The effects of the COVID-19 virus have affected all of us in many different. We here at Notary Cafe hope everyone is staying safe and taking the precautions that are appropriate for you.
The rule of fighting against this menace change daily, if not hourly. With that in mind, we are curious as to YOUR specific response to it.
We have heard from many of you that you would also like to know how others are reacting to it. If you would like to reply to this post, we would love to hear how you currently handling the situation.
We ask that you respond with your location and whether you are still providing service, or have decided to temporarily suspend your work.
There is no right or wrong response. I just think this might help everyone get a sense of where we stand as whole as we look for a way to get through these challenging times.
WA State Gov Inslee extended Stay at Home until May 4, 2020 especially for people with compromised health conditions. Iām in the 65+ health category and have decided to observe this proclamation. I feel very healthy and want to stay that way. Miss going out on signings. WA was 1st state knowingly (since without tests are inconclusive) hit by virus. Now WA on the downside curve and have positive vibes for the future. Believe there will be many Refiās and Reverse Mortgages on the horizon. Be safe out there
Iām in Colorado and each day the news reports that we are still at least 2 weeks out from a major influx of coronavirus cases. With similar health concerns as alice2uworld, I am also staying in. My husband is also a signing agent and weāve put everything on hold until we can brainstorm how we can do this safely. What brought me to this conclusion was one of my last signings. I was greeted by a bare chested man in pajama pants. No table other than a sticky cocktail table and filthy sofa and a strong urine smell that made by eyes water. He and his wife were convinced this was all a hoax and political stunt. So until I can control the situation and get people to understand the severity of the situation, Iām hunkering in.
My state has not been hit hard by this, thoā Iām aware itās coming. As the counties I service have zero to 3 active cases/no hospitalization and, thus far, all signers have been aware of and practicing mitigation protocol. So, yes, Iām still out there (sanitizer in hand for allāthoā theyāve mostly had their own). I no longer provide the pen, but tell them theyāll need requested color ball point pens. My decision to continue is practically made on an hourly basis as more ācovid 19ā info becomes available. We are not on lockdown, but heard today that they are ābeginning to think about making it mandatory to wear a mask when out in publicāā¦apparently to prevent the recent discovery that symptomless carriers can infect others. FWIW: I have not been asked nor will I do these ādrive-by or thru a window or skype-typeā signings, regardless of what āemergency ruleā my state may make in the future Thatās when I will put my stamp away. It just isnāt right and, imho, is particularly ignorant on the part of the rule-makers.
Iām getting more requests than ever. That has allowed me to stay closer to home but still charge a decent feeā¦and to only work with my most favorite companies. Iām in Michigan and the weather has been nice enough to do signings outside or covered porch. When I call to confirm a signing, I tell them that I will be wearing a mask and gloves and would prefer not to go into a home, as we havenāt allowed anyone in our home for weeks. The worst has been a window signing where the husband signed outside at a table but the wife who had immune problems sat inside where I could watch from a window. It was a slower process than Iād have preferred, but okay. I have wipes and sanitizer in my car and bag. I put my mask and gloves on while in the car but usually the signer is waiting outside and at least sees me briefly without it. Once I have my gloves on and open my car door, I get a big squirt of sanitizer and when out of my car, wipe my gloves and handle of my briefcase for the security of the signer. When I get back to my car, I open the door, get another big squirt of sanitizer and re-wipe my gloves, briefcase, car keys, car door handle, close the door, take my gloves off and drop them on a sheet of paper, take my mask off holding one ear piece and spray it down with 91% alcohol and hang to dry, spray my cloths moderately with alcohol (it dries fast) and re-sanitize my hands. Iāve thought that I should also wear some good safety glasses, but I feel that Iām safe enough and my clients are safe enough. They have been showing up with their own pens lately but if not I will wipe down a pen for them and wipe it down again when they give it back. Some have not been comfortable at the idea of leaving the pen with them. At least half of my signers will wear mask and gloves or at least sit 6 feet awayā¦which makes it harder to catch their mistakes, but I think we will need to be extra careful for many months and need to adapt. I change my clothes when I get home even though Iām not terribly concerned about virus living on fabric for a long time. Most of my signers will text me a copy of their ID so I can prefill more and when I arrive they will hold up for me to verify but I donāt need to handle it or see it for long. Sometimes when handling papers, if they arenāt wearing gloves, I will only handle the top end of pages and they can handle the bottom. I do my signatures after they are all done. I have also used the extra set of papers to flip through along with thenm while they are sitting too far for me to read their page. Iāve even considered bring binoculars and as weird as that sounds, it really isnāt so much anymore. If I need to go to a store, I will after a signing with mask and gloves, as I do for the signing. I rarely take papers into a FedEx or UPS office anymore but use drop boxes. I have one hand full of sanitizer and the envelope in the other and wipe my hands well after dropping the envelope and getting back in the car. I am the only person in my home (7 of us) who ever leave the property. We live in farmland and have many acres surrounding us so we arenāt cooped up.
Our county has 9 cases today and I think the other 2 counties I go to have a total of about 35. I donāt ask questions of the signers, but act as though they are carriers and for my part I act as though I could be a carrier and am protecting them. I will quit doing this if either my family insists or I learn things that make me feel that I could be a danger to my familyā¦or honestly, if I ever even catch a cold, Iāll decide that there are too many chinks in my armor.
The signers Iāve worked with the past couple weeks have been very appreciative that I am willing to help them at a time like this, and that I am so careful about them and their families. They also go out of their way to make me feel safe. Most people, by far in southwest Michigan are really goodhearted, caring people. We are in this together and it has brought out the best in most that Iāve encountered.
While taking all the precautions necessary, IN ADDITION, I charge a double āhazard/virusā price. I donāt go out the door for less than $200. I also charge a lot of extraās including weekend, last minute, fax backs, and mileage. Notary Go has been my personal worst experience. They send out requests mostly starting at $60 and then raise the offer up by $10 at a time. If they canāt get anyone they call me at the last minute. The last time I gave them my $200 price plus $50 for their 3 hour notice. They started yelling at me and said they were going to take me off their notary list. They said it was a 2 day notice. I told them I did not respond 2 days earlier either at their ripoff $60 price. Another note, they take up to 2 months to pay.
Iām going to bring binoculars tomorrow just in case that helps watch from a distance. I few months ago, I would never have tought weād be discussing things like this now.
Iām in Houston and Iāve been receiving more notifications than ever. Sadly notary services companies are not willing to āshare their profitsā and most of them offer ridiculous fees. I counter offer sometimes the double, like an eye opener to them that we are the ones that are taking the risk, but no response, that to me means that someone is accepting those feesā¦I know that everybody in his own way is struggling but my health and my familyās is worth much more!
Iām in Tucson AZ and I have more business than I can handle. I donāt charge extra. I believe the whole thing is insane and I do not feel I am in any danger. I will not wear a mask or gloves. I will not do garage signings. Itās already too hot here for that. If people want to participate in mass hysteria they can do it without my help.
Iām in Orange County, CA and have noticed a rise in assignment requests, but initial offers are low ball. I rarely accept Debt Resolutions, but did recently and was appalled at the requirements. Client had elderly members in the household, so they wanted the presentation done over Zoom, fine I agreed. But the notarization portion was also requested over Zoom, um nope! I raised the flag before going on assignment stating that I had to physically see the signatures take place before notarization and the signing company ended up cancelling my assignment, $10 print fee (laughable).
I am willing to work since Notary Public is considered an Essential Worker title. However, I do have more terms that the signing companies must accept which raises the fee (i.e. hazard pay). If they donāt accept, then they can find someone else. Facemask, hand sanitizer, and distancing is what Iāve been practicing diligently.
I refuse to basically dawn a āhazematā suit to do what we normally have done before the pandemic.
Therefore I am out of circulation until this is all over. In my opinion, notary loan doc services are
ānon essentialā services. I wouldnāt venture out for any price. Too scary!
Hello, I am in Colorado. I live in a very rural area and I am still doing signings. I have increased my fees and have kept busy. I have not had any push back from signers as to the social distancing and most often, I try to do the signings outside when possible. I let the signers know, in advance, that I will be arriving with a mask and gloves for their safety and mine. As for the pens, I have bought them in bulk amounts for a decent price and leave them with the signers. I have not ventured into the RON area because CO has a temporary order in place and I am not sure that I want to invest money into something that is only a temporary situation. I have also read that companies only want to pay very minimal for RON work. I might change my mind if it gets extended. Thank you to all who have posted and shared. It is really helpful for me to read through others experiences.
Hi! Iām from Alabama and started doing all the protocols from the gitgo. I would say 60 % of the clients wear masks. They ask me if I require them to wear mask and I tell them to do what makes them comfortable. Iāve seen too many overeaches and donāt wish to pressure anyone. Iāve only had a few outdoor signings. I went to Israel in March 1-12 just as concern ( and fear) about COVID were beginning to grow. We made our trip, went through JFK airport twice as well as Atlanta. We sat in a crowed plane with lots of young orthodox Jews super close. We werenāt wearing masks at that time. I think I must have already caught it earlier because I know my mother had it. I self isolated for 14 days when I came back. I have self isolated twice all told after being exposed. Itās a perilous walk but Iām not fearful just cautious.
I will be doing my first general notary assignment since 2019 tomorrow - and only because itās for someone I know through another line of work, remembered me, they all already had Covid, tested negative 3 times and Iāve been fully vaccinated.
I had no Schedule C for 2020 - no self employment income at all.
