Posted by Eileen McRorey on 9/17/11 1:17pm
Msg #397748

Incomplete travel directions

I received a call from a signing service a couple of days ago to do a signing. The person told me where it was and I told her that this would be a 1 1/2 hour drive, maybe longer if the time is during rush hour traffic. She told me that when she pulled up a map on NR it showed that the town was only 15 miles from me. I live on Oahu and I explained to her that yes, that town is only a few miles from my town, but there are no roads directly to the area. I would have to drive all the way down my part of the island and then pick up another highway to go back up the center of the island to get to this area. For some reason, whatever map NR uses points to my area and then the area that the signing is to take place in, but does not recognize that there are no roads directly to the area. After I explained to her how the roads work here she thanked me for the geography lesson. So to all signing services that send work to Hawaii, if you get a good map of the islands, you will be able to see which towns are on which highways (H1, H2 or H3) and know that travel will be an expense I quote. The lady was very nice, and even though I was not offered the signing, I was glad for the opportunity to clear this up.

Reply by Lee/AR on 9/17/11 1:45pm
Msg #397750

Happens all the time no matter where you live. Nor will they remember the next time, even if that's tomorrow. You just keep explaining...

Reply by Linda Juenger on 9/17/11 2:21pm
Msg #397756

Eileen, you are showing up as in MO not HI. n/m

Reply by Eileen McRorey on 9/17/11 2:24pm
Msg #397758

Re: Eileen, you are showing up as in MO not HI.

When a zip is put in on the island, I come up in Hawaii. However, my original nickname had MO attached. I wanted to change this, but you can't change that name. Hasn't seemed to cause any real problems that I am aware of, but I sure would lilke to get rid of that Missouri designation.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 9/17/11 4:18pm
Msg #397764

I'd ask them again - this is a reasonable reason to be

asking for a name change...

Reply by Doris_CO on 9/17/11 6:49pm
Msg #397768

Re: I'd ask them again - this is a reasonable reason to be

The edit page isn't equipped to let you change your nickname and state yourself. You'll have to contact NR by using the "contact us" link at the bottom of the page.

Reply by Belinda/CA on 9/17/11 7:03pm
Msg #397770

I asked for a name change...

right after I joined NR and had not even posted anything yet. I did not understand when I put Belinda/CA in the sign-up process that it was going to be my name on the forum. I wanted something like CaliGal or the like. Denied. Then a subsequent request NR ignored. Completely ignored. Guess you can't change for any reason.

Any body ever get to change their name and please tell us why. Would be interesting. Not really fair of them when a person's reason are reasonable.

I realize people can't be changing helter skelter but when there is a good reason what is the problem?

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 9/17/11 7:32pm
Msg #397773

Several people have been allowed to do it...

I'm one of them - I changed from my initial forum alias to this one - my reason? My name and state sounded more professional - they did tell me they didn't like to change names -

But I would think that since it's a Notary Rotary problem - the "of <state>" is something that is generated internally, not by the notary - they'd be willing to change it to accurately reflect the location of the particular notary - and I *KNOW* for a fact that's been done several times.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 9/17/11 8:03pm
Msg #397774

Good points. It's confusing fo searcher, and a

substantive change. I can understand the policy, for sure, but this is isn't a change from an ill-conceived "alias," to a less ill-conceived name, after all.

Should we start a petition? hahahaha. jk

Reply by Eileen McRorey on 9/18/11 2:17am
Msg #397787

Re: Good points. It's confusing fo searcher, and a

I asked to change due to the change of state.... never heard a word. Sure would be nice to change, but I get calls so I guess it will have to just be the way it is until they let me change it if they ever do.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 9/18/11 9:49am
Msg #397801

Maybe, then, we *do* need a petition. n/m

Reply by JanetK_CA on 9/19/11 3:27am
Msg #397850

Eileen, I don't think it's a map that is giving them the distance. If you look at the "find a notary" tab above, it will pull up a list of notaries in that area and give an approximate distance from one point to another. That distance is calculated somehow from the center of a zip code, I believe, and actually has little or nothing to do with anything else. They have to use some type of system, and for those purposes, it works well enough for most (although there can be some notable exceptions). I always tell signing services that it's based on distance "as the crow flies" and doesn't reflect reality...