I am noticing a huge pattern of Signing Agencies sending documents too close to the signing appointment. How can we provide customer service, printing and review of the documentation, contacting the signer in a timely manner and arriving at the scheduled appointment? They start off the agreement in a stressful setting and expect scan backs and responses immediately but the professionalism is not reciprocated.
I believe it is a very deliberate ploy on their end to keep us in rush mode so maybe we donāt FEEL we have time to even realize the total scope of the work & time involved so we can re-negotiate the fee. I am talking about the never mentioned huge package with 20 notarizations & 4 signers that they āforgotā to mention or now they add a scan. In these very SLOW times, there is simply no reason that docs arenāt ready the day before the Appt. If they could do it when we were doing 3 or more a day, they surely can do it when itās 3 or more/week.
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Not seeing it that much, myself. The last time it happened I called and asked them to re-assign because I did not have time to get to the appointment. It canceled and when the docs were ready they called me and asked me to do it - the next day.
Iām glad I had declined it because Iād have tied up my time and it wouldnāt have happened. But itās not a huge thing.
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Iām one of the fortunate notaries that is experiencing a lot of work right now. Donāt know why, but there it is. What Iām also seeing is an awful lot of mistakes, oversights and errors in the packages Iām getting. And, many of the packages come within an hour of the appointment time. I barely have time to print and prep. Donāt know why. But, in a few cases, the appointment had to be changed. Signers complain to me that the lenders are at fault. Again, I donāt know if thatās true but thatās what Iām hearing.
All this to sum up by saying that there is something going on thatās wrong. After fours years and over 2000 signings, I canāt think of a time where the process was so sloppy. Maybe just a friendly heads-up to the lenders/escrow/title companies out there.
As your notary, Iām trying my hardest to get things done right. Maybe thatās why Iām so busy - who knows? But Iāll take it 
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If the company sends the documents to me the day before or within four hours of the appointment I will attend, otherwise, I remove myself. Itās funny how they say they have up to two hours to send the documents. I communicate with the signers, so they are always updated on my whereabouts. So Iām no longer rushing around because of late documents.
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Thanks everyone for the feedback. It really helps to know everyone elseās experiences. It can get a bit stressful when you are trying your best.
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I would agree with @Johnsonps306. I have had last minute documents to print. Iām talking about 30 to 45 minutes ahead of the appointment where Iāve requested the day before to have them. I too have declined a couple orders stating that itās unacceptable that the documents are not ready in a timely manner to print review and prep for the signing if it is something that I can handle print preview and prep I asked them for an additional $50 for the late package received and most often itās over 110 pages so itās a larger than package than what they put out for the order. I have had no problem getting paid. My time is valuable as I respect their time as well.
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Thanks for the input. I feel like the Signing Agencies are giving us the short end of the stick out here in NY. That particular signing was close to 200 pages. I requested additional compensation for last minute update in which I had to stop and make copies. The admin said to me āit is only 19 pagesā. 19 pages and you have the signer waiting since 4pm for a signing that was assigned to me 20 minutes ago. Currently only been a Notary Signing Agent for 2 months and I am hoping this gets better with time. I know there is a learning curve but the disorganization and lack of compensation and/or accountability from the Signing Agencies is shocking.
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@Yanira04 Youāre Spot-On about the āLearning Curve.ā
As you slog through these types of Signing Orders [SOs], youāll discover first-hand some of the intricacies of why many Professional Signing Agents [PSA]s WONāT accept SOs from some business entities notorious for engaging in these types of behaviors.
Just know that over time AND through reading the posts from other PSAs youāll learn via direct experience as well as vicariously how to sidestep these types of pitfalls found within this business sector.
Itās a component of the business expertise youāre developing as a new business owner.
Kudos to you for establishing your baseline & adhering to it! 
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