Top excuses why a signing company doesn’t pay the notary 

After looking through my list of signing companies today, I saw that the majority had more negative reviews than positive ones.  It is a shame.  Please do your homework BEFORE you accept a job from any of these characters.  However, if you ever want to start a signing company of your own, and string notaries along, you need to learn the ropes.  Here are some basic stringing along techniques.  If you follow these techniques to a tee, then I can almost guarantee you that you will get in trouble with the BBB, the FBI, ripoffreport, perhaps even the district attorney and even the Secretary of State if you are lucky! Additionally, you will win the grand prize of having everyone hate you, creating the worst possible karma imaginable,  and going out of business for sure which is the goal of 90% of signing companies – or so the evidence makes it seem.
 
Excuses for not paying notaries
 
1.  We pay the second Friday of each month… that Friday hasn’t come yet.
2.  Oh, sorry, my accountant is out sick this week (and probably every week)
3.  My Quickbooks keeps crashing
4.  My brother deleted the email you sent asking for payment
5.  My apologies, I lost your fax invoice… and the one before that… and the one two weeks ago on Thursday too (oops!)
6.  The check was sent out three days ago… check your mailbox
7.  Sorry, the loan never funded, so I can’t pay you
8.  Sorry, I’m not in charge of payment, please talk to Marsha (who never answers the phone or emails by the way)
9.  Sorry, but you made a mistake on the HUD-1, and we are telling you now!
10. Sorry, but we took over for XYZ company, and our new name is ZYX, and we can’t assume responsibility for their business with you.
11. We sent the check and here is the check number (a number which doesn’t exist)
12. You never sent us an invoice!
13.  Oh, sorry, did the check we sent you bounce?
14. Sorry, the check must have gotten lost in the postal system.  Maybe it’s because of their pay cuts!
15.  Sorry, checks are being sent out late, we are experiencing a “temporary” cash flow issue.
16.  We pay 60 days after the closing (take your chances!)
17. We are having a hard time getting in touch with the accounting department!
18.  Sorry, our phone is disconnected!!!
19. We can’t pay you until we get paid!
20.  Sorry, we don’t have a copy of your W-9 in our files! (even though you faxed it six times)
21.  Conversations always begin with – I have the easiest job for you today — but then it’s not so easy to collect on it.
22.  Sorry we were rude to you on the phone!
23.  Sorry, but the title company refuses to pay for second visits, even though it was because the documents weren’t drawn correctly the first time!
24.  The check will go out in the “next batch”.
25.  I am owed more than $100,000 and am paying as fast as I can.
26.  You were supposed to collect from the borrower for this signing — that was the arrangement (even though we didn’t tell you beforehand, and even though the borrower’s settlement statement shows a $175 fee for notary on it that already was paid.)
27.  You will get an answer in 10 business days!
28. It takes 3 months for the loan to fund.
29.  Please call back in five weeks because we have a “change in our system”
30.  An “email” will be sent to accounting
31.  Sorry, you must have been faxing to Gary… Gary is no longer with us.  I am the new contact person… just fax me your invoices for the $600 we owe you… It will get paid right away… I promise!!!
32. Sorry, we can’t pay the whole thing, we’ll send a partial payment!
33.  Please hold…….
34.  The check is in the mail…
35. Sorry, we didn’t have your current mailing address!
 
A third notary told some great stories.  He heard from R&R that they thought the check was in the mail.  The next excuse was that their Quickbooks crashed.  The manager’s brother deleted his email, and they kept losing incoming faxes.  Boy… I should write a book of excuses why signing companies can’t pay their notaries.
 
I have also learned that you can get convicted of wire fraud for engaging in crime via the internet! 941 18 U.S.C. 1343
 
Tell us your favorite (or least favorite) excuses.  It makes for good conversation.  If you RESEARCH your companies before you work for them, you won’t ever hear these type of excuses to begin with!

You might also like:

Notary Marketing 102 guide to getting paid
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19794