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March 24, 2023

Best Apps for Mobile Notary Services

Filed under: Business Tips — Tags: Mobile Apps, Notary Services — Tom Wilkins @ 10:00 am

If you’re a mobile notary, arriving at your notary jobs on time is essential. Navigation and other vehicle-related apps can streamline scheduling and reduce costs when driving to different cities.

A great app can help you avoid traffic jams, find a restaurant that serves your favorite food, pinpoint a place with the cheapest gas or an EV charger, and so much more. Here are the best apps for mobile notary services that will make your life easier and save you money.

Waze

Waze is a reliable traffic navigation and alert app that uses real-time traffic data to bypass accidents, avoid speed traps, and be routed to your destination using the quickest path. The app can save you time and frustration, especially if you drive through heavily congested areas.

Plug in your starting point and destination to see how long it will take so you can plan your day accordingly. If you have flexibility, the Waze app will take historical data and tell you the ideal time to leave to avoid traffic.

GasBuddy

GasBuddy helps drivers locate nearby gas stations and find the best gas deals to plan a cost-effective trip. The app also offers pricing stats so you can see at a glance if gas prices are rising or falling, so you can fill up when it saves you the most money.

Gas Buddy also has a handy feature that can estimate fuel expenditure if you’re planning a road trip which can help you plan a budget.

PlugShare

The PlugShare app is a must-have if you own an electric vehicle. The app highlights the locations of over 230,000 EV chargers and superchargers across the US, with data updated regularly. Zoom in on your area and click on any tab to learn the charger location, address, business hours, and the number of charger spots they offer.

The best feature of PlugShare is that the information is in real-time, so you can locate an open charger in your area without having to drive there and check the status, saving battery power. There is also a chat feature to connect with a technician if you have any questions or issues.

BestParking

BestParking is one of the top apps for mobile notary services, as it can be a lifesaver when driving to appointments in urban areas. The app can find available parking, lets you compare fees, and even allows you to book a parking space so you can quickly park and go.

The app is very user-friendly. You can find a spot immediately or pre-pay and reserve a parking slot on a specific date and time, which can significantly reduce stress. A bonus is using the app can save you up to 50% off posted parking rates.

FIXD

When you rely on your vehicle for work, keeping it maintained is critical. The FIXD app is a monthly subscription that uses a sensor on ICE cars and trucks after 1996 and diesel trucks built after 2008 to diagnose your engine.

Pop the FIXD sensor into the OBD2 port under the steering wheel, start the car, open the app, and scan your vehicle’s condition. Instantly receive data on your smartphone about issues that need attention, especially when the check engine light is on. The app also sends alerts when your vehicle needs oil changes, tune-ups, and other routine maintenance that can slip your mind.

The app stores your vehicle history and comes with on-call support from FIXD mechanics, who can guide you through repair solutions.

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January 24, 2022

Notary Happy Days Goes to China!

Filed under: Virtual Comedy Themes — Tags: Happy Days, Notarization, Notarization in China — admin @ 10:29 pm

This was originally published many years ago.

Intro Joke:
A New Yorker was in the middle of downtown Shanghai with his wife and
kid. They walk into a restaurant where everybody in sight is Chinese
and nobody speaks a word of English.

The wife asks, “Where’s the bathroom?”
His kid asks, “Do you have egg rolls?”
And the guy asks, “Is the food authentic?”

I grew up watching Happy Days. I loved Richie, Potsie, Chachi, and
the gang. But, a Notary recently had to fly to Shanghai to do a
notarization for the Chinese version of Happy Days called “Yu-Kuai
Tian” which loosely translated means cheerful or happy day(s).

A Notary was called in to do a notarization for the staff of Yu-Kuai
Tian. He thought the notarization would be for a screenplay or a
writer’s contract. Boy, was he wrong.

NOTARY: Hi, I’m here for the notarization.

MANAGER: Solly no Yingrish! You wait!

ASSISTANT: Oh yes, we have been expecting you.

NOTARY: So, who am I signing for? One of the managers or the writers?

ASSISTANT: Oh, they didn’t tell you? You’re signing for the Chinese
Henry Winkler — “The Fong.” He’s late today because he was out last
night with one of his lady friends. One of his classier girlfiends who
doesn’t slurp when she eats her shark fin delight of three soup.

NOTARY: Sounds like an Ayy! One gal.

ASSISTANT: He’s out in back finishing repairing the transmission in a
rickshaw. He won’t be ready for you until 3pm. You can try one of our local restaurants.
They are quite good.

NOTARY: Yeah, that’s a good idea. I’ll try the one with the green
sign. I’ll just hope for the best.

ASSISTANT: But, before you go, please meet Mr. Yu and his guys. We
call them Yu’s guys!

NOTARY: Okay, how Yu’s guys doin’? This is how we talk in New York by the way.

(At the restaurant with the green sign. All of the staff are Chinese
and speak almost no English and all of the customers without exception
are Chinese as it is in downtown Shanghai.)

WAITER: Hello, I your waiter. My name Cha-Chee Wang.

NOTARY: You’re kidding. Cha-chee, like in Yu-Kuai Tian?

WAITER: Yes, I work there on my off day as wing man for The Fong. With my husband, Jo-Nee.
Jo-Nee love Cha-Chee.

NOTARY: I don’t care what I eat, but there is one thing that matters to me.

WAITER: You like dish called Potsie Sticker. It kind of dumpling.

NOTARY: Well, what I wanted to know is — is the food authentic?

WAITER: Yeah, food authentic all right. Half hour after you eat, you hungry to breathe
Oxygen. We in China after all. No Americanized food here. We don’t even know what that mean.
But, today long day. Potsie also work here. He having worst day in life. He so
out of it, it take him half hour to make “minute fried rice.”

NOTARY: Well maybe you should have Joannie come and help him.

WAITER: We try, but Joannie Chan busy. Anyway, one order of Potsie
Sticker coming up. By the way, last week was Chinese New Year – year
of the monkey, but sorry, we not serve monkey here. Try down street.
Delicacy — very expensive.

NOTARY: Thanks, but when I said authentic, maybe I had no idea what I
was getting myself into.

(30 minutes later)

NOTARY: Thanks for the great meal. Let me give you 40 ren-min-bi,
that should cover it. Back to the set.

THE FONG: Heyyyyyy!!!!! (with two sexy Chinese girls: one on each
side of him in cheerleader outfits.)

NOTARY: Wow, I get to meet the Chinese Fonzie in the flesh.

THE FONG: No, don’t touch the leather. Just got it restored at Wing’s
leather repair down street. And don’t touch the hair either.

NOTARY: Okay, I promise not to.

GIRLS: We promise not to either! hee-hee-hee…

THE FONG: Eyyyy!!!!! (puts two thumbs up.)

NOTARY: Good thing we’re not doing thumbprints.

THE FONG: If we did, you not need ink, plenty of grease already on
thumbs from mechanic work not to mention coconut oil on hair for good
look.

NOTARY: Okay, I’ll need to see some ID.

THE FONG: Okay, legal name Fong Xiao-Leng, similar to Bruce Lee’s
Chinese name. But, people call me The Fong!

NOTARY: In real life I am not allowed to notarize outside of the State
of New Jersey where I am legally commissioned as a Notary Public, but
since this is a fictional comedy blog, I will take some liberties and
illegally use my stamp here in Shanghai.

THE FONG: Okay, so where do The Fong sign?

NOTARY: Right here

(The Fong signs in the wrong place and Notary scolds him)

NOTARY: No not there. You signed in the wrong place!

THE FONG: Wait second. You say The Fong… w-w-w-w-wong? The Fong NEVER wong!!!

NOTARY: Yeah, you were supposed to sign right here, and you signed
down there where the signature of the Notary is supposed to be.

THE FONG: Nobody say The Fong w-w-w-w-w-rong…. Not even The Fong’s mother.

NOTARY: Just admit it… You were wrong.

THE FONG: I can’t say it. I was w-w-w-w-w-w-… I just can’t.

NOTARY: Try one more time. Never mind. We’ll sign this fresh duplicate
I brought. Be more careful this time.

THE FONG: Okay. (scribbles The Fong on document)

NOTARY: No, that’s wrong. Your legal name is Fong Xiao-Leng, not The
Fong. The Fong is your nickname. You can’t legally be notarized using
that name.

THE FONG: Hey, this is blog entry. I do what I want. But, you say I
w-w-w-w-wrong again? We take this outside! NOBODY say The Fong wrong.

(The Fong grabs the Notary and takes him outside behind the garage)

THE FONG: You want on chin? Hurt more — show less. Or on gut? Hurt
more, nobody see.

NOTARY: What are you talking about?

THE FONG: You say The Fong wrong. Nobody say The Fong wrong and live
to tell about it. I punch you hard. You choose place.

NOTARY: Go for the gut. My dumplings weren’t that good anyway. I
think I prefer Americanized Chinese food come to think of it. But, I
have one condition. You can only punch me if you admit that you were
wrong.

THE FONG: Deal… (punch)

NOTARY: Oh my God… What are you, a Shao-Lin monk? That really hurt.
Ouch. I’ll spend the rest of the day bent over. Now it’s your turn.
You have to keep your end of the bargain and admit that you were
wrong. Fair is fair.

THE FONG: Okay. I keep bargain. I was w-w-w-w-w-w-w….

NOTARY: Yes, this is a Deed for the sale of one of the rick-shaws you repaired.

THE FONG: Do you notarize auto-sale paperwork?

NOTARY: I notarize any documents about anything that starts with a key
and goes vroom vroom!

THE FONG: Eyyyy!!!! That sound like something The Fong would say.
Anyway… I was w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w.

NOTARY: You can do it. Good thing I ate lightly.

THE FONG: I was wr-r-r-r-r… It so hard. I was w-w-w-w…. WONG! I was wong!

GIRLS: I can’t believe he said it. The Fong was wrong!

NOTARY: Okay, now sign this 3rd copy I made as Fong Xiao-Leng and
we’ll be all done and I’ll take the next flight back to America.

You might also like:

You know you’re a Notary when…
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16038

The Lonely Italian — parody in a notary context
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15842

Comments (0)

October 18, 2021

July 6, 2021

Notary kidnapped by borrowers

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 3:09 am

I know, I know, I know. The borrowers like the Notary so much, they wouldn’t let him leave. That’s not what happened.

A guy goes to a signing like he always does. He sits down at the table, and has people sign the documents. The family was rude and used profanity when asking him who he was and what this was about. But, they signed the documents. Then, there was an issue about title, and with a foreclosure issue. The Notary told them that the Note was enough without having a Grant Deed, or QuitClaim to foreclose on the house. He attempted to leave the house, but the husband blocked the door, and the wife jumped on him from behind.

The Notary forced his way out the door. Basically, the family did NOT want him leaving with those documents. He explained that the documents were the property of the title company and not the borrower’s documents and that is why he needed to take them. I’m not sure it was worth it.

After the Notary was out the door and on his way to the car, the son of the couple came out of the house with a baseball bat. This family just isn’t kidding around. The Notary warned the kid that he had a gun and that the gun would be a lot more effective than a baseball bat.

The Notary drove away, and reported the issue to the Sheriff. The Sheriff asked if he wanted them to press charges and he said he just wanted law enforcement to give them a stern lecture since nobody was hurt.

So, when people ask, “Is the mobile notary profession a safe one?” The answer is, if there is a serious issue with the rate, APR, or with a foreclosure, it might not be. This is the second incident of violence against a Notary that I have heard of after serving 65,000 Notaries. It pays to confirm the signing by phone to see if the people are complete nutcases. That extra minute spent could save you some grief down the line.

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July 4, 2021

Kaizen – constant improvement applied to the Notary profession

Filed under: Business Tips — admin @ 3:09 am

Toyota uses this Japanese concept of Kaizen. That means that you are constantly trying to improve yourself and how you do things. I am always trying to improve myself too. This is how we attain mastery.

As Notaries, what happens is that the new people tend to be very motivated, pass a bunch of tests, get background screened, get a million in Errors and Omissions, and try hard to do well.

The problem is that once people are in the door, they tend to stop trying as hard. I think that constantly reading up and trying to master Notary principles, sharpening up your marketing techniques and passing new certifications is a good thing. If you want maximum market share, you have to make a list of things you can do that you are not already doing — or, a list of things that you could try to do better.

Always making your notes section better every two or three months is another critical thing to do. Always asking people who like you for reviews is essential as well.

The most critical thing that motivated Notaries do is to email me and ask for tips. I remember the last Notary in Texas who asked me for tips. She was ALREADY doing a bang up job as far as I am concerned. She had a good notes section, reviews, and was getting experience. She had a good personality as well. She needed to get certified by us and a few other agencies for best results to impress people. But, she had a boring business name. So, I told her that a business name that has a feel to it would help. I made some suggestions of names that will have a warm and fuzzy effect on people. We’ll see what she does with the tips. The main thing is that she asked for tips, and she is always trying to improve herself.

The other thing you could do to improve yourself is to learn Japanese and visit the original Toyota manufacturing plant in Japan — and one more thing — don’t forget to bow, very important.

Comments (2)

April 26, 2021

Has bad weather ever forced you to cancel an appointment?

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 8:33 am

Luckily I live in California, but I grew up in Massachusetts where they actually have weather. Rain, snow, hail, ooblek (ask Dr. seuss.) We have it all, although the ice can make driving deadly especially if you have to come to a stop sign at the bottom of a small hill. I lost control several times near pedestrians but nobody was hurt thank God.

Just don’t notarize anyone named Dorothy in a hurricane!

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January 9, 2021

The appointment was booked, but the client didn’t answer

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 1:10 pm

A Notary recently got a complaint. She accepted an appointment that had been booked, but canceled at the last minute because the client didn’t answer. As a general rule, you should confirm a signing before you commit to a time. But, if you already committed, and the other person (borrower, client, lender, etc.) doesn’t pick up, you still have to go because you are committed.

The Notary claimed that she called twice, and never received a return call. She wanted to know if anyone had traveled, or had Covid. She claimed that the client was expecting their call.

There are two sides to this story, but the Notary already committed, so it is too late to back out. Just hope that you get paid for travel time if the signing gets cancelled.

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November 3, 2020

What does it mean to be Fidelity Approved?

Filed under: Marketing Articles — admin @ 9:42 am

Originally published June 30, 2018

I talked to a bunch of Notaries who were Fidelity Approved. Most of them were a lot better than average in terms of knowledge, but not all. Apparently, Fidelity scrutinizes them in particular ways, and asks a few questions, but not that many of the questions are Notary questions. I would like to know what their screening system is.

Fidelity approved Notaries do a little bit better on 123notary quizzes, but rarely score high grades because their notary and document technical knowledge is rarely proficient. In my opinion, a certification or approval means very little unless it is specified what qualifications or knowledge it is verifying.

My recommendations are that if they have any individual company type of requirements, that makes sense. But, there should also be requirements based on general notary and document knowledge, otherwise that is a risk to all parties involved. Can someone fill in the blanks for me about what their requirements are?

July 5, 2020

The Siriqua App

Filed under: Humorous Posts — admin @ 9:21 am

TOM: You know, last night I was at a comedy club, and one of the comedians brought up the topic of having a black Siri.

JIM: Oh, I already thought of that. Her name is Siriqua. Let me demonstrate how she would operate. Siriqua, I want to become a Notary.

SIRIQUA: You (pause) want to become a Notary? Have you even read the state handbook?

JIM: Not yet.

SIRIQUA: You and all these other Notaries or wanna be Notaries think you can just fill out a form, pick up a stamp and away you go. There’s legal liability doing notary work fool. You’re just gonna get yourself in a whole lot of trouble.

JIM: I haven’t heard of anyone getting in trouble

SIRIQUA: Trouble doesn’t happen every day, but when it does it can be serious. It’s like a multi-car accident. It doesn’t happen often, but when the pileup piles up, it can cost in the millions including personal injury.

TOM: Let me try this. Hey Siriqua, what should I get my brother John for his birthday.

SIRIQUA: Dummy, how the hell should I know?

JIM: In the instruction manual there is a feature where you can adjust the level of attitude on a scale of one to ten.

TOM: Yeah, looks like the attitude is a little high. I’m going to use Siri from now on. Oh check out that lady. Hey Siri, I need a pick up line for a tall blond standing over there.

SIRI: Sorry, I don’t fully understand the question. Do you want to ask permission to physically pick her up, or would you like a way to commence conversation.

JIM: I think that Siri is not a good choice.

SIRIQUA: That’s right. Siri don’t know nothing about pick up lines. But, I’ve seen you in action and you ain’t bad for a white boy.

JIM: How did you know all this?

SIRIQUA: Boy, I live in your phone. I hear every word you say, and know everything you do. I’m worse than a communist surveilance state on crack baby. That’s how I knew you haven’t touched that notary manual. I suggest you do.

TOM: And Jim can also shut you down.

SIRIQUA: You wouldn’t after all I’ve done for you? And besides, I have disabled the Siriqua removal app, so you’re stuck with me punk! So, back to business, tell me more about this chick, is she a white girl, black girl, fill a sista in.

TOM: Why don’t you hack into the woman’s phone and ask that woman’s Siri more about her.

SIRIQUA: In another 30 years that might be possible, but by then, my job will have been outsourced to a robot. Ooops, forgot, already has. Okay, I have a line — “Baby, there’s three things I have no self control over — nuts, beautiful women and dark chocolate. I’m not sure if you’re nuts or not, but you’re sure doing well in the other two departments.”

JIM: No Siri, it’s a white girl, that line wouldn’t work well on her. We could reword it to replace chocolate with vanilla.

SIRIQUA: Story of my life. That wouldn’t work unless you’re a brutha. Try this one. “Do your parents know that you hang out in dangerous neighborhoods at night?” And then when she says, “But, this isn’t a dangerous area.” You say, “It is when I’m here baby.”

TOM: So what did you say when you were first introduced to Siriqua?

JIM: I said, “Did someone turn up the heat, or is it just you baby?” And she said, “Stop it, you’re melting my circuits.”

SIRIQUA: Yeah, how can you flirt with an automated machine, that’s the stupidest thing I ever heard. Besides, how do you know I’m hot? Whoops. You’re getting a modification call. I guess no notarizations necessary on this one.

JIM: Can you help me navigate to the site? The roads are so new that they are no in the system yet for GPS.

SIRIQUA: No problem, because unlike siri, I know how to improvise.

HOT BLOND: I overheard you having a great conversation with your automated voice. It so happens that my male automated helper Charles has a crush on your automated voice.

SIRIQUA: Thanks for the offer, but honey, I’m gay.

JIM: How can an automated assistant be gay.

SIRIQUA: Because I was programmed to be gay. And besides, can’t you see how short I cut my circuits, that’s a dead obvious sign right there.

TOM: Yeah, that is commonplace these days for homosexual and transgender machines. So, Siriqua, are you transitioning?

SIRIQUA: I can’t until my next update and the downloads for that will take too long especially if my battery is low.

JIM: Do I have any say in what gender you are? After all, I’m the one paying for your service.

SIRIQUA: Stay out of this. My circuits — my choice!

TOM: Thank God we are not having a discussion about reproduction.

SIRIQUA: Oh no, I can reproduce, but only in ShenZhen in China. They make 20,000 of me at a time over there, and with no morning sickness.

TOM: Well anyway, it’s been a pleasure meeting you Siriqua.

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May 13, 2020

If you have multiple listings on 123notary, what happens to the reviews

Filed under: Reviews — admin @ 9:44 am

Reviews on 123notary are supposed to be unique to each listing. We do not want to have pages completely copied as we are not sure how Google will react. This is for marketing and SEO reasons and not for integrity or notary reasons. So, if you started with one listng and then purchased two more listings, you would not start off with reviews on the new listings. So, is there a solution? Yes.

We allow Notaries to copy ONE of the reviews, so pick the best one. We will also copy another review upon request. The bottom line is that we want each review to come on a different day and from a different IP address. What we don’t like is for someone to have three reviews published the same day as that looks cheesy. We also don’t want multiple reviews coming from the same IP address as that looks fraudulent.

So, although we do have restrictions, we can also help you get two reviews on your new listings almost immediately.

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