Not wise to trash talk companies and individuals

I absolutely cringe when I read some of the threads/posts here. If you are owed money or if you have a bad signing experience, there is a right way and a wrong way to discuss and resolve business issues.

I urge professionalism and diplomacy and CAUTION when venting and especially when calling out business names and individuals in this public forum.

Do not name names, do not throw anyone under the bus, that is my personal business motto. Hiring companies read this public forum too. And you can never know who is reading your words or who knows whom.

No matter how frustrated a notary becomes, no matter how justified a notary may feel in airing their grievances and dirty laundry here, “naming names” should be avoided for safety. That’s my unsolicited advice.

At best, public trash talking reflects immaturity or a lack of class and professionalism for those notary signing agents who are publicly degrading people and/or companies. They may be setting themselves up for an ethics complaint or investigation against their notary commission. All someone would have to do is print what you have posted and lodge a formal complaint.

At worst, a notary may be risking a slander/libel or defamation lawsuit. $$$$$$$$$

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I hear you, but this does not mean that non-payers should NOT be named. And it’s not libel as long as you can prove it’s true.

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I completely disagree. It’s a forum for notaries. Not a forum for signing services. Naming companies who are practicing bad business behavior is a boon to the entire community and I encourage anyone and everyone to talk about their experiences. Staying silent on issues is what promotes all types of ills such as systemic workplace harassment, the abuse found in the “Me Too” movement, and more. The only reason those situations were allowed to thrive and so many people were hurt is because people, like you, stigmatized speaking out against “your betters” by using fear tactics to make the victims feel small, unimportant, and anxious about retaliation in some form.

There’s literally a Notary Experience sub topic. Trash talking is subjective. One person’s “trash talking” is another person’s genuine experience. The identities of people behind signing services are public knowledge, as well. Not to mention, the owners of signing services have had no problem being extremely aggressive and threatening people on these forums. That’s what makes me ‘absolutely cringe.’ I’ve dodged a lot of bullets by avoiding shady/bad companies that have been talked about here. We are not employees talking badly about our bosses. We are business owners, usually working alone, and this forum allows us the camaraderie we would normally not have access to. We can pick and choose who we work with based on their values and ethics and they can do the same. We can review them in the same way they can secretly review us on their platforms. It’s only fair.

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Thats literally enabling/encouraging bad behavior. Companies or corporations should never get away with stealing wages from employees.

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Ultimately, people are going to do whatever they are going to do. My preference is to resolve signing agent business conflicts in a professional manner without resorting to bad mouthing and trash talk. That’s just me. I am not against objecting to what is obviously bad business behavior by some signing companies. Not paying is a cardinal sin in any business, but so is bad mouthing. My opinion is that there is a right way and a wrong way to go about complaining. Maybe you feel differently. That’s OK. You are entitled to your opinion. I go by my actual name here and so I try not say anything here that I would not be embarrassed to also have published on the front page of the NY Times. My high school English teacher taught me that. Posts on the Internet can live forever. I guess as long as a person is willing to take responsibility for whatever they write in a public forum, then OK. Best of luck. ~Carmen

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What do you consider " bad mouthing" or trash talking? Asserting facts such as companies not paying multiple notaries is not unprofessional dealings nor trash talking, those are facts. Nor could they be Slander or libel, because they are substantial facts. Naming names is not trash talking. Do you not believe in Yelp or Google reviews either? Because how is making a complaint about a business and naming that business any different than Google or Yelp reviews? Im not sure what reality you live in. Having a bad experience with a company and stating that experience is definitely not trash talking, slander, unprofessional, classless.

I’ve gathered data from multiple notaries and have reached out to these companies with strong assertion to pay or I’m taking legal action. Frankly that’s not a threat. Im far from afraid of anything happening to my reputation or well being. I’ve fried bigger fish than a signing company. Anyone can create a signing company.

Sounds to me like you have never been scammed out of 500 plus dollars from a signing company. But for me personally, I have. As much as you are entitled to your opinion, it seems that you dont live in the real world. If I can post a serious complaint and warn other notaries of non payment, this is actually to protect them. They can choose to do the signing or not. Some of us pay our own bills, live alone or have to support a family on our own. Who are you to tell anyone about right or wrong, if you don’t walk in their shoes or know their struggles.

But you do you girl.

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Exactly! Thank you for stating that fact lol

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Btw, most of us use our real name on here. If you click on our photo, you can view everyone’s real name instead of user name. Most have a profile on notarycafe as well if you search notaries here.

And it is my “opinion” that you should fact check or research the words you throw around so lightly such as “diplomacy, slander, libel, etc.” Those are big words for someone of your nature.

Just an opinion.

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I find the naming very helpful. If I read on here by several people not being paid by a SS I see a request I will not accept it. I also love the naming of good companies and try to sign up with them if I read on here they provide work, good to notaries and pay them!

I agree we are professionals however it is nice to have a notary only forum here where you can share information even if it may seems TMI or descriptive at times. I feel like the notary community is small enough to have all sorts of conversations :slight_smile:

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I’ve worked with so many SS now and only 1 so far has not paid me for June. I did comment on the thread that another notary posted about the same thing about that company. She named the company and the owner.

Some of the SS run under multiple names with same owner(s) or are scammers so it’s nice to read who they are, what the names are so a notary can avoid working for them. As we know, a lot of resources go into appointments so it’s unfair when a notary is not paid.

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Very well said. We must remember, there’s 2 sides to every story… The Truth and the Lie.

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I disagree because I believe companies who are not paying notaries for their services should be called out by name, because this is a forum where we build a reputation for the SS, both good and bad. I have learned that some of these companies have the same owner and operate under different names, so it is important to identify who a notary could potentially be dealing with.

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Amen!!! PERIOD! :clap:t5::clap:t5::clap:t5:

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Ummm no. There are 3 sides to every story. The notary’s side, the signing service’s side, and the truth. And guess which side this forum is dedicated to?

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Yes, I agree. We need to know with whom we should do business and what SS we should avoid. Plus it saves tons of headaches for new notaries who may avoid them.

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What does

What does that mean?

You can believe there’s 3 sides. I, however, know there’s only 2 sides… a lie and The Truth.
Guess which one will always come out in the end.

Just remember, the hardest thing you will do in your lifetime is the Right Thing.

Hi cari081326 Looks like you joined in August, so welcome to NotaryCafe. This is a great forum. Very helpful.

For the record, I assure you I am absolutely NO ONE, just a notary signing agent like you. I stated my personal opinions in my original NotaryCafe post, that is all.

I was not directing my post/personal opinion at you or at anyone specifically. But I am sorry some people took my post personally and/or were offended by it. I am sorry if this struck a nerve. I find the name calling in the NotaryCafe forum unprofessional and frankly, risky. But it was not intended as a jab at you specifically, Cari, for what you are going through.

Do a search in the NotaryCafe forum of words such as “scam”, “cheat”, “thief”, “liar”, or “crook”, etc., and read through those threads and you can see what I was cringing about. There is great risk in calling someone names in a public forum. Name calling a public figure is different from name calling a a private person.

My point remains that it is possible to relate a negative experience without resorting to name calling.

It is possible to say so-and-so at XYZ company refused to pay me – without saying so-and-so at XYZ company is a (derogatory term) for not paying me.

It is possible to say I will never accept assignments from XYZ company because I did not get paid.

And it is possible to say in a forum like this that I do not agree with what is being said without also making it personal. Several have disagreed with my post already without including snide remarks.

I am very sorry to hear you have been not been paid $500+ from a signing company. I can certainly understand how this could cause you to become angry and frustrated, Cari.

I assure you I do live in reality. And like nearly every other human being on the planet, I too have responsibilities and bills to pay.

Fortunately I have been paid for all of the work I have completed. I have been frustrated by a few very late payments, and I have had to send invoice reminders in order to get paid. But I have never been flat out stiffed by any hiring company. I am sorry to hear that you are having such difficulty getting paid.

For notaries who are unsuccessful in getting paid for the work they have completed, I highly recommend keeping track of any/all non-payments and then asking a tax professional about offsetting these losses come tax time. This is just a suggestion. It is what I would do if it ever happens to me.

Cari, I wish you and all notaries here in this forum good luck.

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This is a great topic.
Generally speaking, I agree; I don’t want to burn any bridges (including with the 2 signing companies who have 70+ day unpaid invoices from me), or embarrass anybody, or libel anyone.

There can be a case, however, for warning others off from truly bad actors. Having said that, there have been several instances where companies (i.e., restaurants, whatever) have done something that got them in trouble with certain activists, who set about trying to destroy them on Yelp reviews. I would never, ever, want to take part in a smear campaign.

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Yikes, don’t we have enough censorship in the world.

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As a 20+ year Notary Signing Agent, I have seen alot. Most signing services are wonderful to work with, but there are a few that I would avoid like the plague! They know who they are. My policy is to give the new ones one try to handle their business professionally and pay my bill. If they screw up on that one try, I refuse to give them a second try. If they don’t pay, I call the title company and lender to advise of their non-payment policies. I also remind them that there are very few NSA’s in my rural area. In 20 years, I have only had one assignment go unpaid. I don’t necessarily have to badmouth anyone. Once the title company is made aware of their treatment of the notaries, they get hit in their pocketbooks. That is the best payback! Plus, if I’m spending too much time commenting on this forum, I’m not making any $$. But that’s just my way of dealing with deadbeat SS companies. It’s worked for me for 20 years. To each his/her own.

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