It kinda seems to me that many notaries accept orders from signing services (SS) that they are not well acquainted with (not talking about Amrock and the like). In the good ol’ days (2020-2021) one could grab a signing from almost any SS and get paid, with exceptions, of course. Today, not so much.
The complaints and frustrations continue to roll in. Every day, this forum is filled with 'em. So, here’s a tip from a relatively new notary with about 400 signings under my belt: Going forward, be awfully careful accepting jobs from SS you are unfamiliar with. The reputable ones are well-known and won’t stiff you. The ‘one-offs’ could burn you if you haven’t checked them out.
Everybody seems to have a complaint and everybody seems to have a cure for payment issues. Look around, folks! Business is awful out there and it will get much worse, I’m afraid. Don’t depend on the BBB or your Secretary of State for action on your little $100 no-payment dilemma. Ain’t gonna happen. State officials have told me that they don’t even yawn when they get these complaints. Guy says, “What do you expect us to do, yell ‘Saddle-up’ to the boys in the back room and hunt down those signing services with lights and siren? When you’ve got a $1million loss, send me an email and maybe we’ll call you back.”
OK, so there’s that. It might be time to write off your losses (you’ll survive) and apply your efforts to making your living the best way you know how. All businesses take losses and you should expect to have some. Move on and don’t waste hours of your precious time trying to track down $85 jobs stale from last August.
I have been stiffed for $50 (half of one fee) from Bi-lingual Brothers notary services (well-known flakes); I have collected on EVERY other fee since I got started two Christmases ago. The one’s I had to chase down, I did it by contacting the title company or the escrow officer or the lender, and, a few times, all three. It was a pain in the *** But, they did help me and I got paid! That method is probably still your best recourse.
Lastly, remember, you’re an independent agent and you have little useful protection against unscrupulous (4 "U"s in that word 
) signing services. And, the con-men are starting to show up big time. So, if it doesn’t look right (give it the ‘smell test’ [if I may mix the metaphor]) don’t take the job. If you don’t understand it or, if it’s too complicated or, if the caller is vague or distant or, if the time allotted for the job is weird or, if the package is 250 pages (times 2) for $80 or, if you have to drive in bad weather at 8:30 pm on a Friday evening or, if, if, if fill in the blank - DON’T take the job!! If you do and it doesn’t work out for ya, lick you wound, learn from your mistake and move on. Don’t waste your time!!
Now that business is slow, very slow, maybe it’s time to re-train into another line of work - just like you did when you became a notary! The fun days are over (thanks to the Fed) and they won’t be back for a long time.
Oh, by the way. . . Merry Christmas 