Posted by obbie on 3/29/12 11:59pm
Msg #416548

opinions needed please!

I went to a signing tonight my confirmation said the borrower would have documents. They didn't! We called the company and discovered the company had assigned a notary ( which had cancelled), they assigned another notary (which also cancelled). The documents had been sent to the second notary. This was a 45 mile roundtrip for me. The company asked me if I would be willing to make this closing happen I agreed to return to my home to print documents and then drive the 45 mile roundtrip again!!! In between this I had a 7 pm closing. I got it all done and got home around 10:20pm. I told the company I expected to be compensated for my trouble. QUESTION....what is a fair compensation? A trip fee is $100.00 with edocs $25.00. I made two trips and printed? I need to know how much to ask for?

Reply by Buddy Young on 3/30/12 12:34am
Msg #416549

I had that happen once where the BO were supposed to have the docs and when I arrived they wern't there. I called SS and told them that I would wait 20 min. for the docs to arrive and If I had to go home and come back ( only 4 miles ) it would be an additional $25. They didn't hesitate.

In your case you wasted 2 hours of your time and drove an extra 45 miles. I charge 50c a mile . two trips = 90 miles. So I would charge an additional $50 if it was me. I think that is reasonable and might even be a little on the low side. So your total fee would be at least $175

Reply by Karla/OR on 3/30/12 1:54am
Msg #416554

Great job going the extra mile Obbie . . .

and I agree with the $175 fee.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 3/30/12 2:49am
Msg #416555

Hopefully the key lesson here from the school of hard knocks won't be lost in the concern about fees: ALWAYS make sure the borrowers have the documents before you travel to the appointment when docs are being sent to the borrowers! You could have saved yourself lots of time - and your client an extra fee, if they agree to it.

Reply by VT_Syrup on 3/30/12 6:46am
Msg #416559

In general, I charge $1 per mile for each mile above and beyond above what is included in my base fee. That's the IRS estimate for gas, depreciation, insurance, etc., which is around 0.50 per mile. Plus around 0.50 per mile for my time in doing the driving. That's for country roads; I might lower it a little for divided highways.

Reply by Gina Jones on 3/30/12 6:56am
Msg #416560

If I may chime in on this one (I'm normally a reader of forums but had this exact same experience a few years ago).

I know with all of the last minute changes, you may not have even thought about what to charge which is understandable. I agree with everyone's suggestions regarding what to charge as well as to confirm with borrowers that they in fact have their documents. In addition, if this should ever happen in the future, confirm with the company before agreeing to go home and print docs that they agree to pay an additional amount.

I say this only because after the job is done and you seemed to have done a great job going out of your way to close this loan, you don't want to be stuck fighting for that additional fee. Give them a fee, have them email you the fee confirmation at the same time that they email you the docs.

G

Reply by obbie on 3/30/12 7:07am
Msg #416562

Thanks to everyone I appreciate your valuable input.

Reply by Carolyn Bodley on 3/30/12 10:39am
Msg #416596

Re: Don't ever do a job without knowing ahead of time what

the agreed-upon fee is going to be. Simply telling them that you expect compensation is not enough. To them compensation might be $1.00 additional. Unless they are an honorable company, IMO, they now have you over the barrel and can pay you whatever they want.

It should have all been in writing before the job was ever done.

Reply by Lee/AR on 3/30/12 8:06am
Msg #416573

Whatever your fee was DOUBLED, less 1 print fee

All other posters are right, but you asked what to charge.
Really, despite the screwups, it is like 2 signings in the same location; one with a print fee and one without. Being very fair with both them and yourself will probably make you a hero and they'll call you first next time.

Reply by Linda Juenger on 3/30/12 9:01am
Msg #416576

Moral of this is to make sure SOMEONE has docs to sign. I

would not have left the house without making sure the borrowers had them. If not, I would have been calling someone asking where they were. Been there, done that.

Reply by Gina Jones on 3/30/12 1:02pm
Msg #416625

Re: Whatever your fee was DOUBLED, less 1 print fee

Good point!

Reply by Art_PA on 3/30/12 9:03am
Msg #416577

Unusual situations arise rarely and don't give you much time to think. It is best is to agree on a fee before you do the job. I agree that you are doing 2 closings and should be paid for both. It is also possible that the SS is getting paid for 1 closing and will not pay what you bill, taking the position that you should have stated your fee before doing the job. Signing services are neither genereous nor grateful as a rule. Good luck

Reply by ikando on 3/30/12 9:26am
Msg #416581

Although the OP didn't mention that it was a ss, I'd be curious why TWO

Reply by ikando on 3/30/12 9:31am
Msg #416583

Re: opinions needed please! OOPS

...curious as to why TWO notaries cancelled, one having already received docs. Could it be because it IS a non-paying SS?

Hopefully you can come to an agreement that they pay you a fair and full fee. After the fact, though, I would bet they'll say something like "but that's all we're being paid." In my opinion, they screwed up, you outdid yourself to "help" them out, and they owe you every penny of what you ask.

If the OP cares to share the name of the hiring party, I am curious. And I would also like to hear the end of the tale if you get paid a reasonable fee for the unreasonable request.

Reply by desktopfull on 3/30/12 9:33am
Msg #416584

I would charge the $175.00 that others are recommending. However, when I'm told the borrowers have the docs I always take my laptop, wireless server, legal paper, and a small printer with me (I don't use in my car) just in case of what happened to you. If they didn't get the docs, I carry the equipment in set it up in minutes and we are in business. This has saved me many miles of driving and wear & tear on my car.

Reply by MikeC/TX on 3/30/12 7:21pm
Msg #416669

"QUESTION....what is a fair compensation? A trip fee is $100.00 with edocs $25.00. I made two trips and printed? I need to know how much to ask for? "

Question: why didn't you ask them that BEFORE you made the extra trips and print job? They gave you the opportunity when they asked you if you could still make the closing happen - why would you agree to the extra work without knowing what the additional compensation (if any) would be??

I'm not trying to be harsh here - I think the additional trip and printing fees you're going to ask for are reasonable, and I wish you the best of luck getting them. Unfortunately, here's the "rule of thumb": once the job is completed, getting additional compensation is like trying to get the toothpaste back into the tube...

Whether or not they screw you on this deal (and I really hope they don't, consider this a lesson learned - don't agree to additional work unless you know what's in it for you...

Reply by Luckydog on 3/30/12 8:09pm
Msg #416678

Most companies pay 1/2 the amount for trip and print fees. Example $100.00 you get $50.00 If you did not print and made the trip, probably getting 1/4 of the agreed price....$25.00 You should have straightened that out before you went back. I think you are getting your regular fee and 25% for the second trip (with no docs).