Posted by FeliseSoCal on 7/23/13 6:09pm
Msg #477814

How to deal with deadbeat clients...

Folks this is such an ongoing theme. If a client has a bad reputation or poor payment history, ask for payment in advance through paypal or via credit card if you take them.

Offer them a positive review on SS in exchange. That is how I handle them instead of turning it down right away. I've had a few agree to this and I wrote them a positive review. Everybody wins. Some companies have gone through bad times and are truly trying to rebuild. Others are simpy deadbeat blood suckers and will never change.

If they are truly interested in rebuilding their reputation, they will accept those terms, if they are still deadbeats, they won't, and you wouldn't have gotten paid anyway.

Once a reputation has been damaged, the burden should be on questionable party to repair it. They should take a chance on you at that point, not the other way around.

Thoughts?

Reply by John Tennant on 7/23/13 6:23pm
Msg #477815

I disagree with everything in this post.

Low pay, slow pay, no pay all equal cheating the notary. They may pay you via paypal or credit card, however, you can probably bet they owe for previous signings. To me that means you took another notary's payment. Bottom line, you are keeping the slime in this business alive. JMHO

Reply by Notarysigner on 7/23/13 6:30pm
Msg #477816

I agree w/ you...not right to take pay fm ss who cheated

another notary. That could go on forever. imo

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 7/23/13 6:30pm
Msg #477817

I agree with John...and want to add

so your positive review in SC isn't a true review - it was bought. That's no help to anyone using SC - IMO it's a bogus review.

JMO

Reply by 101livescan on 7/23/13 6:33pm
Msg #477818

Re: I disagree with everything in this post.

I agree John. Why help them stay on the radar screen? There are some notaries who will give up collecting from these slow pay companies, and meanwhile the notaries who are willing like Felise to help them prosper will be paid. If a company has a bad reputation on SC, they likely earned it. It's not fair to skew their ratings.

Reply by MW/VA on 7/23/13 8:14pm
Msg #477843

I agree with you also on this, John. n/m

Reply by FeliseSoCal on 7/23/13 6:42pm
Msg #477822

I wasn't suggesting they eliminate other obligations...

Of course they should also pay notaries for previous closings.

If they want to stay in business however, they should prove they have integrity by paying in advance until their obligations are met.

JMO

Reply by 101livescan on 7/23/13 6:50pm
Msg #477823

Re: I wasn't suggesting they eliminate other obligations...

Dancing with the devil is what I call it. Writing a good review on a company that has a track record for being flaky is not only dishonest, it's bogus, misleading and deceptive. Companies that hold these reviews in SC have earned them, they are not about to change.

Facts about low paying companies who do not pay their notaries:

Once worked in the escrow biz and have a special connection that allows them to survive.
Have little working capital and use the first money to take care of themselves and to hell with notaries.
Will not survive in this business very long due to current market conditions.
Furthermore, to enhance their survivability by accepting work from them and giving them kudos in SC is like driving the getaway car in a bank heist.

I would rethink this biz practice, Felise.

Furthermore,

Reply by Bear900/CA on 7/23/13 6:53pm
Msg #477824

"like driving the getaway car in a bank heist" Like! n/m

Reply by GOLDGIRL/CA on 7/23/13 7:04pm
Msg #477826

This is truly pathetic

There was a similar post recently about giving the notorious no-pay Big Bad Boys a chance, one in which the notary was an incurable optimist or just plain delusional. I'd put this poster in the same category.

I suspect this warped thinking stems from desperation, now that work is headed downhill fast given the rise in interest rates.

This is like trying to make lemonade out of a lemon, but there isn't enough sweetener in the world to reform the scumbag SSs that cheat notaries. What is it about CHEAT that you don't understand? You are not the first notary to think that as long as you get yours through PayPal or whatever then to hell with everbody else. You've just put a new spin on it.

Reply by ME/NJ on 7/23/13 7:19pm
Msg #477834

Re: This is truly pathetic

Think I mentioned this early today.. but but he said I would get paid...

Reply by 101livescan on 7/23/13 7:09pm
Msg #477830

Furthermore,

(my machine locked up...had to power up again)

Felise, there are far more great companies to work for than these low lifes. I would spend my time developing relationships with companies who have integrity, solid reputation, and how about track records for treating notaries with the respect they should be. It takes time to do this, not sure how long you've been in this business, but I won't bend my own rules for what companies I will work for.

I would say back to the drawing board, dear and come up with a better way to attract the good guys to calling you for signings and drop the slime balls.

Reply by SheilaSJCA on 7/24/13 12:13am
Msg #477882

All it proves, is that they are robbing Peter to pay Paul n/m

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 7/23/13 7:25pm
Msg #477835

So you post a positive review thereby misleading other notaries who may take a signing based on your review and they don't get paid.
Do you say in your positive review that you only posted the positive review as you had a deal in place with the SS? No, everybody doesn't win. The poor suckers who are misled by your positive reviews are not winners.

If a client has a bad reputation or poor payment history the wisest thing to do is run the other way.

Reply by Scriba/NM on 7/23/13 7:43pm
Msg #477837

It Really Doesn't Matter.........Really

The neophyte notaries are going to bumble around dealing with marginal signing companies and eventually they will all circle the drain and hopefully wash down, never to be seen again.

We've seen the "rise and fall" of all the loan signing cycles (get money out of the house, get an adjustable, get rid of the adjustable, get a low interest loan, get a lower interest loan, etc.). The smart, experienced notaries will operate within their higher standards, and the dumb ones will vanish over time for obvious reasons.

So, occasionally there will be some that think they've come up with a new wheel, and that's fine. That's what the capitalism is all about. We do our things, and they can do theirs, but we already know what works and what doesn't. Let them learn..........................

Reply by closergrl on 7/23/13 7:46pm
Msg #477838

Scriba: like, like, like. n/m

Reply by GOLDGIRL/CA on 7/23/13 7:50pm
Msg #477841

Re: Scriba: like, like, like.

Like it, too, Scriba ... however, FeliseSoCal is not a neophyte. She has been around a long time. That's what makes her post extra disturbing and frustrating. For a veteran NSA to think she has the answer to deadbeats by suggesting ways to keep them in business .... well, they must be laughing all the way to the bank while their unpaid notaries continue to suffer.

Reply by 101livescan on 7/23/13 7:47pm
Msg #477839

Like the proverbial toilet flush...

water swishes around and around for a time, and finally the deposit is sucked down with such force...right now there is a lot of swirling around, the deeds are about to be sucked into the septic, or sewage canal. Ciao to the debris!

Reply by Kendall Challenger on 7/23/13 8:09pm
Msg #477842

Its this kind of thinking and justification that continues to destroy this industry. Your basically saying, I know you've cheated hundreds of my fellow notaries but if you pay me up front on the side I will put in a good word for you so you can cheat and deceive a few hundred more notaries. Yeah, you should really be proud of yourself...

Reply by PegiT_MN on 7/23/13 8:21pm
Msg #477846

Sorry FeliseSoCal......I Have To Disagree As Well....

.......with your suggestion on dealing with deadbeat clients. What you have just done is bought these scumbags a few more days of stiffing more notaries.

This is how you deal with deadbeat clients.......you answer their call.....you tell them that there is no way you are going to work for a company that has a reputation of not paying their notaries and tell them that even if they did pay you through paypal or via credit card, you would still not work for them based on their poor payment history. Then I would proceed to tell them that every single notary in your area is aware of their non paying habits and good luck finding a notary to fill the assignment for their client. If every notary were to do that.......these scumbags would be out of business real quick.

Reply by docs1954CA on 7/23/13 8:42pm
Msg #477848

Shame on you FeliseSoCal! Shame on you. n/m

Reply by Belinda/CA on 7/23/13 9:25pm
Msg #477854

For real? Are you trying to do harm to fellow notaries?

Sincerely, do you see any harm to others in your actions? You are helping keep these places in business. In fact, you -are- keeping the low-life's in business. They LOVE you. In fact, they are probably laughing at their good fortune.

You sold out! You sold them an UNdeserved rating in exchange for payment in advance. (Can you see my mouth hanging open?)

You are contributing to others working for this company and getting stiffed. The notaries that depend on ratings in SC to determine if a company is worth working for are getting lied to every time they view those ratings. You sold them out too! Your dollars are your only reward. Does this fall into the category of ethical behavior?

They don't have to be interested in rebuilding their reputation to take those terms. The reasoning here is blowing my mind.

What kind of comment did/would you give them on SC. "They are pond scum but I got my payment in advance? *****" That is about all you could say. What did you say in SC? How many stars did you give them? How often have you done this? What did they do to earn those stars and positive comment? How much money did you make to make this worth your while? They should send you monthly checks for the advertising.

This is the problem that exists with SC these days.
What do you mean, "everybody wins."? UNBELIEVABLE.
You work for them and promise them a positive rating, a lie, so that other notaries can get screwed by them because of their good rating. You did them a favor and screwed your fellow notaries. WoW. WoW. WoW.

Whew - I am going to go think about something else.

Reply by John Tennant on 7/23/13 9:35pm
Msg #477857

Re: For real? Are you trying to do harm to fellow notaries?

Felise, have you thought about the fact that by joining forces and supporting them you become one of them???

JMO

Reply by Stoli on 7/23/13 9:34pm
Msg #477856

The big “I”, little “u”, hurrah for me, and piss on you.

That about sums it up for you.

Reply by Claudine Osborne on 7/23/13 9:45pm
Msg #477860

Re: The big “I”, little “u”, hurrah for me, and piss on you.

Shame on you Felise..Its a sad day..You have sold out other notaries to keep bad companies who abuse notaries in business! Shame on you! Dislike!

Reply by Bear900/CA on 7/23/13 9:55pm
Msg #477862

Send $xxx to my PayPal and I will fix this thread for you! n/m

Reply by LKT/CA on 7/23/13 10:29pm
Msg #477872

<<<Offer them a positive review on SS in exchange.>>>

Bad idea, FeliseSoCal. This is deceptive to the notary researching the company's track record. These deadbeats have "earned" their rating - it wasn't foisted upon them....they earned it, and they have to pay the consequences of having a bad credit record, which is, they have trouble filling orders. Every day they stay in business is another day to stiff a fellow notary.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 7/23/13 11:59pm
Msg #477881

The problem with your plan is that it's almost impossible to really tell the difference between the few who have really just been through some major catastrophe or trauma - not of their own doing - and are truly trying to turn things around in good faith, and the ones who just don't have a viable business plan and end up being opportunists. If it's the former, and a notary has had an otherwise good history with them, I suspect the ratings and comments will reflect that. Otherwise, the negative ratings are probably there for a good reason.

I imagine you meant well with your suggestion, but the problem is that the bad apples will say anything just to get someone to take the assignment so they can bill another one to their client. What happens after they get paid is anyone's guess. I agree that past history is not necessarily a guarantee of future performance, but it's a pretty darn good indicator!

It's clear what the majority opinion is here, so I encourage you - and any others reading this thread - to resist the temptation to take those kinds of assignments. If that company is in tough financial straights, the only way they can pay someone up front is by further delaying payment to someone else who has already completed work they have billed and been paid for. No one likes it when someone cuts into the front of the line. Think about it...

Reply by Moneyman/TX on 7/24/13 7:36am
Msg #477888

When you write your review do you tell others that you

...would only work for them once they agreed to pay (pre-pay?) you via PayPal or CC? If not, IMO, totally dishonest on your part.

If so, then I'm on the fence if that is a wrong way to handle them. I can see your side as the NSA willing to work knowing that you are getting paid but, I can also see other people's viewpoint in that doing so helps keep deadbeats in business without them actually paying for past services rendered by other NSA's.

Personally, I don't want to work for someone that cheats other NSA's out of their money regardless of their willingness to pre-pay me. That's just my personal opinion since I do not wish to help those types of companies to stay in business.

Reply by Malbrough_LA on 7/24/13 2:25pm
Msg #477932

I brought the popcorn! :D n/m

Reply by rengel/CA on 7/24/13 4:29pm
Msg #477951

Why would you want to reward bad (criminal) behavior??? n/m