Posted by hp/MD on 1/23/10 8:57am
Msg #319204

Stiffed by no one

In 2009, no one stiffed me. Thanks to NotRot. How about you?

Reply by CopperheadVA on 1/23/10 9:24am
Msg #319208

I came very close to getting stiffed by a new signing service that is run by an attorney's office. When I took the job, there was no feedback on them yet. However, after so many of us were not getting paid and the bad feedback started to get posted, my fellow NotRoters posted some info that ultimately helped me to collect on what was owed. There's plenty of feedback on them now, and I believe they ceased doing business. Other than that - no, I was not stiffed in 2009! Thanks NotRot!!!

Reply by BobbiCT on 1/23/10 9:38am
Msg #319209

Me, too. Thanks Notary Rotary ...

Less business, both downturn in incoming calls and my newish "conservative" wary business practices.

Three years ago I wouldn't have hesitated at taking an assignment that met or exceeded my criteria. Today, I am more cautious (thanks to this board). If the money is too good to be true and the call comes in for edocs "ready to send to you" closing within 45 minutes and I'm a 30 minute drive away (and the scheduler doesn't know if the borrowers have a second witness scheduled to be at the signing) ... I pass. Why didn't this get filled sooner? Why is a company I've never heard of or worked for willing to offer so Much More before I even quote my fee for a last-minute appointment? I always pass on the "you cannot call the borrower to confirm appointment" ones. 90% of there are no second witness (and no one they know is available while I sit around while both borrowers use cell phones to call 5-10 people who live at least 15-45 minutes away), didn't know they needed a certified check (or any check) and all the banks are closed, or one spouse DIDN"T know the appointment had been scheduled (and she's an hour away shopping at the mall, refuses to come home and is MAD ... if it were me, I wouldn't come home either).

I probably lost business to the next person on the call list. I probably lost business BACK to the first person they called whose fee was "too high" (generosity to my competitors, but keeps the fee reasonable - i.e., getting harder to find the $45 and $50 NSAs). I got paid for every assignment I did this year. Only one company shorted me $15 ... and they knew that after a few calls I would give up because it would cost me more in time and money than the $15 to pursue them.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 1/23/10 9:57am
Msg #319211

I still have 3 outstanding from late 2009

(two from the same company who claims my check was going out Wednesday) and all at or over 30 days now...am really hoping I don't end up suing them all...

Reply by Cari on 1/23/10 10:27am
Msg #319214

I have one! ugh! n/m

Reply by pat/WA on 1/23/10 10:57am
Msg #319216

Re: I have one! ugh!

Pier National

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 1/23/10 11:01am
Msg #319217

Good luck with that, Pat...that company has issues... n/m

Reply by Jim/AL on 1/23/10 12:56pm
Msg #319238

Re: I have one, In Home Lenders ,always paid until the

bottom fell out.

Reply by Les_CO on 1/23/10 11:30am
Msg #319219

Genuine Title

Just one…Genuine Title/Konstantin Safir. Seems to have the same attitude as Fairfax Signings.

Reply by MW/VA on 1/23/10 11:37am
Msg #319220

I have one--Closing Masters. I haven't pursued collections yet. This is only the 2nd co. that I've ever not been able to collect from.

Reply by Laura_V on 1/23/10 12:25pm
Msg #319228

Haven't been stiffed in years, thank goodness. I wish we could all say that.

A gal emailed me this morning asking for advice on chasing money. I recalled a recent post about a killer letter. Would someone pm it to me so I can pass it along to the Calif gal?

Thanks!

Reply by MW/VA on 1/23/10 12:26pm
Msg #319230

They wouldn't share it, Laura. I came from Becca.

Reply by jba/fl on 1/23/10 12:30pm
Msg #319232

"Would someone pm it to me so I can pass it along to the Calif gal?"

There was a huge discussion about this piece of intellectual property. This is Becca's letter. You need to contact Becca and get her permission to use it. I don't think many will consent to pass on without her consent. Good luck.

Reply by Calnotary on 1/23/10 12:42pm
Msg #319234

Everytime I read about something and people mention...

Becca I can't stop that she looks like George Lopez mom in the series George Lopez. But I never saw how Becca looked like. Sorry Becca if you read this and it bothers you, but I can't quit,LOL.

Reply by jba/fl on 1/23/10 12:56pm
Msg #319237

Re: Everytime I read about something and people mention...

She is a tiny petite woman who looks more like Meg Ryan....with, of course, the same sweetness. LOL

Reply by Richard Ingram on 1/23/10 2:19pm
Msg #319255

Re: Everytime I read about something and people mention...

I have 2 from Closing Masters, 2 from In-Home Lenders a 2 from Fox. I am trying to collect but feel that these crooks are almost impossible to collect from.

Reply by MarcyLA on 1/23/10 5:23pm
Msg #319277

Closing Masters

Just one...it's from Closing Masters. They finally answered the cell phone last week and I was told they are out of business....said law suit is pending with Lend America and that if they ever collect, all notaries they owe will get a piece of what they recover. I'm hoping that writing off the bad debt can be claimed on my taxes!

I did check signing central and they had many "4 stars" when I took the job, but it all went down hill after Oct. loans didn't fund.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 1/23/10 5:35pm
Msg #319278

Re: Closing Masters

"I'm hoping that writing off the bad debt can be claimed on my taxes! "

Depends on what bookkeeping method you use - if you use the cash method (where income is counted when you're paid) then no - you can't write off something you never got - if you use the accrual method (where income is counted when earned) then yes...it's an offset.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 1/23/10 5:35pm
Msg #319279

Re: Closing Masters

"I'm hoping that writing off the bad debt can be claimed on my taxes! "

Depends on what bookkeeping method you use - if you use the cash method (where income is counted when you're paid) then no - you can't write off something you never got - if you use the accrual method (where income is counted when earned) then yes...it's an offset.

Reply by MW/VA on 1/23/10 8:36pm
Msg #319315

Re: Closing Masters

I'm not sure how to approach the collection from Closing Masters. It is an attorney who operated it.
So now if they win their lawsuit we will get something---what??? There's nothing in our contractual agreement that said that payment was contigent on their getting paid. Sadly, it's a verbal agreement.
Still, I never agreed to a contigency situation.
I'd like to know what PAW or John Schenk think about this one.....care to comment, guys?

Reply by CopperheadVA on 1/24/10 7:09am
Msg #319342

When dealing with an attorney-owner, I simply write a letter

to the State Bar in the state where he is located and detail how this attorney has failed to fulfill his end of the contract. I will fax it as a courtesy with a short deadline to receive payment. If I don't receive payment, I WILL send in the complaint.

Has worked for me so far.

Check out the State Bar complaint page online for his state and read about complaints. For example, the last one I did was when I was collecting from Spectra Signings in CA. The State Bar complaint page said that complaints must be against a specific attorney, not a law group. So I simply geared my letter towards that. This guy even bounced a check to me, so that of course was in the letter, too, along with a copy of the bounced check and the confirmation order and my invoice.

Reply by BrendaTx on 1/24/10 1:45pm
Msg #319358

You've got it right, Copper.

Exposing one to a title company (in the case of the SS), or a TC association (in the case of a tc) or other association of their peers can work wonders.

Reply by mtnotary on 1/23/10 6:01pm
Msg #319286

Lenders First Choice

Still hoping that their Bankruptcy ends soon and I get paid some sort of payment. But reallly not holding my breath.
Anybody hear anything new on Lenders First Choice Bankruptcy?

Reply by John Schenk on 1/23/10 6:31pm
Msg #319295

Nope...not in 2009.

The only ones I have left that I haven't collected went bankrupt, so those are history. Had one that took me almost 2 years to collect, but I finally collected it from Reeves Harry Notary Pro. Got a few that are running a little bit long at the moment that I'm going to have to start dunning for payment tomorrow, but feel that I'll get paid on them. I guess all in all 2009 wasn't bad since I had no write-offs and collected 2 from the year before. Something to be thankful for, I suppose.

JJ

Reply by John Schenk on 1/23/10 7:02pm
Msg #319301

RETRACTION...SIGNING PRO...NOT NOTARY PRO!

My apologies to Notary Pro! I've had no issues with Notary Pro. SIGNING PRO...REEVES HARY OR HARRY REEVES SUCKS!

JJ

Reply by Claudine Osborne on 1/23/10 9:18pm
Msg #319320

Re: Been fortunate, I did not get stiffed in 09 n/m

Reply by Notarysigner on 1/24/10 1:29am
Msg #319337

U.S. Certified Signers, two jobs, now they're suing me for loss of income, court date in March.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 1/24/10 7:11am
Msg #319343

This case intrigues me....

I hope you will keep us posted on what happens. I wish you the best of luck!!!

Reply by Notarysigner on 1/24/10 11:00am
Msg #319349

Re: This case intrigues me....

Don't worry, all will be made aware of the results. PM me and I'll give you some interesting facts I've discovered.

Reply by Barbara___IL on 1/29/10 11:23am
Msg #320200

I got stiffed by Patrick Cahalane, RTC, Pittsburgh $100 n/m

Reply by pat/WA on 3/14/10 1:03pm
Msg #327191

Pier National

I got stiffed by Pier National. They are still looking for notaries so WATCH OUT!