Posted by pat/WA on 6/5/12 1:43pm
Msg #422631

Worst Day of my Life

I have done the unthinkable. I switched packages and sent them to the wrong lenders.
I am going to have nightmares about this for years.
I am moving heaven and earth to get this fixed. Anyone have any advice as to how to fix this.

Reply by JPH13/MO on 6/5/12 1:49pm
Msg #422633

All you can do is let whoever gave you the signings know what happened and hope that they are either willing to get the package they do receive to the correct place or allow you to redo the signing with another set of docs (at no extra cost to them, you can write off miles).

I have heard from others who have done this. Now they always put the name and address on the billing form so that they can see they are putting the docs into the right package, and I do this as well.

Life goes on. You aren't the only one to ever do this, so try to give yourself a break and just be more careful from now on.

Reply by OR on 6/5/12 1:50pm
Msg #422634

Pray and breath then call Shipper and see if they can fix it. I'd also call each Title company and let them know. It can be fix some how you have the 3 day RTC. I have never did that before. I thought I used the wrong dates on a loan once and prayed a lot in. In my notary book it was the wrong date. I know God fix it because the docs were already shipped when I realsed the error. Everything truned out fine.

Reply by bfnotary on 6/5/12 1:51pm
Msg #422636

Ouch. I have not done that. But that is one of my fears. I always pray I don't manage to do that. I hope you get it all cleared up. Maybe each lender can email the opposite lender shipping labels? and get them back to each other that way? and doc you for shipping charges. I have no idea. That would be my only thought. Or did the packages come back to you? If that is the case, I would just go to the shipping place, and ship em out of pocket. But it would be cheaper on you if the companies give shipping labels, They probably get shipping alot cheaper considering the amount of packages they do. Good luck.

Reply by ValleyGrl/VA on 6/5/12 1:58pm
Msg #422637

UPS has delivery intercept - you might be able to reroute the package:
http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/service/delivery/delivery_intercept.html

FedEx also offers a service for fee:
http://www.fedex.com/us/fedexupdates/May-2011/reroute-package.html

I haven't sent to wrong lender - but did drop a UPS in the FedEx box and was a basketcase over what they "do" with the package. I went to the FedEx terminal and they said they just put it in the next box they see - added a day to shipping, but worked out fine.

Everyone makes mistakes - don't beat yourself up! Good Luck!

Melissa

Reply by pat/WA on 6/5/12 2:00pm
Msg #422639

Thanks for the information Valley Girl. Its too late thought. Tracking shows that the packages were received. Now I need someone to locate them and get them to the correct people.

Reply by pat/WA on 6/5/12 1:58pm
Msg #422638

I am waiting to hear from the lenders if they have found each others documents and what I can do to fix this.
One of the lenders is being fantastic about this. The other one is behaving like she never made a mistake in her whole life.
If anyone knows of a way to pull off a miracle, please let me know

Reply by GOLDGIRL/CA on 6/5/12 2:09pm
Msg #422641

Update

I can't imagine why Litlle Miss Perfect is being such a butthead about taking care of this for you. But it is what it is.
Give it a little time, but if she persists in doing nothing, is there anybody else you can call at the lender to intervene? Is this with a SS? Did you call them?

This is a long shot, but depending on the lender, you could seek the help of a notary in that town to go retrieve the docs and reship them for you ....?

Reply by Ilene C. Seidel on 6/5/12 3:25pm
Msg #422660

The one that's giving you grief reclose the pkg. Were funds collected? If not just reclose it and get it off NOW. Hopefully the homeowners/borrowers are understanding. Forget about finding the pkg your wasting time looking, this has to fund on time.

Reply by GOLDGIRL/CA on 6/5/12 2:02pm
Msg #422640

Don't panic!

One time a SS sent me the wrong FedEx label, which she noticed just after I had dropped the package. She said she called FedEx who was able to redirect the package midstream. Amazing. So, call the courier and find out what they can do. Or call the courier office you use for help.

In any case, you're certainly not the first notary to do this. If it's too late to redirect the package, alert the receiving agencies and work something out with them. I'm sure they've seen this before and would reship for you. They want to get their documents and they want to get the other documents to the right agency. Just get out your credit card.

Reply by Yowheelz on 6/5/12 2:10pm
Msg #422642

Give them your ups or fedex acc't no

ask them to overnight to proper lender. You are footing the bill and if they were shipped on time should still make it before the 3 day RTC is up.

Reply by Calnotary on 6/5/12 2:35pm
Msg #422647

WAIT!!!

Maybe it's not your fault at all!

Every time I take fed ex packages to FED EX KINKOS, they always take my manually written airbills and enter the info in their system and then put it back in the plastic bag and print a label to attach it to the package. I always wait till they finish in my presence. They can put it in a different envelope by mistake especially when you take 4 or 6 packages. Now if this is a mistake where you put the package in UPS and it should have been in FED EX. Well what can I tell you?

Reply by JanetK_CA on 6/5/12 3:11pm
Msg #422653

Re: WAIT!!!

Never thought about that - but it's a good point. Thanks for mentioning it!

I did what Pat/WA did once, too. I believe it was the week after my mother passed away and I was not on my game, to say the least! I found out when I got a call from someone telling me about it. So I know how you are feeling, Pat! To say I was mortified, doesn't quite cover it... The only lucky thing for me was that both title companies were located close to each other (like within 50 miles, I think) so they were able to get them sent to the right place fairly quickly.

To tell you the truth, I don't even remember how it was handled or who the companies were. But I think I still do business with at least one of them. Long term, it didn't really have much of an impact on my business - except that I now have a procedure in place to make sure that I never make that mistake again (if it WAS my mistake...) Thanks to Calnotary, I'll also be watching the FedEx people carefully from now on, too. (The FedEx office I go to recently hired some new people, so I tend to pay more attention anyway, but you can't be too careful.)

Hang in there, Pat. This too shall pass and it won't be the end of the world.

Reply by CJ on 6/5/12 3:14pm
Msg #422655

What I do.

In 11 years, I have made plenty of mistakes. One time I even dropped the package without any air bill. I thought I LOST all the docs. I called title after two days of searching to fess up and they had them. When UPS found it, there opened it, figured out where it went and got it there on time anyway.

This is what I do to prevent mix-ups.

1. I write the last name in big letters on an extra piece of paper that I clip with the docs before I go to the signing.
2. I write the last name in big letters on the pre-printed air bill when I get it.
3. When I seal the package, I write the last name in big letters on the outside of the package.
4. I only handle one package at at time.

I'm sorry this is such a nightmare for you right now. I'll be praying.

Reply by MW/VA on 6/5/12 3:13pm
Msg #422654

Mistakes happen. As long as you own it, do your best to

correct it, and do it at your expense, you have done your best. I'm sure it's not the first time something like this has happened & it won't be the last.
As long as you & those you love are alive & safe, it is NOT the worst day of your life. :-)

Reply by Barb25 on 6/5/12 3:30pm
Msg #422663

Very well said MW/VA

I pride myself on paying attention to details, very careful with my packages. I also did this once. I won't go into details but it couldn't have happened in a worse situation. I wiped the egg off my face, apologized, emailed fedex labels. And everyone had their packages in the morning. Were they happy, probably not. But both loans funded on time. S--- happens. You should have seen the lender package I had last night. If I had let it sign that way without calling it would not have funded. I am sure you have saved the day many times also. Cut yourself some slack.

This too shall pass.

Reply by Barb25 on 6/5/12 3:33pm
Msg #422665

Re: Very well said MW/VA- ps. the rest was @ Pat :) n/m

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 6/5/12 3:54pm
Msg #422670

Never sent the wrong packages...HOWEVER

in my other life I *DID* send the payoffs of the first and second mortgages to the wrong lenders - sent the payoff for the first to the second lienholder and vice versa - and I'd left for vacation that day and I was the only one in the office that did the real estate - they were scrambling to fix it and it cost my boss out of pocket for the accrued interest.

Yes...mistakes happen..and wow do we ever learn from them...

Good Luck Pat...deep breath...

Reply by Linda Juenger on 6/5/12 4:31pm
Msg #422685

I got called one time asking if I dropped docs. I said yes

I gave them the tracking # and it had been delivered to the wrong place, no fault of mine. They called the receiver of the docs and had them scan the pkg to them, then ship them later. The scan saved that loan.

Reply by Karla/WA on 6/5/12 5:08pm
Msg #422695

Everyone makes mistakes.....

I agree that you can't beat yourself up! None of us are perfect and just this last week I noticed a quit claim deed that did not include one of the borrower's names (4 folks were on the loan), so everyone makes mistakes. The title company so appreciated the fact that I let them know so they could fix it in time for the signing.

A few months ago, I had a signing at a Wells Fargo branch about 30 minutes from me. I took the wrong set of documents off my desk instead of the ones that I needed to sign.! I got there, the borrowers were already there, and I sat at the desk realizing that I didn't have their documents! Oh my glory....I looked in my bag realizing I had taken the wrong set of docs and then needed to apologize profusely to the borrowers!

That appointment was rescheduled for about an hour later, and they said they were glad that they weren't the only ones who made mistakes. That hour allowed them (they were retired), to go look for just the perfect bird feeders they were in search of.

I apologized to them again when we met as well as the LO who noticed we left without signing (she was in the middle of a meeting so I didn't have a chance to let her know my mistake) and I felt horrible. The LO was great, as were the borrowers.

Good luck in figuring your mixup out!

Reply by jba/fl on 6/5/12 7:30pm
Msg #422709

Just for in the future Karla

I did the exact same thing at a WF branch a couple of years ago. I told my guy right away, then he got to work on getting the package and then printed it for the signing. About a 10 min. delay as I was there early and the BO's never knew.

So: a bit early at branches, always find my person and say Hi and make sure the package is the right one. They give you room to sit and sort, prepping for the BO and if you don't need the time for that, take your eReader and relax.

Reply by Jessica Ward on 6/5/12 5:21pm
Msg #422700

I feel you

I did this once. Thankfully, both TC's were in Philly. I hired a private courier to go pick up the packages and swap them. It was done the same day, cost me about $100. Best $100 ever spent. Both TCs still love me. (For that I will be eternally grateful!)

Just get it fixed, this too will pass.

An alternate (if they're not trying to fund today) is to send a new Fedex label by email to each client and ask them to repack and drop the mis-sent docs.

Reply by JandB on 6/5/12 7:41pm
Msg #422711

We ain't birthin babies here!

When I processed loans and people started to fret over a problem she would remind us that there is always a way to work it out. What we do is not life changing. I promise you somebody at each of those lenders will use the information in the file to contact each other. They will fax the necessary docs to each other so they can fund and then ship the original packages. You might lose a client over it but maybe not. We all make mistakes. Sleep well and let it pass.

Reply by pat/WA on 6/5/12 7:45pm
Msg #422712

Re: We ain't birthin babies here!

The package that was sent to the wrong lender was faxed before it was shipped. All notarized documents were faxed to the correct fax number. I don't know if this is going to help

Reply by Jessica Ward on 6/5/12 8:23pm
Msg #422715

Pat, that should help! Rest easy!

Just send a pre-printed label (you can generate one on the Fedex web site) and have them send one another the docs on those labels. The trick is to act quickly. You'll eat some shipping costs, but that's way better than a lot of possible alternatives.

Reply by Carol Graff on 6/5/12 11:24pm
Msg #422733

thank you for sharing with us!

So sorry, Pat. But you were brave to share with us so that we might avoid this also.
I've made plenty of mistakes, beat myself up about it too. But to err is human and not uncommon in this high stress job. Hope it all works out for you.

Reply by Deborah Breedlove on 6/6/12 8:41am
Msg #422742

as long as we're admitting mistakes....

In my early days as an NSA, I once went to a signing with docs for a different signing. I had printed all the docs for that day, and just grabbed the wrong ones. It was kind of funny actually, when we were at the table and I compared their IDs to the names on the docs and thought, hmmm, this isn't right...OMG!!! Thankfully, it was nearby, so I went back to my office and got the right ones. The BOs were very understanding and had a nice laugh over it. I was grateful for that.

Another time, the TC had sent a Fedex shipping label. I put the docs in a UPS package, attached the Fedex label, and dropped it at UPS. Later that night, I realized what I had done and panicked. I called UPS and they said there was no way to locate the package because it wouldn't have even been scanned into their system. They said they routinely find packages like that, and just drop them in the nearest Fedex box. Apparently that's what happened, and the package got there a day later.

The good thing is that you really do learn a lot from these mistakes. I always check and double-check to make sure I don't make the same mistakes again.

Reply by Gina/VA on 6/6/12 8:48am
Msg #422743

Re: as long as we're admitting mistakes....

I know that this is old but I was so joyful at you Pat for being brave enough to share your experience. I have been conducting loan closings since 2004 and I still make a mistake or two here and there (especially when I feel rushed which is not an excuse, but its a condition Im working on).

Even more, I applaud everyone who responded for being SO supportive with Pat during this time rather then slamming her and making her feel even worse.

I have a new love for NR folks.

Reply by Richard Ingram on 6/6/12 1:14pm
Msg #422764

Re: as long as we're admitting mistakes....

Pat,
I recently dropped a UPS package into a Fedex box by mistake. It took a trip to Fedex and getting in touch with the route driver to find that he had dropped it in UPS. Lots of time and much worry but it did work out.