I did a closing yesterday for a title company. I have worked with this company many times. They make mistakes, but I'm able to catch them so that things work out.
They made a mistake with this closing. They left a document out of the package. The documents were all sent together in one file, so there is no chance that I neglected to print one of the attachments. It's really not the mistake they made that bothers me, but the way they handled it.
If you need a document signed, and it's urgent, the most efficient way to contact the notary signing agent is by cell phone. Not by email, which is how they notified me. I don't sit at a desk all day. I'm on the road. If someone sends me an email at 12 noon, I might not see it until 12 midnight. So a lot of time was wasted by the way they notified me.
Also, the way they worded the email, it makes it look like the signing agent neglected to do something. Here is the email:
Anyone who understands the English language might get the impression that it was a notary signing agent error. When they read: the document "did not make it back", it appears that the document was misplaced, or that the signing agent failed to have it signed. I don't know. Maybe the document left the package on its own and decided it didn't want to go back. Okay, I'm being facetious. But there is no mention at all that the document was not included in the loan package. So how can a document "make it back" if it was never sent? I still have the file as proof.
I handled this as professionally as possible. I contacted the borrower this evening. I wasn't able to speak with him, but I left a message. I didn't blame the title company. I simply said that there is an additional document that needs to be signed, and I want to make arrangements to get it signed. As for the title company, I will let them know tomorrow that I expect to be compensated for making an additional trip. My policy is: get the job done first -- haggle about money later. Also, if I make the error, I correct it at my expense. If they make the error, they have to pay.
Will I work with this company again? Of course. Why not? No one is perfect. We all make mistakes.
But if you make a mistake, then come right out and say, in plain English, that you made a mistake. Don't mince words.
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