This past Saturday, November 29th, I had anticipated a busy morning with a full schedule of Remote Online Notarization (RON) closings, extending from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. From the very beginning of my first appointment, I encountered a series of significant issues. The ClearSign platform was noticeably sluggish, and signers consistently struggled with uploading their identification documents, which created unnecessary delays and frustration. Repeated attempts to contact technical support proved futile, as I was placed on extended hold times, unable to get the immediate assistance needed to resolve the problems. The entire process ultimately halted completely for all of my scheduled appointments, leaving me unable to proceed with any of the closings. After the day ended, Rocket Close sent out an email acknowledging that the ClearSign platform was, in fact, experiencing significant technical difficulties, which explained the widespread problems we were all facing that day. Following this acknowledgment, I promptly sent Rocket Close a request for payment for all of the scheduled appointments that I had been unable to complete. However, the following day, I began to receive email notifications indicating that each of my appointments had been canceled, which was not the communication I had expected after the problems that had occurred. Today, I received an email from Rocket Close stating that I would be paid partial fees for all of my Saturday RON appointments, which is significantly less than what I anticipated. Typically, a RON assignment takes between 15 to 30 minutes to complete and provides a compensation of $65. On Saturday, however, I spent an average of one hour with each RON order, and yet, I will only be compensated $32.50. Due to the issues encountered, I am planning to have a conversation with Rocket Close regarding the compensation for RON orders when technical problems with ClearSign prevent the completion of an order within the typical 30-minute timeframe. My proposal is that if technical issues prevent us from completing a RON within 30 minutes, we should still receive compensation of $32.50 for our time and efforts. Furthermore, I believe that we, as notaries, should not be held responsible for extended hold times or other inefficiencies caused by Rocket Close’s customer service backlog.
Another reason I avoid RON certification. I see technical issues discussed a lot.
@johnsonps306 I can certainly comprehend your hesitation regarding Remote Online Notarization (RON), particularly in light of the technical difficulties that frequently surface. I value you bringing your concerns to the forefront for discussion. From my vantage point, although these platform-related issues may initially cause frustration, they can actually transform into valuable opportunities for us, as notaries, to showcase our professional demeanor, adept problem-solving abilities, and unwavering dedication to delivering a consistently dependable service, even when confronted with unforeseen hurdles or complications. As someone who works as a mobile Loan Signing Agent (LSA), I have encountered numerous instances where unforeseen circumstances have arisen, such as life’s inherent unpredictability, unexpected setbacks, or challenging situations that necessitate my immediate attention, requiring me to find solutions, exercise resilience, and ultimately, emerge victorious. I cannot deny, there are occasions, where I could not do anything to change the negative circumstances, only to accept the situation and move on. Like, last Saturday? Totally nothing I could do about the system crashing, ended up with 50% less in signing fees. It’s just, you know, the glass being half full or half empty, right? I’d rather look at the bright side and see the glass half full.
We don’t even have fiber optic where I live. The internet providers aren’t great. If I get access to a more reliable infrastructure I might re-consider but I don’t know.
@johnsonps306 if you want to get into RON, I’d suggest looking into StarLink - we are very rural with no fiber optic either. Had HughesNet for years, which was horrible. We picked up StarLink a couple years ago and couldn’t be happier…well, I guess maybe with fiber optic but that’s not in our foreseeable future.
I strongly recommend StarLink if you want faster, stable internet - and you will be able to conduct RON with it.
No, I do not get paid by StarLink for this..this is my own personal recommendation
I also chose not to use RON. I’m not a techie but to me (and my son that is a techie) system appears not secure and easy to hack. For those that use the system and works for you more power to you. Some times I get set in my ways of thinking.
I havent done RON. BUT MY position is full fee
Equating it to driving to an appointment and having a no show or wrong paperwork .etc..pay me my fee. Its not my fault this deal didnt complete.
My time was allocated i need to be compensated
I too was part of the debacle that was Rocket Close last Saturday. Luckily only my first signing was unable to complete, due to the system crashing. I was on hold with the support team for over an hour and never did get anyone on the phone. I gave up after the email went out. I’ll admit it never occurred to me to ask for compensation for the missed assignment that was ultimately cancelled. Ill contact Vendor Management today and place a request to them.
Regarding taking RON assignments, while it’s terribly inconvenient when the system crashes, it’s still outweighs the time and work that goes into a mobile signing. IMHO.
The area isn’t eligible for StarLink I am in town. And I won’t pay for it anyway. I’ve never been that interested in doing RON. That’s just me.
The crash was from the Amazon AWS server that the platforms use. It affected more than just the RON business. As to the statement that RON is not secure, the platforms generally use bank layer and HIPPA secured. That is much more secure than shipping documents via FedEx, UPS, and USPS; all of which are known for losing packages. I recommend that you go to Proof.com to read up on the security behind RON.