Posted by GOLDGIRL/CA on 3/23/10 11:26pm
Msg #328672

Borrower pen behavior

Don't you find it mildly amusing when a borrower - after signing your notary journal (assuming you start out with that) will hand you back the pen - or put it down on the table in front of you. And then (often somewhat smugly) do the same thing every time they sign a doc - pick up pen, set pen aside, and on and on, until they finally get the picture that you're not going anywhere until every page of that big stack of paper in front of them is signed? They act like they're sort of disengaged from the whole process. Like they wish they were doing anything else but this. Or that your pen and all your supplies has the ebola virus. (And I wipe down my pens with those anti-germ cloths!) Anyway, just kinda funny ....

Reply by lucky/ca on 3/24/10 12:29am
Msg #328675

How funny, you made my evening. Yes I have noticed that too. How about when you give them your pens and they play with it, clicking it open and closed after signing the page. Not only does the clicking bother me but I know that it will be one less pen in my supply that will work when we are finished.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 3/24/10 12:49am
Msg #328678

Yes! An old teacher's trick: Give The Look. Point to

tapping offender's figity hand, when you have his eye? Smile benevolently. Nod appreciatively, say thank you so much. Works with pencil thumpers too.

Reply by Prosperity on 3/24/10 4:25am
Msg #328680

Once was doing a signing and the borrower started crunching on something. His wife asked where did he get candy from. He ignored her and kept chewing. At the end of the signing, he presented me with my pen (chewed top and all). I told him the pen was a gift from the notary.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 3/24/10 12:44am
Msg #328676

Heh heh heh. That's when I laugh, hand the pen back with

an exagerated move, a big grin, and say, "Nice try Mr Smith, but you're going to need that for a while yet."

There's a chuckle, the ice is broken, and on we go.

And you're right too, about setting the pen down after each signature. Especially the readers, no? - They want that doc in both hands! Then either the soft sell works and they'll agree to use the RTC time, or a no-go, in which case I try really hard not to sigh alot - which works best when they have nice, friendly fur-faces to pet while I wait. <<puppy eyes!>>

I love the fishermen - meet at the diner full of strong, chattery men ~EARLY~, he signs faster than the sea can change, then smiles, shakes my hand, takes a fifty our of his pocket, says "breakfast's on me, you kept up with me, now it's time to see if these old farts can too.
"TIME TO FISH!" And poof, they were gone.

Had a breakfast that can't be beat, got Dad a fabulous omelet, ("Aye aye, Cap'n), and, of course, left the Chief Cook and Bottlewasher the hefty tiparoo.

But I digress. Thanks for the thread, GoldGirl.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 3/24/10 5:29am
Msg #328681

Re: Heh heh heh. That's when I laugh, hand the pen back with

What annoys me more (just had one on Monday) is the wife who is up-down-up-down-up-down-up-down-up-down-up.... the entire signing! She's attending to the kids, answering the phone(!), and husband is perfectly fine with it and just calls her over when she has a few docs "in the queue". And on Monday, yes she set her pen down every time!

Reply by Susan Fischer on 3/24/10 11:33am
Msg #328730

Ohhhh, and the 7 kidlets - who sneak the stamp off the

table (easy to do, as I had a little one on and off, up, down, up, down, in my lap) - stampstampstampstamp - foreheads, arms, feet, we were all inky messes by the end...

Reply by Stamper_WI on 3/24/10 6:26am
Msg #328682

Don't forgrt the traveling pen

The pen travels with the document even though everyone has their own

Reply by CF on 3/24/10 7:12am
Msg #328685

Agree with all above....and

I can not stand it when borrowers "try" to share a pen. It really does slow down the process. I will, politely, give the borrower their own pen a couple of times...then they seem to get it- USE YOUR OWN PEN -is what I really want to yell at them. The other mysterious thing is all the tables that can not get wrote on...why perform a closing on it??? So what do they do....they get out one magazine and keep passing it back and forth to sign on and sharing the pen....that has got to be the worst!!!!! When this happens I just settle in and let it be....there are only so many things that I control!

I am glad that I am not the only person that has these things happen to them....do not even get me going on the "up and down" borrowers!!!!

Reply by Linda Juenger on 3/24/10 7:20am
Msg #328686

Re: Agree with all above....and

I hate the sharing of the magazine also, so I carry 2 legal size manilla envelopes in my brief case. I quickly get those out and put them in front of them and encourage them to use them. Works most of the time and it keeps them at the table instead of running around looking for something.

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 3/24/10 7:21am
Msg #328687

Re: Agree with all above....and

Don't forget the borrowers that want to keep the pen.
I had one borrower a few years ago say she liked the pen I was using and could I let her have a box of them!!!! I told her I bought them at Office Max. I gave her the one we used, but wasn't about to give a whole box away!

Reply by Grammyzoom on 3/24/10 8:30am
Msg #328693

Here today, gone today

We use good uniball pens for signings which are really easy to use on documents. People will comment about keeping them and we politely tell them that we have a few more signings and no more pens. Several times though we have had someone get up from the table when we were finished and disappear into another room stating that they need to go get something.

Too bad we don't have portable suction cups with strings attached to the pens.

Lo and behold when it is time to collect the pens one is missing and nowhere to be found.

We do carry extras for people who are severly handicapped and give them the pen after the signing because they are so easy to use. We have had a couple of people who need to place the pen in their mouth to sign.

Reply by Roger_OH on 3/24/10 9:19am
Msg #328704

A notary without a pen...

is like an artist without a brush!

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 3/24/10 9:29am
Msg #328707

That's why I use Bic Sticks - $1.49/pkg of 12 at Walmart

then it doesn't hurt so much when they get *misplaced*, used as a chew toy by the baby, chewed on by the sick borrower, etc etc....also, borrowers are less likely to want to keep them ...

Reply by jba/fl on 3/24/10 10:59am
Msg #328724

Re: That's why I use Bic Sticks - $1.49/pkg of 12 at Walmart

"borrowers are less likely to want to keep them "

It is almost like - Don't forget to take this crap...ROFL

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 3/24/10 9:29am
Msg #328708

That's why I use Bic Sticks - $1.49/pkg of 12 at Walmart

then it doesn't hurt so much when they get *misplaced*, used as a chew toy by the baby, chewed on by the sick borrower, etc etc....also, borrowers are less likely to want to keep them ...

Reply by Notarysigner on 3/24/10 9:29am
Msg #328709

They almost always keep the pen, the pens have my name and tel number on it, they're the squiggle ones. Iridescent about six different colors. They love them. It's why I can't afford to take low-ball fees. LOL

Reply by RickG/CA on 3/24/10 10:19am
Msg #328717

James, there's a couple more things to add to your profile....I do not take low ball fees; Slayer of holier-than-thou SS; and I have the squibble pens!!! (kidding folks)

Reply by Notarysigner on 3/24/10 10:33am
Msg #328722

Squibble pens will be my claim to fame

Reply by KimTOR on 3/24/10 7:20pm
Msg #328807

My recent was the borrower couldn't sort out that I wasn't the loan company and said, "I'm taking this pen, it's costing me a lot of money". Ummmmmm DUDE! I just spent $10 for a package of pens! I'm not getting reimbursed!! It really wasn't worth saying anything. After 1-1/2hr signing I figured he could just have the darn thing but REALLY!