Posted by NCLisa on 11/17/07 3:19pm
Msg #221828

My latest conversation with FASS.

After my problem with FASS and the website last week, I asked the person on the phone who I would talk to about correcting my base fee. I explained that they keep dropping my base fee without my persmission, that they have it listed now as $50, and it has never been below $100. I get a call yesterday from someone at FASS telling me she would gladly change my base fee, but that would mean that I no longer had preferred status and could not except assignments from there online system. I politely explained that I have never accepted an assignment from there online system, and I never will because I don't walk out my door for anything less than $100. So she goes over the entire thing again, and I finally say, I don't need to be on your preferred list because if you look at my history, I only do one closing for you a month, and my fee is always greater than $100. She got so angry but finally agreed to change my fee in the system. I don't get why she couldn't comprehend this?! My fees are what I set, not what they wish I'd take.

Reply by Richard Ingram on 11/17/07 4:06pm
Msg #221837

Fass is trying everything possible to lower fees. I do wish they would just get a scheduler who I could understand. I just say no to their low ball fee and generally get a call back agreeing to my fee. However, their new FassNotary website is a genuine pain. They generally want you to call from the table but I have had it with this as the wait can be 10 minutes or more and the website is terrible. I have been locked out, locked in and given at least 5 passwords. Finally, got in and changed my password only to get locked out again. I have complained to FASS but no relief yet. Hopefully, they will get the bugs out of the new website soon.

Reply by Lee/AR on 11/17/07 4:19pm
Msg #221839

FASS...same problems you folks are experiencing...but, you do understand it's all our fault as 15,000 other notaries--and FASS-- think their website is great. FASS always has had a rather---for lack of a better word--arrogant attitude. I remember years ago, they 'decided' all FASS notaries had to have a particular brand of pager or you could not be a FASS notary (this was before cell phones were everywhere). They dropped that pretty quick. Truly, I believe they are still very unclear on the concept.

Reply by Life Saving Services - Doug on 11/17/07 6:19pm
Msg #221848

Well folks just happened on this post. This is why I do not accept signing services anymore. Last call $90.00 Edocs I supply two copies ( 140 pages ). I rejected it, told them I was booked already. If more people refused the work we would be paid better isntead of taking peanuts. They edoc'd the docs and the title company was paying them $300.00 for the service they where offering me $90.00 for. With Gas, Insurance, Toner, Paper my time the $90.00 just does not even come close.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 11/18/07 8:37pm
Msg #221914

"If more people refused the work we would be paid better isntead of taking peanuts. "

Unfortunately, there will likely always be a new class of wannabes willing to work for just about anything.

Reply by CaliNotary on 11/18/07 9:37pm
Msg #221921

This type of thinking is a waste of time

We can't control the fees that other people charge. There are WAY too many people doing this job for there to ever be anything close to an industry wide fee norm. And yet every single day there are posts on this board hoping everybody will band together so that person will stop losing work to people willing to work ridiculously cheap. IT IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN PEOPLE. DEAL WITH IT.

Do other message boards have to deal with this type of ridiculousness? Do message boards for compulsive overeaters get daily posts like "If only donuts didn't have 300 calories each, I could eat a dozen of them every day!" Does the NAMBLA board get a lot of "If only people would stop making laws about child molesting, then we could sodomize all the 8 year olds we want!" posts?

The damage has been done to this industry. By and large this work has become a commodity for the industry. Fees are never going to go back up. It's our job now to find the companies that are more concerned about quality than they are about price, and those are becoming more and more rare. Deal with those and just forget about all of the companies who only want the cheapest notaries.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 11/19/07 12:29am
Msg #221927

Amen to that!

To survive, we each need to find some unique niche or way of marketing ourselves or get out of this business altogether, imo. The only part of this business we have control over is ourselves....

Reply by BrendaTx on 11/19/07 6:53am
Msg #221928

Re: This type of thinking is a waste of time

**The damage has been done to this industry. By and large this work has become a commodity for the industry. Fees are never going to go back up. **

Absolutely. I am so glad to hear someone else say that. I am not a Negative Nancy but I am a practical, reasonable person.

I am so amazed at the posts of people saying...I *hope* things pick up. I can hope that I win the lottery but since I never buy a ticket to the lottery that hope is totally wasted. Like Janet said, you've got to find a niche in this business and/or be realistic about the numbers.

I can give you my word that this board is full of people who have taken new employment or started new businesses who aren't mentioning it. This isn't conjecture, it is actual. People have told me this. I communicate with many notaries who have said it. They aren't hoping for things to pick up. They have taken responsibility for their own destiny.

That's not being negative, it's being savvy about business. You've got to keep going while you figure out your next entreprenurial adventure. Waiting for things to change is a misadventure which will run you into the red.

Reply by MonicaFL on 11/17/07 8:36pm
Msg #221864

They did that to me too when I told them what MY fees were and they said I would no longer be on their "preferred" list. This was about six months ago - haven't heard from them since and don't care to.