Posted by Yoli/CA on 11/30/12 10:25am
Msg #445143

Fax/scanbacks for additional pay.

Had a call yesterday (while at grocery store) from a 4-1/2 star SS for a signing today. It actually involved 2 loans -- primary residence and investment property. Agreed on fee and told her I'd be home in about an hour to confirm with borrowers. She said take my time as signing wasn't until next day.

Well, I get home from shopping and call borrowers on only provided phone number. Leave voice mail message. Mrs. B returns my call about 2 hours later and requests 9 am rather than 11 am. Ok, no problem for me. I ask her if LO has gone over final figures with them. She says no but she was sent an email from LO she hasn't carefully read. Their LO has said something to her about faxing some docs after signing and do I know anything about that. Well ... no. Faxing was not mentioned to me. She's on her way home so I ask her to get clarification on that faxing.

I then email SS to relay change of time and ask about faxbacks and advise if faxback are required, my fee increases by $25; so, please send amended confirmation if faxbacks are required. While on hold, I look through my emails. Sure enough, there's something there requiring faxback of almost entire investment property package.

SS owner gets on phone. She has forwarded my email to TC inquiring about faxback requirement. She's questioning my additional fee saying yes, there's 2 loans but I'm only going to one location to sign. I let her know that's not the issue. The issue is that a fee was agreed to for going to 1 location to sign 2 loans. Fax/scanbacks were never mentioned during scheduling call. The additional fee is for having to return home to scan/faxback a large portion of the package and then go out again to ship docs. She was very pleasant and professional throughout our discussion. We both apologized for the breakdown in communication regarding this matter. She would try to get the additional fee from TC and call me back.

20 minutes later, I get the call. Again, very professional and courteous. Again apologizing, she informs me TC would not pay additional fee so she'd have to call me next time they have something in my area not requiring faxbacks. I thanked her and asked if I should call borrowers to let them know another notary would be contacting them. She'd already done so.

It's too bad the scan/faxbacks were not disclosed to me upon scheduling. I think we could've negotiated a workable fee. As it was, we had negotiated a 2-loan assignment. I enjoy working with this SS. What I don't like is anyone trying to sneak in additional work without adequate compensation. And, I really don't believe this was a conscious effort at being sneaky. Just oversight on the part of the scheduler. What a shame .....

Reply by LynnNC on 11/30/12 10:42am
Msg #445146

If I regularly got business from the SS, I would have done the faxbacks at no extra charge. The issue was not worth losing the source of business in the future.

Reply by Yoli/CA on 11/30/12 10:47am
Msg #445147

Wouldn't call them a regular. I've only worked with them once before - in October 1st and payment received 10/26th.

But, I agree with you, Lynn. If this were a regular source of business, I would've gladly accommodated.

Reply by John E. Rogers on 11/30/12 11:15am
Msg #445151

Just went through a similar situation; SS did say there would be some faxbacks but when I got the info, turns out that half the package (40-50 docs) needed to befaxed back. I requested a fee increase and got it...fairly new but regular SS agency. Just an FYI. jer/OH

Reply by janCA on 11/30/12 12:21pm
Msg #445162

Sorry, I charge for faxbacks (scan and email) if total fee is under $175. If it's a matter of 5 docs or so, no charge, but time is money and equipment is money. No freebees, regular client or not.

Reply by Linda Spanski on 11/30/12 12:42pm
Msg #445167

I spent nearly an hour this morning getting an additional fee for a signing last night that -surprise!- required about 70 pages faxed back. $25 is a very reasonable fee for this service; not only did it take an hour to get the fee increase approved (several emails back and forth) but then I scanned and emailed and now I have to visit the UPS Store. All for $25. Time is money and I cannot make a profit if I give away my services.

Reply by Karla/OR on 11/30/12 1:57pm
Msg #445180

Yoli~ Hard to believe they would not approve the $25 for faxbacks! I am getting the feeling from several SS's within this past month that they are tightening their purse strings. Not wanting to pay anything over my minimum $XXX even if i have to travel an extra 30-45 minutes.

Same issue with faxbacks happened to me yesterday - they did, however, accept my $25 faxback fee, but with reluctancy.

Reply by LKT/CA on 11/30/12 9:47pm
Msg #445245

Fee Schedule

<<<It's too bad the scan/faxbacks were not disclosed to me upon scheduling. I think we could've negotiated a workable fee. As it was, we had negotiated a 2-loan assignment. I enjoy working with this SS. What I don't like is anyone trying to sneak in additional work without adequate compensation. And, I really don't believe this was a conscious effort at being sneaky. Just oversight on the part of the scheduler. What a shame .....>>>

Going forward quote fee both without and with faxbacks. Do this up front during initial phone call and don't wait for the hiring party to disclose it. No one can sneak any other services in if YOU expose it from the get-go.

Reply by rolomia on 12/4/12 8:06am
Msg #445459

Re: Fee Schedule

I carry a laminated Tip card with questions to ask TC or SS requesting my services during their phone call. That way, I don't forget anything. Fax-back requirements are one of my questions. I also charge $25 up to 100 pages, then $0.25 each additional page (learned that lesson the hard way). And, I keep an alphabetical list of companies from Signing Central with ratings in my car. If from a company not familiar with, I check list before accepting assignment.