123 notary--Deceiving notaries for money

[susanlittlefield]

When I first read your posting, that company rang a bell...then I remembered!

I had signed up for their free listing and got the prompt that I did not qualify for their free listing and that I would have to purchase the membership.

I did not purchase the membership because I did not know as a new notary why I would not qualify for a free membership.

Then I came to the conclusion that the free membership could be a ploy to get people to buy the memberships, so not liking that tactic I moved on.

I also just remembered to add them to my personal list of companies I don't want to associate with.

[mdickinson]

Hi crm212. I thought I should respond to your post because I have relevant information that will allow people to make a more informed decision about 123notary.com

I'm a notary from Connecticut, and I do as many loan signings as I can. I'm not affiliated with 123notary.com other than as an advertising customer.

• Jeremy Belmont is the owner of the 123notary web site. He operates the web site as a for-profit business, so yes, he does make money by convincing notaries to advertise (purchase a "paid listing" as opposed to a "free listing") on his site. I feel he is up front about this.

• He also offers notary education courses, and if you take one of his courses and pass the test at the end, you get a badge by your listing on his site. These courses are interesting and useful, but it is not required to take them to be listed on his site. I agree he can come across as arrogant on the phone.

• I have had several conversations with Jeremy and his associate Carmen over the years. They call once or twice a year to request that I renew my paid listing and perhaps upgrade to a higher level listing. They like to engage notaries in conversation, quiz notaries about and dispense advice. I have found the quizzed challenging and the advice helpful.

• The topic of other sites (notaryrotary and notarycafe) has come up during conversations with Jeremy and I have not heard him badmouth any other web sites. He even encourages his customers to reference the other sites in addition to his.

• I have not heard of him every removing a notary from his web site - even those of us who just opt for the free listing.

All in all, I have found notary123.com to be a reputable business and I plan to continue to do business with them.

best,
Malcolm Dickinson, d.b.a. Stamford Notary, www.stamfordnotary.com

P.S. The question about whether advertising on any particular web site is a good value ("Will paying $59 or $129 to this web site get me enough additional signing business that I will come out ahead over the next year?") is a good question that every notary must ask himself. Here is my experience, in case it is useful to others trying to decide how to advertise.
- For my first year, I chose the free listing on 123notary.com and a couple other sites, and got a few calls to do signings.
- For my second year, I splurged on the most expensive listing on 123notary.com and a couple other sites, and got a lot more calls.
- In my third and subsequent years, I scaled back to a medium ($50-80) level of listing on three sites, and got almost as many calls as when I was paying top dollar.

[tmgyure]

I was with 123 for years. Paid in the beginning then stayed with free listing. One day my listing was gone. He claims he will never delete a listing without warning you first. Not true. I emailed twice to ask for an explanation. The only response I got was " We're you a paid listing"? When I responded No, I never heard from him again. No explanation. It won't even allow me to resign up with 123 without paying. I don't do GNW so it doesn't hurt my business. He was always rude on the phonE and in his emails. Don't waste your time or money.

[groverdaniels2000]

Thanks! I felt the same way.

[mizbb1]

I have had a listing with his site for over 10 years the majority of which have been paid listings to get higher placement. I also took his certification class which I paid for and passed. Several months ago he called me and asked if I had time for him to quiz me. The questions that he asked were specific to California (I guess) as they had nothing to do with Virginia notary law. They were also long drawn out questions and I had to ask him to repeat them more than once. He rudely told me I had to know the answers to the questions even if they did not apply to our state and did not like it when I gave him my opinion of that. Our conversation then ended with me telling him I did not have time to deal with his convoluted pop quiz at the moment as my neighbor’s seven-year-old son had just gotten his lawn more stuck in my ditch and I had to go. The next time I went on his site he had removed my certification logo because I didn’t take his quiz on the phone. He is a piece of work!

[tmgyure]

After several emails from me, I was put back on 123. One Sunday, I received a phone call from Jeremy. He asked me how my day was going, and I told him not too good.. He just said "oh well, I have questions for you. I told him the reason I wasn't having a good day was because I was very ill with the Flu, and that quick he hung up on me. The next day I checked and sure enough my profile was gone again. After the experiences I have had with him, and reading all the other posts, I believe he has become unstable and am glad to be done with him. He is antagonizing so many good notaries and just hurting his own business.

[signrocket]

I have been on 123notary for 6 years, I ask my clients where they got my info, and I continue to pay 123notary to be #1 in my area. Yes, I had the intrusive, demanding call from Jeremy. I was totally caught off guard as well, in the middle of a family party. I asked for a return call at another time, he was fine with it. He explained to me frustrations he, as the owner of 123notary was dealing with. Mainly complaints from title companies that notaries found on his site were not well trained and knowledgeable in general notary issues,
To see for himself, he decided to start making the intrusive, demanding phone calls. Just to get a feel for who was really on his site. He told me that the personality and the attitude of the notary made a huge difference in if he was keeping you on his site or not. Professionalism and a good demeanor he said were key. He told me specifically what he was asking for and I answered him as best I could. The conversation was actually eye opening for me, due to he is very knowledgeable in all aspects of notary law and rules.
I have my listing still at #1 and I have the certification. The best observation I made from this is that Jeremy Belmont wants to have a website with a reputation for educated notaries who can stand up to last minute unexpected issues. To me it shows that he is totally not money hungry if he is removing names. I told him to feel free to call me anytime, I look forward to speaking with him.

[FLNotary1063]

I got a call for GNW and when I asked how they were referred, they responded 123Notary. I didn't recall signing up with them. I checked my "listing", and saw it was completely inaccurate. After several attempted log-ins, I left a VM for Claudia.

How the heck did I get listed? The only correct info was my e-mail addy and phone. Not feeling good about being added without my permission, as this appears to be a membership service.

[pwalshnotary]

Me too! My paid listing disappeared and I have not been able to complete the convoluted routine to get back on ... no response at all from Jeremy or anyone else. I have been established for over 10 years and have passed certifications from other agencies so my expertise should not be in question.

[moralesservices]

I had a free listing, passed the weird phone interview... then after about 2-3 months, I couldn’t login. Guess I was removed. Wah. (No love lost, from what I can tell.)

[chicagonotaryservice]

Malcolm, if you were to get a call say 3:00am, from this man in general you would question his stability. If you were then asked all sorts of questions about notary laws, that do not pertain to you, I seriously doubt would you think of him the same. I mean who calls members at all hours of the night unless? Not sane folks that's for sure. And this is what he has done, time and time again. Its all over the nsa forums and boards. Your experience with him is the first that I've read, ever. Good luck with your business relationship but I'm more than positive, it will turn for the worse.

[chicagonotaryservice]

I paid for a listing last year June/2017. I tried logging on a few weeks ago, and noticed that my listing was removed. No, I didn't receive the creepy phone call. I've emailed, and finally cc'd Carmen Towles, who looked into this for me. Turns out, I had used my legal name instead of my common name, and thus the profile was pulled. Why didn't he or she call me to let me know, BEFORE they pulled my membership, I don't know. But as of yesterday, after I emailed Carmen, my site is still down. So we'll see when it goes up. I also asked her to extend my membership by the number of days it had been down. I know, good luck with that.

[info13]

There is actually a "Change.org" petition going around to shut them down. Click here for Change.org Petition 123 Notary . Wild stuff. I feel bad for those who paid and he removed.

He was not rude at all to me but I did not answer his questions to his liking. I did answer according to the NYS Law. Our Jurat language is clearly stated in the Licence Law (which I correctly answered him) and than he asked questions about how I would log entries into my journal. NYS does not require us to keep a journal (although most of us,including myself, do). If he is going to ask someone from NY, maybe that would be a good quizshow question.

His timing was not the best either. Was about to go into a signing where the title agent was finally showing up (1/2 hour late) and the borrower was ticked off enough. Borrower came first, not him. Didn't have time for his math test.

[TDICKEY]

NOTARY 123 IS A SCAM OF ALL SCAMS, IF THEY TAKE YOU OFF THEIR SITE BEFORE YOU CONTRACT RUNS OUT THEY HAVE VIOLATE THE TERMS OF AGREEMENTS. BY REMOVING YOU WITHOUT RECOURSE, AND THUS , TAKING YOUR MONEY AND NOT PROVIDING THE SERVICE CONTRACTED FOR. YOU DO NOT NEED THIS JACK LEG COMPANY TO BE SUCCESSFUL. TURN HIM IN TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IN YOUR STATE.

NOTARY 123 IS NOT WORTH THE MONEY,

Thanks! I felt the same way.

[info13]

Thanks Michael. I am so relieved that I did not pay for a premiere listing. Sad thing is that I received a few signings from people who found me on the site but honestly, after reading some of the forums, it is better off.

[TDICKEY]

THANK YOU, I ALSO SIGNED THE PETITION.

Thanks Michael. I am so relieved that I did not pay for a premiere listing. Sad thing is that I received a few signings from people who found me on the site but honestly, after reading some of the forums, it is better off.

[maureenmonahan]

I was removed also, I am paid until august yet no longer listed
Jeremy had called me twice and I was unavailable. He tried his questions with me and I kept telling him I am not a california notary I am in florida. He said that did not matter. He asked questions which made no sense. I have no idea how long ago he removed me. It seems that there should be some legal recourse. He is taking money and not fulfilling his obligation .
Has anyone reported him to BBB or to their cc company or maybe a government entity for deceptive practices?
Please let me know if you would like to help me solve the Jeremy Belmont problem

[info13]

Yes Maureen there is a BBB complaint list. BBB 123 Notary .

[cNsa5]

info13 Thank you for sharing about the petition https://www.change.org/p/federal-trade-commission-shut-down-123notary-com-and-it-s-unethical-practices

You may want to also post this info on the NR forum www.NotaryRotary.com as there is a nationwide audience that supports this cause.

[notaryalana]

Thank you for posting this. I am all for free speech but the topics he posts and writes about on his blogs are downright disturbing and unprofessional on so many levels!!! I can not understand why notaries would subscribe to his company. His tactics of calling notaries at any hour of the day to quiz them is absurd. He called me at 9:30pm one night!! The way he bad mouths Snap docs and other businesses, Title companies etc is uncalled for.