I received an assignment from this outfit back in June for $75. On the day of the signing, I got a call from the Title company saying there would be 9 signers. I can’t even remember how many pages it was. So I politely asked if they would increase the fee to $125. They said no problem. Well, the closing was a fiasco. There were 4 signers (all related), 2 of which were signing on behalf of the remaining ones. 2 came in from out of town. One brought a service dog. One was late. The one with the service dog kept interrupting with non-related stories about their family. The closing took about 3 hours. Oh, and it was at their attorney’s office. The receptionist kept giving me the evil eye when I would ask for copies (of their ID’s, for example). She kept looking at her watch. So, after the closing, I get a nasty text from the signing service saying Title complained that I called them multiple times, and that that was a breach of the contract. #1, Title called me in the morning, remember? #2, the signers called Title during the closing because they had questions about some documents. Title had asked me to send them the invoice directly, so I did. Well, I was waiting and waiting for payment. One day I got a check for $75, but I could not figure out who it was from. Signing Solutions is NOT the same as Signing Solutions GROUP. So Signing Solutions Group paid me, but only the $75 fee, not the $125 Title had agreed to. ARGH! What a (#()%$()&@(&# mess! Keep your #)($) $50. I never want to deal with them again.
(CA) Probably a lot of lessons learned on that one, no? If it hasn’t already occurred to you, it would have been entirely appropriate for you to have immediately called the signing service and asked for a much larger fee ($300 or even more) if there was to be nine (9) signers.
When something like this happens, kids, one must endeavor to take firm control of the situation or simply consider the consequences of resigning from the engagement and advising (in writing, if necessary) the signing service and title about what happened and why the signing was curtailed. Nobody should have to endure what you did on that assignment. Title should have explained what their expectations were given the unusual circumstances, presuming they knew them. If they didn’t, they should have. I’m sure others on this site will have more reactions and maybe even better suggestions than what I’ve opined.
“Don’t get took for a ride”, as my ol’ sweet daddy used to say.
I would have kicked that right back to whoever sent me the order and politely explained I was not interested in any order with 9 signers. A million dollars wouldn’t be enough for that stupidity. 3 hours? You’re lucky it didn’t take 5.
I knew in advance a signing I had taken was a POA signing for a new home purchase. What I didn’t learn until the appointment was the person actually doing the signing was BLIND, using a visual assistant. Both names on the docs had first, middle, and last, too.
3 hours for a 1 hour signing. I kept my cool but inside I was steaming. Never again.
What a mess. I’m new. I’ve only had one signing. It was ok. Im signed up to work with several companies but when you are new no one will hardly give you a chance. Also took me 5 weeks to receive payment after numerous calls. Document for 230 pages, Scanbacks required, 2 trips because customers we’re happy with lenders terms. I also to give customers a copy. I received 95 dollars for that. The job took 3 hours because they wanted to look at every single page. I was very patient. I don’t think I’ll be working with them again. Not a good first experience. I was turned off by how long it took to receive payment. Also to me it wasn’t enough. The customer was very satisfied with my professionalism and patience though. Its been frustrating not being able to get gigs. I’m so ready to work.
Always look at the payment terms of every signing company. Some are fast, some pay twice monthly, some pay at 30 or 45 days, some pay on the last day of the month following the signing (you may wait 60 days for payment).
If you work direct, you typically will receive payment much faster but without a good number of signings, it will be difficult to get a TC to hire you. Right now, there is a bigger supply of LSAs than demand for signings.
Thank you. What is LSA. Loan Signing Agent?
That’s what it was a Loan Signing. People have to realize experienced professionals sart somewhere to become experienced. I’m patient. I’m enthusiastic, it will all work out. Thanks again for your reply. Greetings from Charlotte, NC.
Agree 
percent with @richlandmobilenotary , but ALSO =>
A very important question to ask/determine: “Is that calendar days? Or, business days?”
There is a large difference between those two intervals of time.
Ohhhh my goodness…UGH!!!
Regarding the fee…are you able to look at the settlement statement still?? If you sent an invoice to title for $125, they should have paid you directly…you will be able to see the notary fee on the settlement statement, how much is it for?.
You have every right to call title directly about this fee. You negotiated it with them directly and you invoiced the -they owe you this money. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them and get it! This is ridiculous…this signing company took complete advantage of you, plus they are pocketing your fee?! NO WAY. Nope.
I’m very sorry this happened to you!!! And thank you so much for the heads up about the sneaky name. Curious, what was the first name of the individual you spoke with at Signing Solutions Group? I have a sneaking suspicion that this may be another signing company, Premium Signature Solutions. Was it Kathryn or Julie by chance?
That sounds like a nightmare. There’s a Deadbeat Signing group on FB you can report them to.
One ninja tip is to print signers’ copy double-sided and only 8.5x11".
Not necessarily! Sometimes you will need to pull the signer’s copy signature page when there is a signing error on one of the documents. That happens on occasion. Good to have an extra clean copy available when it does.
I agree with you! I always make sure that the signers’ copies are exact duplicates! Borrowers notice and can complain about you! Also, I often have to swap out as people do not sign correctly!
You’re right, I’ve been doing that when a signer signs in the wrong place like on a Right to Cancel form
I just can’t not say something. Never print double-sided. You or your signer may make a mistake and you’ll need to replace it from your clean copy package.
Not really! In some cases you should pull the endorser’s duplicate mark page when there is a marking mistake on one of the reports. That occurs once in a while. Great to have an additional perfect duplicate accessible when it does
Wondering if the OP @jam.mobilenotarysvcs could ADD the term “ALERT” or “WARNING” at the beginning of the Thread Title please . . .
NOTE: If doing a Search to vet a potential new client and the term ALERT or WARNING is in the title, it would be a quicker reference instead of having to pull up the thread, read through the posts, etc.