I got my first signing this morning, it was a low price but only two documents that needed to be notarized so I took it for the practice. The signing service was Loan Pro Closings
The signing service was incredibly non responsive so I took to contacting the title company. The docs were dated for the incorrect day so they had to redraw and send back. I didn’t hear from anyone for multiple hours, until I called the title company and they said they had sent the updated docs to the signing service an hour before.
Still nothing in my email until 5 mins before I had to leave. The docs they sent over were at least 70+ pages MORE than what they had sent to me this morning. I tried to call to clarify and no response. So I grabbed the docs that were in that first email (with the correct date) and hopped in my car. 10 mins later, on my way to the signing, the title company calls and says “oh yeah sorry. He actually needs to sign more docs than we thought.”
It had been a stressful and confusing morning of trying to figure this all out, only to be told I had to go back home and prepare a set of docs that was more than what I had been told. The signers home was 45 mins away, so that would have pushed the appointment back by quite a bit, which I didn’t have time for and I was being paid a low price.
I decided to call the signing service and let them know that this miscommunication/mistake was not something I could accommodate. I called the signer to let him know and he was very understanding.
Then I received a call from the title company who was very clearly upset. So stressful! I was really excited for my first experience and it was a mess. The amount of trouble this was causing was not worth the fee they were paying.
Has anyone experienced something like this? What would you have done?
(I understand I could have done things different. Trying to use this as a learning experience. I then did some research and saw that this signing service is KNOWN for being unreliable and taking advantage of people who will take a low price.)
You did the right thing. Do NOT ever let them take advantage of you. I think when anyone accepts a low fee, they’ve just marked themselves as a newb or someone who can be pushed.
You’ve just learned an invaluable lesson, so going forward–it will be better.
What you probably should have done when the larger package came in would be to say "increase fee to $xxx or re-assign’. This usually gets some prompt action…in your favor.
I agree with Arichter. But don’t just have them agree to a higher fee, ask them to send a new order form with the higher fee listed BEFORE you print the new set of documents. Some of us have learned this the hard way!
You did everything right. You were proactive in recognizing there was potential for a problem and then stood your ground when things went sideways. Keep your head up, the majority won’t be like this.
Thank you all for your feedback! It was disappointing because I know how high the barrier to entry is nowadays and I was hoping I was getting my foot in the door. Your affirmations that I made the right choice were very helpful! And some ideas of what to do if this happens again (let’s hope not!)
Good job juliaemaylsa!! You did it right. Start your career with the right fees and stick to it. I made the mistake of taking lower fees at the start and now it’s hard to get out to the higher fees.
WOW.
So I’ve been doing LSA work for 2 months now, and have generally been trusting (“like a lamb to the slaughter…”). Does anyone take screenshots of the offers? I’d probably have felt like I was stuck and had to do it, and trying to maybe ask for more $$$ after the fact. I appreciate the advice you experienced folks have suggested.
Sorry you were the guinea pig for the rest of us newbs Julia!
Screenshots are not necessary. Most orders are emailed to you. Just hold them in your inbox or file until the order has been paid. You will want to keep screenshots of any online communication through the website or site portal. Those will often be deleted once the signing is closed or at least you won’t have access to them. Communication about changes in order request or fees will happen on their in-house portal or signing service portal. You should be more proactive with those, especially if any issues come up.
Hi. I just wanted to add to the comments, though I hope it’s not redundant. I’ve learned with signing companies that you have to stay on them. Don’t let hours go by without a response. Keep on them every 30-1 hour to push them. When more docs are added, as others said, ask for a dollar amount increase in pay. Usually they will accommodate. This is a great teaching moment for you and this is your business. So don’t let them push you around. If they seem truly unprofessional and you e dealt with them more than once with issues, you don’t have to accept signings from them. Good luck! It only gets better as you learn along the way.
I appreciate everyone’s advice so much. It was definitely a learning experience and as time goes on I see more clearly how that could have gone differently, and WOULD have been much less stressful if I had more experience. It is also good to know, al though unfortunate, that signing services can have issues like this and it is perfectly OK to contact them consistently. In some of my trainings I internalized the message “get all of your questions together and make only ONE phone call.” Which I understand is different from checking back in to make sure that things are moving along. I was in a sort of “I don’t want to keep bothering them” frame of mind but see now that that is a part of the process to keep things moving
I normally give them 4 hours before the signing to send docs. If it’s not in my inbox I would email, and text all parties including the borrower and tell them please re assign. I am fully booked and cannot accommodate last minutes. I do not print unless I check how many pages. If it’s more than my acceptable fee, II would ask for extra printing cost or re assign. I don’t allow no one to stress me. Life is too short. God bless.
Congratulations on your first one, and being honest, you did it right to be your very first one, specially catching up the wrong date on docs., many Notaries don’t. However, I do have my own rules, and #1 is. If I don’t have the docs at least 2 and a half hours before the appt time, I ask them to re-assign. Rule #2 the first $40 dollars, I consider it as costs of gas, paper, and taxes. So that, those first $40, is not an income. Your net fee will be the rest of the fee they are offering. That’s my math when I accept a signing. If you take a $75 dollars signing fees, your actually income will be $35. You decide if $35 it’s worth your time and your stress. For me is not specially now the signing agencies, escrows, loan officer, realtors. Are getting very good commissions. Our job is absolutely needed it, and they have to be fair. As your first experience, it was good, because when everything comes your way, you don’t learn some stuff. That signing has teached you a lot.
I don’t itemized printing fees. It is all priced as entire packaged. I notify them in advanced that anything over 160 pages is extra fee. Always check the total page count before you hit print.
