Posted by CopperheadVA on 4/20/13 10:13am
Msg #466422

Title Source required training and quiz

Just the got email that was originally discussed last month. Seven minutes of required training and then you take the quiz and must score 100% to pass. (However, you can take the quiz as many times as necessary to acheive 100%. I cannot imagine that anyone would not pass on the first try.)

The first part of the training said things like: Be aware of personal body odors and use deoderant. Be aware of your breath - use breath odor control. Men, be sure to groom your facial hair. Never wear torn clothing to a closing. Do not wear shirts with offensive slogans on them. Do not wear tank tops. Offensive tattoos should be covered up. There was more about other common sense issues, but you get the point.

My question is why do they feel they need to put this elementary training out? Are the notaries hired by their outsourced signing services taking this training? Obviously they have had issues with these things or they would not feel the need to create a mandatory training about them. I found it odd that they required me to take the training but I never hear from them anymore, since they outsourced their notary scheduling.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 4/20/13 10:28am
Msg #466424

Yep...and I kept getting one question wrong - which one? The one that asks "do you accept drinks at the table" - their video says yes, you can - I kept answering no and I think it's too risky - you chance spills onto the docs. I kept saying no..it was yes you can. I disagree.

And I digress. If you read here, as I know you do, you'll recall many posts of notaries showing up in jeans, sneakers, tank tops, yada yada - I'd say yes, I bet they're getting complaints and ALSO maybe reading some of the forums - but IMO taking their little quiz is not going to prevent notaries from doing exactly what this quiz addresses - because those notaries that do that really don't get it and don't know any better.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 4/20/13 11:13am
Msg #466428

I agree - I always decline drinks/food when people offer n/m

Reply by sueharke on 4/20/13 11:27am
Msg #466431

Re: I agree - I always decline drinks/food when people offer

I will accept a drink, but I not put it on the signing table. I put it on at a location where I cannot spill it on the documents (floor, other table). I also do not allow the signers to have drinks at the table.

Reply by 101livescan on 4/20/13 12:10pm
Msg #466441

Re: I agree - I always decline drinks/food when people offer

Yesterday I had a signing, the borrower (wife) was one hour late. They had hinted she would be late, so why on earth did they ask for 3pm when she wasn't going to be home until 4pm I'll never know.

I get there, HOARDERS PERSONIFIED. There were so many prescription bottles on the table's lazy susan, nowhere to spread documents. Stacks and stacks of crap everywhere, clothes hanging from everything possible. They had copies of Photo IDs, we went to town.

Then the phone started ringing, then the wife began ranting that she needed to get to another class in 15 minutes. Then she ranted about everything that popped into her wacky little head.

I finally had to say, look, the quicker you get focused and pay attention to what we're doing here, the sooner you'll get out of here to get to your next gig. I'm already so late for the rest of my commitments, it's so unfair to my other clients. I need you please to really focus on where to sign, signing the way your name appears and correctly dating today's date. It was a Citibank refi. Lots of signing and notarizations.

Sometimes you gotta take the upper hand and deal with difficult situations, without being completely rude and insulting. We're placed in some very challenging scenarios sometimes. Not everyone who gets a loan "is normal". In this case, for sure, there was no room or time for beverages.

On the subject of accepting beverages or snacks, I have my own eating routine going on with nuts, fruit, yogurt and spring water while I'm on the road. Occasionally, a borrower will set out a bowl of fresh strawberries. One borrower handed me string cheese for the road. I am often given bottles of water for the road. People are good, generous, kind, they see you're on a mission, they are respectful. It's a case by case situation, I think. While I don't like to risk anything on the table that could "spoil" the papers, yesterday I was at a ranch high on a mountain, a little time before the next gig at a bank, the borrowers are related to so many people I know, it was like old home week. When we were finished signing, he made me a cup of their "Italian" roast, and it was awesome. Since I had to be up so early to get to them, I had only one cup at home, and not enough to jump start my motor. So, nice of them to offer and I accepted.

But I never ask for anything, and I'm very picky about the "facilities" I use, so this is not an option either. I know where all the hygienically acceptable toilets are on my travel routes.

These are general guidelines we're to adhere to. Mostly we need to use our own common sense and moral compasses to do the right thing, don't you think?

Reply by JimAZ on 4/20/13 6:39pm
Msg #466483

Whew!!!! Just passed the quiz. I agree, I don't accept drinks at the signing table unless it's a double martini stirred,,,not shaken. Don't want to bruise the booze. Then I will break another rule. Don't hang around too long after the signing.

Reply by 101livescan on 4/20/13 10:28am
Msg #466425

I just finished the quiz...slam dunk. I guess not all NSA's are created equally. If you show up hung over, smelling like a dirty ash tray and disheveled, TSI will hear about it...lateness, hawking your other services, parking on the lawn, throwing your Budweiser beer cans in their flower beds, all bad practices.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 4/20/13 11:11am
Msg #466427

Yeah, I loved the question where one of the answer

choices was is it OK to park on the sidewalk!

Reply by Robert522TX on 4/20/13 12:02pm
Msg #466437

OMG! say it isn't so!! I've been saving those Bud cans for weeks until I found just the right flower bed!

Reply by JanetK_CA on 4/20/13 3:47pm
Msg #466461

This is a pattern we seem to be seeing over and over again. Some company decides to farm out work based on the lowest bidder, and the next thing you know, there's a landslide of instructions on the most basic of things.

Gee, do you think they'll ever wise up and see the correlation? At what point do those short term savings turn into long-term losses, in terms of customer satisfaction, business image and accuracy? You'd think they'd get the point, after a while. Makes you wonder - at least it does me. I guess they all think they're different and that they'll be able to manage it better than the other guys. My personal opinion is that that type of shortsightedness has been the downfall of many companies across all sectors of business. But I'm not business guru, just a working stiff... Maybe they think the cost savings is worth the risk.

Reply by Yoli/CA on 4/20/13 7:03pm
Msg #466491

I don't hear from them any more either, Copper. My fees are too high for them. However, did get the email. Took the "course" and exam and passed on first try.

Got a kick out of them referring to men's facial hair. Guess it's ok for women to quit waxing/plucking ....

Reply by MW/VA on 4/21/13 1:42pm
Msg #466538

IMO that's ridiculous. Did you all actually comply? They

must think this is grade-school. Too bad people have to be given instructions on personal & professional behavior. I'm aware that there are people in this biz that shouldn't be, but then the cos. should weed them out.

Reply by Lee/AR on 4/22/13 7:01am
Msg #466586

Comply? Yes, or be deactivated.

Think much of the problem is their constant outsourcing to many SS who are just interested in getting the order filled or they will lose it to yet another SS. I know this to be true because I have had the experience of missing a 2-ring TS call, trying to call back and being on hold until I give up--only to get multiple calls from various SS for an extreme distance--hence high fee where 'approval' is needed--only to get yet another call from TS--who will offer what I've been quoting.

I know many notaries who work with TS but still get calls from SS so most (but not all) of us are already in TS database and so they figure training will help. Probably faulty logic, but they most likely think that this training will stop their problems.

Reply by pan/nd on 4/22/13 9:46am
Msg #466596

Lee, you're just trying to get me going on this n/m