Posted by Darlene Cole-Conley on 12/13/11 5:57pm
Msg #406528

ServiceLink Approval Package

Has anyone completed this package? They want me to do a closing 55 miles from home for $65.00 I told them no way but I could do it for $150.00 any input on this? Yea or nay please let me know what you think. Oh I will not complete the reference section of the approval form.

Reply by jba/fl on 12/13/11 6:03pm
Msg #406531

H... no n/m

Reply by Darlene Cole-Conley on 12/13/11 6:12pm
Msg #406533

Re: H... no

Tell me more please.

Reply by jba/fl on 12/13/11 8:09pm
Msg #406547

Re: H... no

I don't understand - what do you want to hear?

What is to tell? I don't work for them as they are like baby chickens: cheep, cheep, cheep.

Reply by NJDiva on 12/14/11 10:54am
Msg #406582

Lol...H...no!!! That pretty much answers the question...

you said "yea or nay" Jules answered H..no...lol

Reply by Teresa/FL on 12/13/11 7:10pm
Msg #406539

I agree with Julie. I would charge $200

and that would not include fax backs.

Reply by Linda Juenger on 12/13/11 9:27pm
Msg #406557

Jules, you must stay up at night thinking up the stuff you

write. Baby chickens cheep cheep cheep ROFL

Reply by Tomada on 12/13/11 11:56pm
Msg #406561

Re: Jules, you must stay up at night thinking up the stuff you

Thank you for the advise. I am greatful they didn't take me up on my offer of $150.00. I am Thankful for fellow notaries keeping me straight. Thanks to all.

Reply by Lee/AR on 12/14/11 6:18am
Msg #406564

Darlene.... I'm confused and have questions

What is an 'approval package'? Not completing the 'reference section' tends to make me think you are merely signing up with SL and have not actually been offered a signing, but are just completing a 'fee chart'? Or they called about a signing AND if you took it, you'd have to complete their vendor package?

In either case, right now and for as long as it takes, PLEASE, for your sake and for the sake of every other notary do some research as to the exact areas you will cover, what your costs are for each zip, mile, time, tolls, parking, taxes, equipment, anything/everything that is a 'cost factor' for you, ADD PROFIT.

I've been in this field 18 years and do work for SL as often as they meet my fee. Have accepted SL orders ranging in fee from $60/2 docs-next block to $225/50 miles, full loan. Both were profitable.

Reply by Carolyn Breckenridge on 12/14/11 7:51am
Msg #406566

Re: Darlene.... I'm confused and have questions

I did a closing for them last Friday night and they had no trouble meeting my fee. The have a unusual billing system, but everything else was great. IMO

Reply by NJDiva on 12/14/11 11:03am
Msg #406583

I kinda chuckle when I see "they had no trouble meeting

my fee." Not sure what your fee is. NOW, if you would have said, "they had no trouble meeting my fee of $XXX" THEN that may mean something to me.

But many, many, many people think that $XX is a good fee. Therefore, if people are going to say that (personally speaking and in my very humble opinion), they should at least either put their fee (yeah right) or at least give an inclination of what that fee is... i.e. $XXX or $XX.

Sorry Carolyn, not trying to call you out, and I really don't care what your fee is, I am referring to the thousands of times I've seen people write that...I think it every time, but finally said it...

So yes, there you have, I said it...

Just sayin...

Reply by Darlene Cole-Conley on 12/16/11 7:46am
Msg #406776

Re: Darlene.... I'm confused and have questions

Yes they did ask me to take a signing right around the corner from my home (6 miles)
and then asked me to complete this approval package that was over 20 pages. They agreed to pay my fee of $xxx.00. I informed then that I had several closings that day and if I am going to do their closing I would need the doc's the night before or very early in the morning. That didn't happen. I had to call them and then they sent me a user name and password that did not work, after I messed with the user name and password for 1/2 hour I emailed them with the problem and received a phone call from a very snippy individual that said if I couldn't be more patient that they would just asign a new notary to the closing and take me out of their system. I agreed that maybe that would be best. Before all of this happened they offered me another closing 50+ miles from home for $65.00 edoc's, I declined.

Reply by Jillian Hinrichs on 12/14/11 11:32am
Msg #406588

Re: ServiceLink Approval Package - I tried to complete it

I sent in the paperwork and got the following replies from them, which I have consolidated into one message although we emailed back and forth about fees. This seems to indicate that they previously had notaries working for even less than this amount!! The 3 paragraphs below are from separate replies:

I was also in review of your fees and it seems that your fees are too high. ServiceLink is now paying a max base amount of $55 and $15 for e-docs. I need to know if you are willing to reduce your fees to this amount? If not I can not get you set up in our system.

As for our notaries ServiceLink has certain requirements that the notary must meet before they can work for us. We don't just let any old notary get signed up with us without having the correct information. The reason for our fees being where they are is because we had certain notaries getting all the work because of their fees. That is when ServiceLink came back with the max amount of $55 base and $15 e-docs. The $55 you would get for the closing. The only time you would receive the $15 e-doc is when we would have to email you the documents instead of having them overnight. This only usually happens once in a blue moon. Our schedulers are pretty good of having enough time to overnight the documents.

I just can not add any counties in our system higher than the $55. If I do I will be told from upper management to remove the county. Do you have at least one county that you could mark at the $55 and $15 then I can place a note in your file in regards to the rest of the counties? Please let me know.

I have not heard back from them after emailing that they could put me in their system for my main county at this rate and then place a notation in it that my real rate is $xxx for the following counties (there are 6) and I want to be used as backup for when they can't find someone willing to work for their rate. lol. Am guessing the vast amount of approval package paperwork I sent in was a waste of time.

How is it that some of you are getting higher pay from them? Somehow their system is being circumvented so that they can call you, but I can't get past it. Sigh. It irks me because she sent me stats on how many signings they had in each of the counties I cover, and in my main county they have done 167 so far this year - so obviously there are a lot of notaries in my area working for peanuts. Not something I was hoping to hear.

Reply by Eve/VA on 12/14/11 12:14pm
Msg #406594

Re: ServiceLink Approval Package - I tried to complete it

I got paid higher, they must have been desperate.

Reply by Carolyn Breckenridge on 12/14/11 12:36pm
Msg #406597

Re: ServiceLink Approval Package - I tried to complete it

I don't work for a few measley dollars, it isn't worth it. I am not uncutting anyone. Sometimes, you have to pay for what you get.

SL did call me at the last minute I did them the favor of taking the closing and they met my fee.

Reply by Yoli/CA on 12/14/11 2:13pm
Msg #406616

Re: ServiceLink Approval Package - I tried to complete it

They gave me the same song and dance about $XXX being too high of a fee. They did, however, add me to their data base. There for a while, they called me regularly for e-signings only and met my fee. Haven't worked with them since October.

Guess they found someone who works for less.

Reply by Notarysigner on 12/14/11 4:40pm
Msg #406631

Re: ServiceLink Approval Package - I tried to complete it

don't worry, you're professional and consistent. Just wait until that "other' person car stops running or toner runs out of ink. That's what I'm experiencing.....I'm always avail, for a price.

Reply by Yoli/CA on 12/14/11 7:00pm
Msg #406649

Re: ServiceLink Approval Package - I tried to complete it

So at about 2:15 (CST), I post about not working with them since October. About 1/2 hour later they call asking if I still do e-signings. Yep.

HOWEVER, the signing was for the area I moved from in June. Told the scheduler that my profile had been updated since June and to please make sure they show the correct address.

So sad.

Reply by NJDiva on 12/14/11 2:30pm
Msg #406620

Hi Jillian!

IMO this company tries to bully us and convince us, especially newbies, that this is the going rate.

I don't need to tell you based on our previous posts, but they can have us doing double work, using double the overhead and paying half the (IMO- SHOULD BE) a standard rate of $XXX.

I choose not to work for as others have said. It's a waste of time. If that was working so well for them, then they wouldn't have been cold calling trying to solicit people to take their crap fees.

I applaud you for continuing to stand your ground and encourage you to hang in there! As you know, once you've established yourself as a low-end paid notary, the reflection in that reputation will stick with you. MY opinion is that Title companies know that those notaries that have a higher pay-scale are most generally more professional and of a higher caliber than those desperate and taking anything that comes their way!

I'll probably get slammed for that one, but...lol...just sayin...