Posted by yoshaCA on 8/18/11 7:01pm
Msg #394175

Hospital Notarizations and Travel Fee- Different question

This is for California.....Say you are called to a hospital and quote your travel fee and 10$ per signature. You go there complete your notarizations, get paid, and go down to the lobby. There somebody sees you and knows you are a notary and says that they have a relative that is a patient in X wing on the X floor and can you go up there and notarize a document for them. You say yes and now is my question. Can you charge a travel fee to this new (key word, new) client to travel to their person (by foot) in the hospital + the 10$ a signature? My thought is that it is not your office, and travel does not have to be in a car, + a signature in a hospital even if you are already there is time consuming. I do not think I would charge much, maybe only 10$ travel. Your thoughts?

Reply by LKT/CA on 8/18/11 7:08pm
Msg #394176

If I'm already there then the 2nd person is just fortunate to have caught me before I left. I only charge the 2nd person notarization fees. It's like getting the sale price for something you didn't know was on sale (icing on the cake). You were buying it anyway, but it's nice to save a little something.

I bought a pair of black highs heels recently - they were a new style and the pair I tried on had not been tried on (wrapped all neat in the plastic with the inserts and tissue wrapped nicely around them). They fit perfectly, were cute on, and I told the sales clerk, "I'LL TAKE 'EM!!!" and didn't care that they were regular price. Well, it happened to be the last day of 15% off the entire store. WWEEEEHEEEE!!!

Reply by JanetK_CA on 8/18/11 7:56pm
Msg #394182

I don't believe this is addressed anywhere in CA notary law. However, there's often a difference between what you CAN do and what you SHOULD do. Each of us has to decide that for ourselves, but I don't think I'd even consider charging a travel fee for someone I just happened to be walking by. Doesn't feel right to me. I consider it the same as if they were coming to me at my convenience, for example, if I had a store front and a customer walked in.

I see it as a win/win. They manage to get their docs taken care of on the spot and you manage to add a few bucks on to what you already made on that trip. Like I said, it would probably not even occur to me to charge them an additional travel fee.

Reply by yoshaCA on 8/18/11 8:14pm
Msg #394183

Janet, maybe you misunderstood me, I asked the question because I thought it was different than just meeting someone in the store. I would not charge for that either. However, my experience is that it can take a long time to "travel" to a person's hospital bed and get everything done with a patient in the hospital. Also different than if a person in the lobby needing a notarization done "in" the lobby. Would that be different than in a major city somebody calling you and walking down the block to an office (same distance) and notarizing for a business. Would somebody charge in that situation? These are just thoughts, not actual situations that I am thinking about.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 8/18/11 8:21pm
Msg #394184

In the situation you propose, IMO no, you would not charge

a travel fee BUT you MAY charge for your time - so $10/signature plus a $15-$20-$25 service fee.

You people in CA seem to be able to charge some pretty sweet fees and people agree to pay them. I'm all for thinking outside the box but sometimes you can't go TOO far outside it.

For me down here, in your proposed scenario, I'd charge our $10/notarization and maybe an extra $10-$15 for my time....I'd be lucky if they agreed to pay that.

Reply by pleasantonCA on 8/18/11 8:50pm
Msg #394189

Re: In the situation you propose, IMO no, you would not charge

I guess I look at it differently. I would not charge the 2nd person a travel fee. I am already there! But I would make sure the the person I ran into in the lobby had my card. You never know when the subject of a notarization may come up. I just helped them out. Maybe they will call me the next time.

I know my time is worth something but there is a sense of community in adding value to your service on occasion.

Reply by Notarysigner on 8/19/11 7:58am
Msg #394216

Ditto, I agree no travel charge for not traveling n/m

Reply by bagger on 8/19/11 11:39am
Msg #394231

Come to Illinois

It's $1.00 per notarized DOCUMENT!!
2 Signers, 1 document = $1.00.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 8/18/11 10:38pm
Msg #394199

I just re-read your post (which I skimmed over pretty quickly before getting ready to leave for a signing). Maybe I did misunderstand you - 'cause I missed the part where the person in the lobby is asking you to go back into the hospital, possibly to a different wing, that could take some time to get there on foot. In that kind of situation, it's just a judgement call, imo. How long will it take to get there (and back)? Do you have to wait for the person who is signing (e.g. if they're with a doctor or in the bathroom or off getting tests, etc.)? Are there any other unknowns, e.g. challenges getting their ID, etc.? I think it would also depend on what I was planning to do next when originally on my way out of the hospital.

Now that I believe I get what you were saying, I think I'd most likely go along with what Linda said, that is I might charge them a nominal "service fee". If I was done for the day and not ready to collapse, I might just charge the per signature fee, but if it was EOM and I had a jam packed schedule, I probably wouldn't be nearly as generous.

Reply by Lee/AR on 8/18/11 9:20pm
Msg #394193

It's still YOUR TIME that's being used...

So, even tho' they 'got lucky' and you 'happened to be right there'... almost. It still took some time to get to their room and back, so I see no problem in charging something for your time. Like an hourly rate with a 15 minute minimum. (Not that I think I'd ever get paid that around here.) In a way, it's sorta like "I just happened to be at your shop while you're fixing someone's flat tire...and, gee, that my problem, too...so do it at 1/2 price because you've already got the tools out." I don't think that would fly.

More years ago than I care to count I learned (the hard way) that if you don't value your time--nobody else will....guaranteed. Not that there is anything wrong with just doing it pro bono or handing out a card looking for possible future business. It's all in how you want to handle your business--and it is your business.

Reply by ikando on 8/18/11 9:32pm
Msg #394195

Re: It's still YOUR TIME that's being used...

I agree with you, Lee. Unless I happen to know the person who flagged me down, or I had an ongoing relationship (like I do with some of the hospital administrators), I would charge my hourly rate broken down in 15 minute increments.

If it was someone I knew, I would more than likely give a break, but I'd still charge something more than the statutory notary fee. While I agree with the general sense here of what goes around, comes around, my experience has been that those I give the most to end up trying to take the most advantage of me. If I present myself as a professional expecting professional payment for my professional services, I get the desired results.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 8/18/11 10:56pm
Msg #394201

Re: It's still YOUR TIME that's being used...

I basically agree with both of you, however, the statutory notary fee in CA is $10 per signature, which is supposed to include the time to complete the notarization. The other time involved? Same concept as having to drive to someone's location, just a matter of degree.

Reply by Buddy Young on 8/18/11 11:00pm
Msg #394202

I wouldn't charge because I'm already there, but I would make sure they had my card before I left.

Reply by Les_CO on 8/19/11 12:31pm
Msg #394245

I would not charge a travel fee (and here in Colorado our statutory fee is $5) however most of my hospital work is pro bono so it makes little difference. To each his own.