In the current environment within our business sector, it’s an increasingly unfortunate situation to witness additional incidents of some business entities that choose not to pay Professional Signing Agents [PSAs] for the professional services successfully provided.
Truly it’s unconscionable and unacceptable.
What can you as an individual do to avoid finding yourself in this type of situation?
Here are a few steps to follow:
It’s always wise to research & vet a new client prior to providing a definitive confirmation to them for your initial Signing Order [SO] for them. A great start of research would begin within the Notary Cafe forums Search Function.
Many members find it difficult/nearly impossible to locate the Search Function in order to access the wealth of information (Goldmine) available within the database.
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.
NOTE: ===>>> Accessing the Notary Cafe database to locate information about potential clients has saved many of us an inordinate amount of time ‘chasing’ payments for Services professionally provided to potential non-payers . . .
Perform online research the potential client/new to you utilizing a reliable Search Engine for locating Dunn & Bradstreet, BBB, Google Reviews, their website. These online locations can provide many insights to the nature of the business that entity has conducted in the past.
When researching the reviews, if these are usually negative with a flurry of “positive” input surrounding a limited window of dates => this should raise your suspicion that these are not valid reviews . . .
Utilize your Critical Thinking skills to determine the potential validity of the offered Signing Order [SO]; i.e., proceed with caution when the following present themselves:
Last-minute/RUSH SOs from a business entity (new to you) with lots of over-the-top detailed instructions for a large package with scanbacks and a demand for same-day handoff. These are usually SOs that the business entity was unable to fill during the normal lead-time for a SO.
The scheduler has a “pleading” type of demeanor; i.e., asking you to give them a chance or their “accounting department” has turned over a new leaf, or their business is under “new management,” etc.
When you’ve researched & comment that there are many reviews of non-payment & they offer to “Pay you in advance” => just remember that those types of payments can be disputed/reversed. So, it may be best just to simply do a “Hard Pass” on those SOs.
Of course, this process certainly isn’t comprehensive, just a baseline starting point for your list of methods to vet a potential new client & determine if there is a good fit for you to accept their SO.
If you do find yourself in a situation where the business entity hasn’t paid you for your professional services successfully provided, the following is a Step-by-Step Guide to assist you:
Thank you for the information. I had a company email me directly last week. The name was Emerald Coast Mobile Notary. When I asked them how did they get my email address. I received no response . Has anyone heard of them before?
@rcgcjcjc If you perform a Search on any of the Search Engines, there is quite a bit of information available. It appears to be a “single notary” that “farms” out Signing Orders [SOs] to Professional Signing Agents [PSAs].
NOTE: Especially during these turbulent times, be cautious across the board with clients (unless they’re regular clients you’ve worked with for years). Many members have recently discovered that some of the one-off clients they’ve accepted SOs from in the past have become non-payers/insolvent . . .
So, do err on the side of caution particularly when simple queries aren’t answered, etc.
No, I have not, but I created a table of signing agents, platforms, title companies, settlement services, billing platforms, etc…, that I update every time I receive a text, email, or phone call for services. It’s been extremely helpful in helping me keep things straight, especially when communicating via different platforms.
This thread may be a helpful to you as a newbie/New Notary Cafe member.