Posted by Sal Servin on 9/1/11 10:43pm
Msg #396066
Assault on Notaries
ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE!...Sportsfans enough is enough ORGANIZE. Contact Notaries in your area
have a meeting, coffee, best early morning. Set rules in pricing, make it simple but horrifiying to
signing companies.
Single out companies that take advantage of your service in YOUR AREA.
It works! Notary Rotory posting is great, but make it known that you stick together in your area.
| Reply by Bob_Chicago on 9/1/11 11:41pm
Msg #396068
A little reading to start off your first meeting
http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jan/1/241454.html
| Reply by Susan Fischer on 9/2/11 12:00am
Msg #396070
Love your spirit, but they'll call it "price fixing." Like
gas prices; tradesmen's hourly charges; and myriad MSRPs of vehicles, just to name a few.
Realtors have standardized commission rate ranges and flexibility. Title companies have fairly standardized rates. Appraisers have fairly standardized rates.
Notaries? We're supposed to scratch for what we can get - for facilitating the sealing of the deal that insures the others all get their fairly standardized fees.
The "price fixing" debate has been going for the decade I've been in the biz - and because everyone's situation is different, pricing is different - and difficult. Time is a mystical commodity, and preparation/travel/clerical risks, expense, and execution, all revolve around time.
To my mind, the plumber who shows up on a Saturday night to rescue a household from a dire situation is a hero - and I don't mind paying for his knowledge, experience, and accomodations for his time. Same for the contractor who fixed the dry-rot, the dentist who took away the pain and fixed the cause.
It's always seemed to me that we are under-valued, and must stick to our personal pricing strategies that each of our budgets demand. Newbies who aren't familiar with budgeting will have a harder time making it than newbies who are. jmho,adr
| Reply by SouthernOK on 9/2/11 7:40am
Msg #396080
Check out what happend with Sotheby's and Christie's.
After you hold the meeting take your notes and RUN to the closest US attorney's office and turn in your competition. The first person in the door gets the deal!
Seriously, this is wildly illegal...this better be a joke.
| Reply by Glenn Strickler on 9/2/11 11:14am
Msg #396095
Right. Now price fixing has already been mentioned, but let me give you something else to think about.
Here in the High Desert of Ca, Most notaries up here won't take low ball work. What happens? Notaries from the other side of Cajon Pass, drive 40-60 miles one way to take the low ball jobs.
Now if you are in an area that doesn't have a large metro area close by to pull from, then the problem will take care of its self without price fixing. But here? Nope.
Better to concentrate on general notary work than deal with low-ballers and then trying to collect after the job is done.
| Reply by MichiganAl on 9/2/11 12:26pm
Msg #396113
Ring, ring. Hello, Deptartment of Justice?
Sal, do a search on here for Department of Justice or DoJ. They were sniffing around for a very long time about price fixing. Many of us received calls from Washington and had lengthy discussions with them. If I were you, I'd ask Harry to delete your post before you get more attention than you bargained for.
| Reply by dickb/wi on 9/2/11 6:47pm
Msg #396158
great suggestion al........ n/m
| Reply by NJDiva on 9/2/11 6:29pm
Msg #396154
I'm not an attorney or anything, but I don't understand...
how this is considered price fixing. What's wrong with setting RULES in pricing? It didn't sound to me like he was suggesting price GOUGING.
hmmm, dunno that I really agree that it is illegal. Really, I don't care whether it's against the law or not, it's probably not something I would do anyway. I just think it's bizarre that you all would suggest that it's against the law if people got together and prepared guidelines for pricing. It might even be a GOOD thing for newbies that are accepting lowball offers as far as that goes...tee hee
Nice thought though Sal. The concept sounds good. But of course, that's just my very humble opinion...  
| Reply by dickb/wi on 9/2/11 6:45pm
Msg #396156
Re: I'm not an attorney or anything, but I don't understand...
not trying to be rude but please click the link in bobs response and read it.......
| Reply by MikeC/NY on 9/2/11 9:50pm
Msg #396173
Re: I'm not an attorney or anything, but I don't understand...
It has nothing to do with gouging.
There's a reason why most folks here are unwilling to even mention what they charge. You CANNOT get together with your competition and set minimum prices; it's a violation of the antitrust laws, and you may end up in a big pile of federal doo-doo if you're caught doing it. Laws don't have to make sense, they just have be laws...
| Reply by dickb/wi on 9/2/11 6:37pm
Msg #396155
all of the answers u need are mentioned above.......if you want to know what happens when you do this just send a letter to the El Paso TX board of REALTORS and ask them......big fines of$10,000 each, 3 year prison sentences and more........yo can not discuss prices with any of your competition......grocer to grocer....gas station to gas station......Realtor to Realtor.....signing agent to signing agent....read bobs article at the link.....
| Reply by Susan Fischer on 9/4/11 1:53pm
Msg #396319
I'm still mystified. The only way I found out I had control
over my pricing (vs. the offered $$ by my first SS) was on this forum lo, those many years ago.
How often do we discuss pricing amongst ourselves? Even specific amounts ($50) vs 'what the traffic will bear.' We do it every day here on NR.
While I understand that we all have different circumstances, budgets, saturation, driving distances and conditions, we do discuss prices, from "low-ball" to 'high-ball,' within particular coverage areas in every state.
If we discuss -ranges- of pricing, is that considered "price-fixing?" We negotiate prices every day.
Anyway, it's a beautiful Sunday, I'm just re-tired. Hoping everyone is safe, well, and happy this holdiay weekend.
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