Comfortable Closings

Beware of Comfortable Closings. Taken more than 45 days for payment .

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@ClearView2020 :tada: Thank You :tada: for sharing your direct experience with all Notary Cafe member database.


:swan:

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Thank you for sharing your experience with this specific entity .

I have done several signings for them and have never had an issue with late payments.

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I’m glad you had a better experience.

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Have you sent them an invoice or made a telephone call to see about payment? Sometimes, that’s all it takes.

In any case, it shouldn’t ever take more than 30 days to pay.

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Yes, I’ve sent multiple emails and continued to check the Deluxe payment site. Each time they indicate payment will be made to no avail. After my last attempt, they finally indicated they contacted their accounting department and that I should see payment for a signing completed successfully on 9.7.25, with no errors, on either 10.13 or 10.17. I guess what is really disconcerting was the tone their message was conveyed. It was not kind. We as notaries do our best to follow all the instructions, complete the signing effectively and efficiently and when payment is delayed for so long with no regard it’s unfortunate.

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Any company that I have to constantly nag about payment is a company that I don’t want to do business with.

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Try to imagine how some companies receive communication. It’s not unusual for them to get short in return. Don’t take that personally.

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I appreciate your feedback. Just wanted to get paid nothing personal about that.

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I understand. Everyone should get paid for the work they do.

@Bobby-CA :white_check_mark: Roger that! :white_check_mark:


:swan:

There are countless signing services emerging, and many of them adopt the same questionable practices they previously complained abouy. I’ve had conversations with escrow officers who consistently explain that when payments are disbursed and closings are finalized, all parties, including signing services, receive their payments. Therefore, there’s no justification for us wating more than 30 days for payments. If we are receiving payments from our direct clients within a week, then signing services should be getting paid on time as well. Perhaps if notaries organized a strike for just one day, it would draw the necessary attention to this issue. While many express their frustrations, few are willing to take meaningful action. Just imagine if not one took orders from any signing service for a day. We will have families and waiting 45 to 60 days for payment is unacceptable.

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@Kbeck125 Correct.

There is a training program that teaches: If you’re not finding success receiving signing orders - just open a Signing Service [SS] . . .

This is the primary reason Professional Signing Agents [PSAs] are seeing the deluge of newly-minted SSs.

As the volume of Signing Orders [SOs] decrease, the number of SSs increases . . .

Truly, it’s an illogical premise for anyone to advocate that tenet, but it’s what is taught by that program. :woman_shrugging:


The frequent NON-PAYMENT STATUS for invoices is the reason I often advise Notary Cafe members to Research & vet potential new clients PRIOR TO providing their Professional Services.

Accessing the database to locate information about potential clients has saved many of us an inordinate amount of time ā€˜chasing’ payments for Services professionally provided to potential non-payers . . . :crown:

The information within the Notary Cafe database is a TREASURE TROVE!

Most members express that they find it difficult/NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to locate the Search Function in order to access the wealth of information available within the database that has been generously contributed by your sagacious fellow business owners over the years . . .

To be helpful, I’ve inserted an image for you & others [see below] to help members locate it to unlock the wisdom & knowledge of other members on the forums.


:swan:

It occurs to me that because of all the various ā€œteachersā€ of notary skills and methods, along with any and everyone else weighing in on how to do this job, that notaries, new ones or old-timers, seem to overlook a basic axiom: look before you leap. By that, I mean, one should take the time to investigate the signing service (or any service provider in this industry) one is considering doing business with. Do your homework! Why take work from an entity you have no clue about? Is it any wonder, the bad actors prey on this profession? Too often, we make it so easy for them.

Think of it this way: would you, say, buy a car from some forsaken lot at the edge of town that offers lots of shiny MBZ/BMW at drastically discounted prices? Probably not. Why? You don’t know who the heck these guys are, where the cars came from, what ā€œtrueā€ condition they’re in, etc.

Why then, would a notary blindly sign up with a signing service and accept their offers, not knowing with some degree of certainty that they are a reputable company. My practice is to check them out BEFORE I start taking their orders. If I’m satisfied (to the degree possible), I take a job or two and see how things work out. If I’m unhappy with them for any reason, I don’t take anymore jobs, simple as that. We veterans know of a few that don’t make the cut as they are routinely complained about on this Forum.

I’ve opined elsewhere on this site about how to check out signing services. I’m proud to say that in five years of doing 95% loan signings, amounting to nearly $180K in gross earnings, I’ve been stiffed for less than $1000 TOTAL. Sure, I have to do my collection work, but I’m virtually always successful in getting paid. I drop the bad ones, keep the good ones and do my job to the best of my ability.

Here’s maybe another tip you can try: make yourself a spreadsheet and list all the signing services you want to follow. Keep track of the items important to you, e.g., duration of payment wait times, dollar amount of orders you take/don’t take, your ā€œgo-backsā€ for corrections, whatever. See what trends and issues begin to emerge. Color code the things that will help you spot trouble. Figure it out for yourself. This kind of recordkeeping is time-eating, but nonetheless important if you want to run your business properly and profitably.

To sum up, I recommend that you avoid jumping in with any/every signing service you come across. Some are surely gonna burn you. Do the professional thing and investigate who you choose to do business with to minimize your exposure to frustration and losses.

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I understand your point, and I do agree that due diligence is crucial in this business. That said, I think it’s important to recognize that even with solid research, not every issue can be anticipated. Some services present themselves well and only reveal problems after a few transactions. Sharing experiences like mine helps alert others who may not yet have had the same exposure — just as veteran input helps the community avoid common pitfalls.

@Bobby-CA :balloon: Concur :100: percent :balloon: (as conveyed in my post above):



:swan:

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You’re right to question why a notary would blindly accept offers without vetting the signing service first. There are a few reasons why this might happen:

  1. Urgency and Need for Work: Some notaries might feel pressured to accept any job offer quickly, especially if they’re new to the industry or struggling to find consistent work. When you’re working on a per-job basis, it can be hard to turn down opportunities, even if you’re not sure about the company.

  2. Trust in the Platform: Many signing services and platforms (like NotaryRotary, Snapdocs, etc.) can seem reputable and trustworthy, especially to a new notary. The service might offer a seamless experience that appears professional on the surface, making it easy to trust them without researching their reputation.

  3. Lack of Experience: New notaries may not yet understand the importance of thoroughly vetting companies and may not realize the risks involved. With time, a notary would hopefully develop a better sense of which companies are legitimate and which ones are questionable.

  4. No Clear Red Flags: Some signing services may appear legitimate because they offer reasonable fees and seem organized in their communications. It’s only after working with them that issues like delayed payments or lack of professionalism become apparent, but by that time, the notary is already locked into a contract.

  5. Limited Options: In some markets, especially smaller ones, there might be fewer signing services, which forces notaries to take jobs from any available provider, even if they don’t have a perfect track record.

Ultimately, a notary should always conduct their due diligence before committing to work with a signing service—researching reviews, checking for accreditation, and speaking to other notaries who’ve worked with them. It’s unfortunate that sometimes the need for work overshadows caution.

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I do several jobs weekly for them and have always been paid in about 30-40 days. It’s been a great experience working with them. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to reach out to them regarding payment.

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I block those companies

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