The signer reviews the loan estimate for a refi application. Don’t like the loan. Talks to the LO on the phone. Tells the LO he’s not going to sign and will shop around. Should the Notary still get paid the full agreed upon fee?
In my opinion you should get at least 50% of the agreed upon fee, my minimum is $100 and I had a similar situation. As I pointed out to the title company, I printed the loan docs, drove to the location, then had to drive home and my time is very valuable. They agreed and paid me $50 for my time and troubles, Now I have worked with this title company for several years and they know how flexible I am with them, and responsive to special needs so I think they comped me to maintain our relationship.
How about when they sign, and weeks later you haven’t been paid. Call the signing service who says that if loan doesn’t close, they don’t pay. Read the fine print they say. Take me off your registry I say!
1 Like
Was this a mortgage loan signing or an application? Were you hired by a signing service or directly by title? I’ve had this happen with a loan signing and asked for a print and travel fee, based on how far I had to travel and how many pages were printed. You might also consider a shredder fee, since you’ll probably have to shred the docs. Some SS’s have a set fee they pay for no-signs, so check with the company that hired you.
I printed, I traveled, I met with the signers. I had to sit through the angry comments, hunt through the docs for information, soothe tempers while waiting on hold, listen to loan officers make excuses. I will have spent at least as much time as an actual signing would have taken. In most cases I have the time and expense of shredding two sets of docs. I may have to drop the incomplete set into Fedex, if requested.
Heck yes, I deserve the full fee!
1 Like
Totally agree with judikidd. Print & trip fees just don’t work for us. This is an important question you need to ask when deciding whether or not to accept a signing. Or when ‘adding comments’ on these darn Apps…state full fee due regardless of outcome. I even go so far as to ‘reply to’ order e-mail with this statement when it’s either undisclosed or they state ‘print & trip fee only’ if incomplete. If they won’t, I’ll turn it back as traveling lots of miles/time for some nominal fee or even sitting at the table while they hash it out with LO…and then say ‘We’re not signing this’ for some ridiculously low fee is just plain stupid.
Also, if addressed very quickly, I almost always get their agreement to ‘full fee-regardless’. And frequently get the re-schedule after they worked out the problems, too! If I were a house painter who painted your house the color you chose, and then you don’t like that color…so you don’t want to pay me or all you’re willing to pay for is the paint used? Not happening.
2 Likes
It is important to read the “fine print” or contact they send you but always remember you are an independent contractor and EVERYTHING is negotiable so that is why the fine print is so important. I have had signing companies want me to sing up and after reading the “fine print” contract I felt like it wasn’t worth my time and never signed up.