Posted by Jessie Calderon on 1/30/08 11:27am
Msg #233115

Nations Direct

I received a telephone call yesterday evening asking me if I was available to complete a closing in my area. I gladly accepted because I never turn down any work but he told me that the base fee for the closing was $40 and for edocs it was $20, so the total fee would be $60. The closing was scheduled for 9 am to boot! I said, "Do you really find notaries that accept such a low fee?" He replied, "Yes, we do". I told him that I would not accept a closing not lower than $85. He stated that he would try to get it approved and call me back. He did not call back.

If this is true, that notaries are accepting these closings for a measly $60....these notaries SHOULD NOT be accepting them. We, notaries, are professionals and we are more valuable than that! Pass the word to everyone.....Please don't accept closings for this low of a fee. We shouldn't degrade ourselves like that!

Reply by CJ on 1/30/08 11:44am
Msg #233122

I have Nations Direct programed into my phone so I can be ready with my little speech when they call. I consider SS that pay $50 to be low-ballers, but Nations Direct is even lower than low. I even tell them that we are independent contractors, and we don't have benifits, etc, and that is why we have to charge so much. Of course, I quote my fee, and they don't call me back either.

But you should not complain about 9:00 am jobs. Some people like to sign before work, and if you want to work you need to be there. When I drove a school bus, I had to be at work at 5:00 am, and I was only getting paid minimum wage. Another time, I took a job, "Open time". I called the borrower, and they were flying out of town in the morning. I had to sign them at 5:00 am. Another time I took an email job for 4:00 pm. But the docs were late, so I tole them I would be late. He said, "I am hosting a live awards show on TV tonight. I can't make it at 6:00." I said, "What time will you be home?" He said, "11:30 pm." So that's when we signed.

That's just how it goes sometimes.

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 1/30/08 12:35pm
Msg #233141

Well, we know of one who worked for them, even gave them "yummy cakes, pies,
cookies, chocolate and treats"
She has posted it to another forum as a "reference".

Reply by PeterRado/FL on 1/30/08 3:51pm
Msg #233177

I swear, you are absolutely killing me LOL,LOL,LOL

Reply by Ralph Wedertz on 1/31/08 1:31am
Msg #233230

I get a chuckle when someone gets all aghast at Nations Direct. This has been going on for years now, and their $40 signings are common knowledge for anyone who has done over 10 signings. But, believe it or not, at one time they were a reputable company, and I used to do a lot of work for them 8 years ago when I was in California. Around 2005 they headed downhill and became really ridiculous with their personnel (hiring what I called "children" to call notaries), lowering their signing fees to notaries and then finally lowering their printing fee to $20. There are still notaries who will sign for that - sadly, they must certainly be hard up. By the time you expense things out, you make no money at all, and Nations Direct cleans up, getting fatter by the moment.