The response you gave was really in poor taste. There are no rules and regulations that states a signing company can’t ask for advice on this forum. So chill! Lisa, the notary you guys assigned was being unprofessional and they should’ve gone back out to the borrower’s location to correct the error they missed. It is stated in C2C guidelines that deductions would occur. It doesn’t matter if the document needs to be notarized. It matters that signatures are missing. I appreciate it when signing companies join in on this forum. People need to stop with the putting people or companies on a pedestal. We are all human and can ask a question. I’ve done a couple of signings for this company and very happy with the way they are running their operations.
I personally haven’t done any signings for this company, but I have been in the business for 16.5 years. Mistakes will be made, it is our responsibility to correct them.
Sometimes it isn’t always convenient to do so but the notary should have communicated that or accommodated,
I know for me it isn’t always convenient because I have several other IC jobs that I do, but I do try to make the time to contact the borrower and check their schedule,
It would bug me if I made a mistake and couldn’t get it fixed right away,
I would accept the reduction and just do better next time.
Which is why I try to add an AKA with all my completed signings,
What does this mean?
Maybe you should look at what you’re paying the notaries? You get what you pay for! Just a thought.
Keep up the good work Lisa. You asked for feedback on your issue and you got some good response and some negative responses. Your notary screwed up and should have corrected the mistake. If not then she should not complain about the reduced fee.
From what I’ve read about Coast2Coast reviews on the various NSA sites, I’d say your company has already established its reputation as one that is not too favorable and appears to be getting worse.
There are many that say the fees that you are offering on SD for example, are either too low, or the work expected is too much for the pay, and/or they’ve not been paid for closings conducted; and others indicating that they are still waiting on payment going on 30+ days out.
In my humble opinion, it would behoove you to concentrate on correcting the above listed issues instead of worrying about this NSA who is threatening to negatively review your company.
Furthermore, if you offer NSAs their fees, or fees that are closer to industry norms, then the quality of NSAs you hire would not make such rookie mistakes.
Lastly, STOP USING SD, as their algorithm is proven to have harmed the NSA industry! I suggest using the Notary Cafe platform, as it is one of the BETTER if not BEST platforms out there that benefits ALL of us in this profession. 
A Deed of Trust that does NOT require notarization? Not in my experience.
S/he should have owed the error, fixed it, and moved on like a pro. C2C’s fees are not the issue. This NSA accepted the job, the job should have been correctly completed. If making a second trip reduced his/her profit margin, that is not the client’s responsibility.
My apologies Judi - I just went back and read my post and, apparently, there was a typo that only YOU found…lol!! Should have read “IF the document didn’t need notarization”. I know the DoT does.
Sorry for that confusion…
Response to Lisa: I understand your concern regarding your reputation. However, one person who didn’t do a good job will be recognized as such by people who do a good job. We cannot please everyone, and we all have critics. Move past this person and know that there are others who do respect you and your team. One person might convince some people, but not all people. Let the naysayers go and continue focusing on all of the good.
Regarding some of the other posts/replies:
Frustrating to see people complain about the prices that signing services offer. You have a choice as to whether or not to accept an assignment. If you accept an assignment for the fee that is offered, do the job. Do it right. If you make a mistake fix it. If you can generate the direct business with Title Companies then maybe you don’t need the work from signing services.
I have had great experiences with C2C, Lisa Bittner and her team. I have always been paid on time. I have always received support when needed.
I think it is perfectly okay for a person (business owner or not) to ask for advice in a public forum. Totally disagree with paying a full fee for less than full work being completed.
Lisa,
I would stand by your decision…and let your (company’s) reputation stand on its own merit. As you well know, even in our day-to-day life and situations, it is not always possible for any one individual to please everyone, ALL of the time. I have done several signings for your company and the terms, procedures, requirements and policies are clearly expressed and agreed upon when the assignments are given/accepted. It is very unfortunate (or fortunate?) that when problems and/or mistakes are made…either by the signing agent OR the signing company…either party has the free will and right to express their unhappiness. Albeit, the signing agents SEEM to have a much broader audience to “cry fowl” to (message boards, facebook groups etc) but, in reality, the signing companies truly have the upper hand NOT to hire particular people for future assignments. As a matter of fact, the very first signing I did for your company was a total disaster. I was new to the industry and very inexperienced…but I was SO determined and eager to do a good job. The assignment turned out to be way over my experience level at the time (the 1st leg in a 2-part/bi-coastal signing) so, I truly expected no payment for the assignment. Even though I felt that the requirements of the signing were never clearly explained to me beforehand (they may have been but, I was inexperienced LOL), the minor reduction in my fee was extremely generous. I have subsequently not been given more than a handful of assignments since, but, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that my inexperience (and mistakes!) most likely caused more than just a few irritations and headaches! The bottom line is, it takes more than just TIME to build trust between the signing companies and the signing agents…clear communication is also a necessity! The notary in question was wrong and should have felt obligated (at the very least) to fix the mistake(s). The fact that you decided to post your concern over this incident, here on this forum, clearly indicates that you are a fair and concerned business owner who is just trying to connect to those in the industry. Smart!
Teresa Lynne Newton
As a side issue, depending on the software used to prepare the docs, or possibly the requirement of the lender/title/escrow, the same docs sometimes have initial lines, and other lenders/title/escrow docs do not.
Anyone know the reasons for initials, since it does not seem to be required to record the docs or any RESPA, etc requirement?
Lisa, I believe if you make a mistake, then you should fix it. If you agree to a fee with the understanding that any mistakes will cost the notary, then I REALLY don’t understand this persons reasoning. Bottom line, you are always helpful, and she/he made the mistake, and at the very least NOT bad mouth your company.
She didn’t complete the job. I would expect the additional fees you incurred to be taken out of my fee—since she refused to go back. Make a note and skip using her. There are plenty of notaries out trying to make a living.
Her customer service is lacking
We’ve only heard one side of the story. It is possible that the first notary didn’t refuse but was not able to take care of the problem because of scheduling, or they were out of town on vacation, or many other situations that could and can occur, Before passing judgement, both sides of the story have to be heard. That being said, the notary should have accepted that there was a problem and it needed to be corrected and that there would be consequences.
However, I find this discussion disconcerting. This appears to be more about advertising Lisa’s business and to make her out as a victim. She’s not a victim. She’s a business owner who has been around for quite a while and her current business is the second signing company she has owned since I’ve had my business. Lisa, you know how to handle this situation and I’m disappointed in your trashing one of our peers with this discussion.
I’m glad someone finally said this. I’ve never worked for Lisa’s company and don’t know who the notary is. I feel like an owner of a signing service (especially one who repeatedly posts how many years she’s been in the business) should already know how to handle the situation. My feeling is that she posted here as a preemptive strike in case the notary were to make good on her threats to bash her company. I think it was in poor taste to bring a matter to this forum that should be handled in private. I am also in disbelief that a borrower’s signature was posted. I’ve been aware of C2C’s reputation early on and have seen plenty of her other posts. I do give some companies the benefit of the doubt when they’ve had some bad reviews but I’m steering clear of this one. Also, it kind of creeps me out that signing services are lurking around our forums to see what we say about them. We don’t have the same privilege.