drop off. I have better things to do on the weekend if by one small question I can delay the dropoff.

Reply by CaliNotary on 6/18/07 12:13pm
Msg #195630

Re: Get a receipt at the store

Well even though I quoted you, my response was a more general one than specifically to you. Somebody else in the thread said that he ALWAYS gets a receipt. So I wasn't talking about just weekends.

I know there are others out there who do the same thing and I was just trying to point out what an expensive timewaster it really is. Of course there may be occasional times where it's necessary for some reason, but to do it as a regular thing 5 days a week? Bad business decision IMO.

Reply by LkArrowhd/CA on 6/17/07 10:51pm
Msg #195602

Mike this has always been a concern for me in Lake Arrowhead we have no pickup after Friday at 4:30 p.m. on the mountain, unless it is UPS AIR and that must be at the location by by 12 noon Sat. I have made it a habit to make everyone is aware when I accept the work order. I have also offered to deliver the docs directly to them, if nearby but of course this would be an additional fee, most decline and elect to wait. I think signing services and lenders understand the issues with a signing being done on a Friday and Saturday.

Reply by Todd Atkins on 6/18/07 4:13pm
Msg #195665

I took a signing scheduled for a Friday. Among the two dozen (count 'em - 24) blasted rules for the signing was the requirement to have the docs picked up Sat for Monday delivery. No exceptions. I missed it and now my entire signing fee is in jeopardy.

Reply by Terri_CA on 6/18/07 5:45pm
Msg #195680

I had a signing on Friday, the Order came in with instructions to ship via DHL. I e-mailed the Escrow Officer and advised if you'd like the docs on Monday, please provide FedEx account number, otherwise, DHL pick up will be Monday for Tuesday delivery. She e-mailed me back pronto, their FedEx Account number.

Bottomline, if the order is shipping via FedEx I take it to the FedEx Staffed office (only place in my town with Saturday pick up). Most of the time, they pretty much expect doc pick up on Monday, etc.