I drove through very dense fog last night for two appointments out of county. The drive isn’t normally bad but I have a different fee for that county.
In the Yakima Valley the fog was very dense traffic was going under 60 which was about right. Then when I hit the ridge going to Kittitas County the fog was a blanket and once over the ridge into Kittitas County it was so thick I was thinking what the heck am I doing here.
I have sent emails this morning asking what the services inclement weather policy is on fees, because invoicing is online and if you change the agreed on amount the invoice gets delayed by a bunch.
I finished and got home late, and I would normally add a fee to the invoice but haven’t done that in this case. Has this ever happened to you?
Got a response from one of the companies saying they don’t add fees, I have the option of canceling. Well - okay then.
That was the response that I would have expected from them. I’ve never heard of being able to invoice them for an amount over and above what was agreed to. Even if it was agreed to verbally over the phone, I would always want a revised copy of the Confirmation to back me up if it became an issue.
Some hiring entities don’t increase the notary fee for extras such as inclement weather, scanning, foreign language, etc. That is precisely why my fees are what they are … just in case … my fees will cover most incidentals such as snowy road conditions, scan backs, Spanish required.
I learned that early on when I tried to get them to add my cost for parking to my fee. It’s much better if you just add it to your fee in the beginning if you know that you’re going to have to pay out of pocket for parking.
306, y’all have more adventures that Wonder Woman. I’m gonna compile them all from this forum and publish a book under your screen name entitled, “My Life as a Mobile Notary in Washington” with the sub-heading “Gee Whiz, IMO”.
All the sales proceeds will go to the Old Notaries Home in Yakima.
Please send a thousand dollars immediately and I’ll send you the best complaints I have. Error free complaints. 5 star complaints. Careful it’s not compliant it’s complaint. Dyslexia R Us.
I would contact my hiring co to advise inclement weather will result in my late arrival, but I don’t increase my rate while enroute or after the signing is complete.
However, if I get a signing request and I know ahead of time there will be adverse driving weather, poor road conditions, detours, etc. that may affect my drive and make me even a few minutes late to the signing appointment, you bet I mention it and I take all that into consideration when I give the hiring co my original rate quote. I mention it to the signer when I confirm our appointment so they also understand. Usually borrowers appreciate the heads-up and are thankful we are still willing to drive to them to do the loan signing.
Driving in dense fog is as scary for me as icy roads. Those white-knuckle drives suck.
They can’t pay me enough to do that. I don’t have to deal with icy roads (flooded roads, maybe) where I live but driving in dense fog freaks me out. Always has. No loan signing is worth getting me into a serious accident.
I try to stay home when I know weather is coming. That said, that scenario only really counts for snow. I have encountered days where the mountains were snowy or particularly foggy. I do not ask for more after the fact. I don’t cancel. I just stick it out as that’s just how im built.
I’m like you. I hate to cancel appointments. Not only is it a loss of income for me, but it’s also a bad look to the hiring company. Too many cancellations, and they may stop giving you preference in choosing you for jobs. But…..in the end, it’s my welfare that’s on the line if I go out in dangerous conditions. They don’t pay near enough to make that risk worth it.
I do find forgiving ones though. I can’t remember the circumstance. I think I just didn’t pay attention one time and accepted a morning assignment an hour east of me. Title was just an hour to the West. It was the signed who had told me a storm was coming and suggested an afternoon meeting. Sinc3 title was also near the area she was so sweet and said yes please stay off the mountain in the morning and just don’t miss FedEx.
When you have cruddy weather, you should charge for that. I charge a higher fee as I usually am the only one in a 2 hour range that will drive in 2 feet of snow as I have a big rig that can do it. I charge for time and effort, you have to drive slower, watch for idiots, and most of the time the signers haven’t even bothered to clear a path for you to walk in.
@johnsonps306 Hey, just read your post, and wow, it totally brought back a PTSD flashback from being impacted by an auto accident on the way to a signing! Man, it brought back some strong memories. But inclement weather after the fact, that’s a hard one! I think being a mobile Notary/signing agent is all about being able to work effectively and knowing the potential weather conditions before hand matters. From my point of view, the companies just want the job done, they aren’t really paying attention to the weather or anything. This goes for any unexpected stuff we might run into on the road. We need to be ready for anything! So yeah, we gotta look out for ourselves and our safety. We can’t be scared, but we can set our own standards.
I think I’ve only backed out of one signing because of weather. I had one scheduled up in the hills in a remote area and there was a big storm predicted for that day. I looked at the location on Google Maps and just didn’t like what I saw in terms of what I’d be dealing with in heavy rain. I emailed the signing company and made some excuse that I wouldn’t be able to do it. It’s really just not worth it to me to risk my safety for a few bucks.
What we don’t know many of the signing companies have no
idea the
What we may not know many of the signing companies have to set their fees when they get the order. That’s why you need to set your fee upfront when you get the order. What worked for me whenever a condition arose that needed a higher fee we agreed to add it to the next order…works great with a repeat company you are familiar with.
