Docs Not Ready -- Until 30 minutes to signing?

Looking For Advice
1

Recently I’ve accepted jobs on SnapDocs from various companies where I’ve been waiting for Docs… Is this happening to you? I try to call, message, and e-mail. I have no choice but to wait… Then I get an e-mail 30minutes to signing, that I should receive docs in 10minutes… Then 15 minutes later — “your order has been put on hold”.
What’s up with that? So, I stared at my computer for 2 hours for no reason?
Is it now my responsibility to explain this to the signers also?

There should be some type of compensation or penalty that the Signing Company should be responsible for…

I am typing this as I am this and waiting for docs – my signing is in 56 minutes and i have NO response and NO docs.

What do you think?

2

When I did loan signings, at this point (56 minutes) I’d be calling the borrowers and let them know their documents “have not been released yet”; suggest they contact their loan officer to find out what the holdup is.

4 Likes
3

Welcome to the wonderful world of loan signings… it happens. Some companies are better than others.
To save your nerves, give 'em a drop dead time by which you MUST have the docs or they will have to re-assign. That will vary by how your day is scheduled and how long you are will to wait, print, drive.
Take control or they’ll drive you nuts.

10 Likes
4

Depending how far, I give them 1:30 to 2 hrs to release the documents. Remember, you have to review each page and post-it flag where each signature goes.

1 Like
5

You are always going to be the “bad guy.” Just understand we are the only person the borrower(s) will ever see, but the hiring company does not refer to us as Notary signing agents, we are “just the notary.”

Do inform the customer.

I have had repeat customers whom have requested me. Many repeat customers I see is due to the network I have established, in a saturated market.

I am a workhorse, period.

Don’t be intimidated by signing companies who do not want you to communicate with the borrower!!

You need to know simple things like verification of the actual signing address, if it is a gated community, or if there is a signer who does not fluently speak English.

If things go bad-
Chances are they will give it to another notary. That is okay. Hone your skills.

Future-

I have invested $6,000 (over several years) into being 100% mobile. I no longer deal with “last minute” document companies the same way.

My large Investment in technology is not meant to cover their failures, but yes it does.

Hiring companies that want to send a “redraw” after I close the order get the response, “you need to pay a new signing fee.” No discount- their mistake.

Cool for me, I tell the signers I need 15 minutes, print the new set, and charge the bungles for a full signing fee. I finish the revision an hour later, versus going to home base, and rescheduling.

I can print from a signers driveway, but I chose not to unless I have to. This is my benefit, not an incentive to let others slag.

Your time is extremely valuable, but be reasonable.

Background-

In my area, north San Diego, I can book my day 5 x’s over. Those aren’t always “choice offers.” Still- Doing 5 signings a day is cake, due to my ability to print and go.

I have done 9 loan closings in one day (old school style), and that was a miracle. I traveled from every part of the county that day…just bragging.

My market has surge at the third week of the month, I didn’t know this when so re-entered the field. I digress.

Scan backs are not worth your time, but I can do them too. Note: I “can.”

I am not bragging. I am sharing what it takes to beat the challenges.

Double check your work at the table. If you want further instruction on a more confident loan slgning just email me jodybode@me.com. Bodethenotary@gmail.com

7 Likes
6

Check out YOUTUBE Kendra Lewis “When the docs are late” She is a hoot and a professional.

4 Likes
7

When you accept the offer, give them a date and time documents must be received. If they don’t meet that time, cancel. Otherwise your stressing out because they failed, that’s crazy. “Failure to plan on their part does not constitute an emergency on out part”.

8

I never stress when it comes to late docs. When I get to an hour out I let the signer know that they need to contact their loan officer and title that I have not received any docs. If it still takes too long and it interferes with my next signing, I let them know it will have to be moved to a free slot of time that I have. Normally the title company apologizes profusely and thanks me for working with them. The signer normally doesn’t have an issue and if they do they were informed and are not upset with me. This normally works great with Snapdocs, but is horrible with signature closures.

5 Likes
9

See now? It’s stuff like this that really ticks me off. NO!! It is NOT YOUR responsibility to contact signers when docs are delayed, postponed or whatever. Definitely not! Your responsibility is to execute the signing in a professional manner.

I too have waited for docs, confirmation, etc. In one instance I needed a good way to contact the signer. The phone number provided was a catchall work number for the signer. It was the weekend. NOBODY responded to my multiple emails and texts. Not from the sgning agency. Not from escrow or title, either. Finally early Monday morning - someone acknowledged my request but STILL didn’t provide a working contact number. Instead, they somehow magically contacted signer and set up the signing time. And there it was- a conflict on my calendar as I already had a
signing scheduled for the time slot I was now given for the signing.

Are you kidding me? I should jump through hoops for some of these signing agencies to “make it happen” yet they don’t have the courtesy, after leaving me hanging all weekend long, to confirm that my calendar had that time slot open? No way Jose! Play that stupid game with someone else. My time is just as valuable as anyone else’s !!

I made an executive decision at that point and responded to the email with the confirmed time for that client with this: Sorry - my schedule is completely full. If you cannot reschedule this signing to another day OR give me a working phone number for this client - so that I can contact the signer(s) myself - then assign this another loan signing agent.

I got a nasty email back which I deleted immediately - and I blocked their phone number, too. I’m not anyone’s doormat and seriously, the lousy fees being tossed around lately? Who needs the aggrevation.

10

Is there one company that seems to be the biggest problem, or is it across the board? I have this problem a lot with Signature Closers. They say they try to get the documents ready at least 2 hours before the scheduled closing, but most times they don’t. I know how frustrating it is to wait for docs and not have them arrive. If It gets to less than an hour before I need to leave, I cancel the signing.

It really makes it hard to try and schedule a full day of work when you can’t depend on the company getting you the documents on time. I sometimes get assigned the closing two or three days in advance, and they still wait to the last second to get the documents out.

11

This happened to be today OMG. The same exact scenario. Plus i had to drive an hour to the signer. All I did was contact the signer and told them that I would be 20 mins late. Turns out I had to be 1 hour 30 mins late because as i was 30 mins into driving to the signer the service called me and said they had to update the CD and that I needed to print out a new CD. So I had to stop by office depot and get the copies before going to the signers house.

12

Sure hope they paid you well for the extra steps this took.

2 Likes
13

One hour past closing time and still no docs. Turned down three or four other closings for this one. Closing is 40 min away. Signer is Ok with a signing anytime tonight but am I? nooooooo

14

I don’t understand why it’s so hard for the lender, title company and escrow officer to just have All the documents ready and then send them to SS and then the SS can send out information that documents are ready and give the number of pages so this process can be simple for everyone. This is so unprofessional on their part. I wish you the best because usually when you get late documents it’s a bad domino effect for the rest of the signing, there is going to be all sorts of problems, which mean you don’t have time to look over the documents for THEIR errors. Now you got to drive on 2 wheels to try and get there and make yourself and your business look good for the clients.

15

This just happened to me with Superior Notary Services/ I politely sent an email asking for an ETA and received no response. I waited 2 hours and sent another email with same request. The scheduler finally responded that there was a problem with the docs and it would be “a while” before the docs would be ready. Now it is 1 1/2 hrs. before the signing so I emailed back that I would keep asking because it was a large pkg and I needed time and the borrower was almost 1 hour away. She then emailed me that the documents were ready but that she removed me from the signing because “I was rude”. I will not accept an assignment from this company again.

16

OMG…
Not a bad thing. If you check the blogs here for “Superior Notary Services” — you’ll see that they are on the “BAD Signing Service” List. I will not take more jobs from them, as well as ASAP Signing, and Notary on the Run. (these guy owe me money still)

17

It’s my understanding that it’s not the signing service’s fault when documents are late, but title or the lender’s fault. A SS can’t get you documents until they receive them themselves.

1 Like
18

I had a similar situation just yesterday. I had tried multiple times to contact the signer to confirm the appointment via voicemail and text, and received no response. I called the SS to ask whether I should proceed to the signing even if I don’t hear from the signer, and they didn’t have a clear answer. I emailed the title company to ask them if they wanted me to proceed. No answer. The appointment was 1/2 hour away from me, and I got a call 25 minutes before the scheduled time letting me know docs were ready. I’m sorry, what? Nobody can give me a clear answer on a very simple question, and yet you want me to wait around and miss out on other work that I turned down because I had this in my schedule, and you don’t even give me docs in time to not be late? Nope. I told them (politely, because it certainly wasn’t the girl’s fault who called me) that they would need to reassign this to another notary.

19

My list of Bad Companies just keeps getting longer!

20

My have a few on my list. I am still waiting for payment from “The Closer LLC!!! I have emailed and called everyone, they gave me the run-a-round!!!

What is the next step?