ServiceLink.com". This email outlines who has control over the direction of our business. ServiceLink provides a monthly report on our performance with their company, detailing average earnings per signing order, which for me was $127. This is why I have diversified my business. If more LSAs understood how to price their services, companies might not adopt such a stance.
No surprise…they told me that on the phone 12-13 Years ago…when they dropped their fees to $65 plus, maybe, a $15 print fee…my fee at the time was $125
Interesting … I do work with Servicelink and just ran a statement for them for the past year. Starting 2/1/2024, worked with them 5 times. The lowest invoice was for $175.00 and the highest was $475.00. I have one scheduled for them this coming Tuesday for $300.00.
None of those was self-assigned through EXOS. They all came through via a phone call from them. Many of those called for driving more than 15 miles from my home base.
As I previously posted, I don’t work with them often but when they call, they’re usually ready to accept my fees.
@cfletcher Many professional signing agents [PSAs] across the United States have experienced similar rebuffing by ServiceLink.
Status post that experience, they’ve regularly come onto the Notary Cafe forum & shared their direct experience (as you’ve done here).
Most are in SATURATED areas with more than sufficient PSAs who aren’t cognizant of their worth & thus, drive down fees.
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I regularly post about a fairly comprehensive method to utilize via a Guideline for the Creation of a Fee Schedule (see direct Notary Cafe url as follows):
Hopefully, they’ll see & heed your thread - but more than likely not . . .
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Oh, yes, there’s sometimes is a unicorn here or there who does successfully receive FULL FEES via ServiceLink, but it’s more RARE than Hen’s Teeth!
Carl, is vendor management saying your rate is TOO LOW? Increase it! I am with Yolanda @yolicue on this. Send an email to CAVM@svclnk.com or better yet, call ServiceLink and ask to be transferred to vendor management. Surely this is just a simple misunderstanding. ServiceLink is great company to work with.
p.s. I guess that makes me one of the unicorns, @cNsa5? Because I always get fairly paid for my work by ServiceLink. (I usually have to counter their original offer, but I am accustomed to having hiring companies get approval on my rates. Still, great company to work with. One of the best, I’d say.)
While I appreciate your input, you’re preachin’ to the choir my friends . .
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Yes, there are unicorns. Yes, they’re rare. My direct experience is as noted above (see below excerpt):
I similarly OPTED OUT at that point in time, due to their abhorrently low fees. SHAMEFUL!
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By all means, if a PSA elects to “fight them” - I understand that.
I will add that I have & did fight them, but no ground was given - as identified by @cfletcher above in his Original Post [OP].
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Again, as I’ve expressed on numerous occasions it’s just like in the Real Estate Sector ===>>>
Location
Location
Location!
If the vendor’s profile is placed ON-HOLD, the option left is to lower fees
OR
To do as Carl, I, & many others have chosen to do: DIVERSIFY.
As long as there are six-figure hucksters who are hawking their wares & chasing fees to the bottom of the barrel, there isn’t much that professionals can do, BUT diversify.
I dumped Service Link about a year ago because their pay rate was so low and the deals I took prior were often, shall I say, challenging :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes. We all know that most of the deals being offered these days pay way more than the pittance we get for our end of the services. Many times, you can see what the “total” fee is right on the Closing Disclosure or sometimes, the Settlement Statement - that’s not news unless you’re a newbie.
I’m signed up with several hundred signing services and I’ve called many of them to work out a fair fee for my end of the deal. Once they see my work, they typically agree to a fair split and everyone is happy. This is a lot of work, but worth it in my view.
Good for you!! Now we just need every other notary to also be on hold with
service link and then we win It’s just a psychological tactic that they are trying.
My reply to them would be “Hey, I know that trick…”
There must be special circumstances to get those fees. Are you the only Fidelity notary in a 50 mile radius? Are they particular types of loans or are foreign language skills required? Please let me know. In our area getting anything over $90 is a miracle.
In recent years I have never received more than $90 for a ServiceLink assignment. Currently I’m doing HELOCs and the very rare Refi for them. My error rate is .0001 and that one error, despite me bringing it to their attention, has put me on the DNU list for BofA. It was an error I caught and fixed the day of the signing. No one told me to send the original certificate in and it wasn’t brought up again for two months. Day of the request, I prepared a new certificate, scanned and shipped it for next day delivery. I found out I am on the DNU list from an outside agency that got the message. That company isn’t even on ServiceLink but on Snapdocs. That’s exceedingly cruel as I have done at least 400 BofA signings with no errors. No one will help me and even calling the person at BofA and emailing them has had no change to that status.
@keaton4notary - No, I am not the only Fidelity notary in a 50 mile radius. I’m in Rocklin which is a suburb of Sacramento, CA. This is a highly saturated region. I am fluent in Spanish. However, Servicelink asked me several years ago to generate a spreadsheet with my fees for every city/town & zip in the various counties that I cover. I did that. Each of those fees is all-encompassing for any and all eventuality (i.e. Spanish, scans, distance, package size, snow, etc.). So, when Servicelink calls me for a signing, regardless of type (i.e. HELOC, modification, purchase/refi/seller, commercial, etc.), I ask for town or zip and look it up on my spreadsheet and give them the quote. They have that same spreadsheet for me and could easily get that same information prior to calling me. Most times, they accept; sometimes, they keep shopping and find a cheaper notary.
I do cover a large territory - except for Amrock. I only service 2 counties for Amrock due to their limited budget. My all-encompassing fee for purchase, refi, seller, IPEN for Amrock is $200. Whereas with Servicelink, my fees are from $150 to $475. Perhaps things have changed. But years ago, I found that TCs would agree to $475 but not to $500.
These are the fees that I negotiated. I always suggest NSAs negotiate whatever fees work for them. This is my business. I set my fees, not the hiring party. jmh&po
I have blocked them, respectfully. They make me dizzy and it feels like this poster is yelling. I can’t handle all the extra design effects. Im not sure why people need to SCREAM their posts. I get dizzy and confused.
Hi June, I have not reached the point of blocking, but it is helpful to have that option. I can feel myself mentally checking out on most of those types of posts/replies. Not a huge fan of all the copy-paste-repetition. I agree it can feel like yelling or even scolding sometimes and I don’t think she really means to. I don’t doubt for a split second her vast notary experience and knowledge. But in this Notary Cafe forum (as it is in life), it is not just what we say, it is also very much how we choose to say it. Cheers!
here or there 
who does successfully receive FULL FEES via ServiceLink, but it’s more RARE than Hen’s Teeth!
