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Carolyn Bodley - Legal Verbatim Transcriptionist of Audio, Video & Digital Files
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Services and BLOG
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blog
entries are strictly the opinion of Carolyn Bodley and may not reflect the opinion of others
(to see archived blog
entries, click on the links to the right of the top blog)
Some photos are compressed or removed in archived blog postings,
leaving only a description of the photo. The blog postings remain complete and unchanged.
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Saturday, February 16, 2013
BLOG - And they walk among us ...
 Earlier this year I wrote about a group of notaries that ordered $49.00 laser printers
over the Internet. As I said then, that is stupid in itself. Stupid is as stupid does.
The printers began arriving
and people were up in arms about the quality, blah, blah, blah. Again, $49.00 ??? I mean, REALLY ??I have never purchased
a laser printer for under $1,000.
The latest saga is from a woman who was out of town when her printer arrived,
so her husband opened it up. It turns out that the paper tray will not fit because the printer has a broken piece that
is hanging down, keeping the tray from being inserted. She called the company and they said even though it is still
within the 90-day warranty, that after 30 days, it is the consumer's responsibility to pay for return shipping. The
shipping will cost more than she paid for the printer. She is belly aching and doing a lot of pissin' and moaning about the
warranty period and the fact that she hasn't even used the printer, so how dare they make her use her dime to ship it back.
I mean, excuse me. She admits that she is a procrastinator and meant to call them but then she got sick and this happened
and that happened. Supposedly, she was told when she called, that it is stated in "fine print" that the first 30
days the company will pay to have the printer returned, but after 30 days, the consumer must pay -- even though it is still
within the warranty period. She went on to say that she was told no one usually reads this fine print.
I went onto
the site myself and looked. It is not in "fine print" -- actually, it is quite visible and clearly spelled out.
The company has covered their bases quite nicely.
She is going to bring it to the Attorney General's attention.
Good luck with that !!! This is the exact reason why the court system is so back logged. Yep, I can hear it now --
Judge to company rep: Did you tell Ms. so and so that, yes, there is a written statement about returning something within
30 days, but that no one ever reads it?
Company rep: No, your Honor.
Judge: Ms. so and so, when exactly
did you see the damage to the printer?
Ms. so and so: My husband unpacked it. From the beginning, the paper tray
wouldn't fit. There is something broken and hanging down.
Judge: Ms. so and so, when did you first alert the
company of the damage?
Ms. so and so: It was more than 30 days after receiving the printer because I got sick and,
to be quite honest, I am a procrastinator.
Judge: I find that the company is within its rights to refuse to pay
for the return shipment of the printer back to the company in order to repair or replace the printer. Ms. so and so,
it is your responsibility to pay for the shipment because according to the seller's written warranty and return policy, you
did not act within a timely manner and more than 30 days have passed.
People get your head and ass wired together
and think --
1. A laser printer for $49.00? You get exactly what you pay for.
2. If you really want to back some
company up against the wall and make then honor whatever guarantee/warranty a $49.00 product has, then read the fine print.
3. If there is damage, either from shipment, or the quality of a product, then ACT immediately, and don't wait for more
than 30 days before doing something about it.
3. Either carry the printer out to the curb in the hopes that some drive-around
junk guy will pick it up; take you frustrations out on the printer and take a hammer to it; or, make it a yard decoration
and plant flowers in it.
5. Lastly, quit broadcasting your ignorance for anyone and everyone to see over your $49.00
printer purchase.
[end of blog]
Friday, February 1, 2013
BLOG - How not to conduct a loan signing ...
 I was a notary signing agent for five years before the housing market came to a screeching
halt, and catapulted our economy and mortgage market into a downward spiral.
I am appalled at the number of signing
agents who brag about getting in and out of a person's home in 15 to 30 minutes. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth to read
about the agents that won't allow a borrower to read the pages of their mortgage loan before signing and/or initialing.
I don't care if the borrower has three days to cancel or not, it is still the borrower's right to read what they are signing.
If homeowners had read what they were signing, today we wouldn't have so many "under water" and owing more than
their house is worth. Had I ever been told that I couldn't read a document, and that I had to sign it right then and there,
they would have been kicked out to the curb and I would have torn up the documents.
I was disgusted when I recently
read "Had my first two hour signing today with someone I haven't seen in 25 years. We worked together and boy did he
get old. We chatted about this person and that person, who died, etc. He had four, yes I counted four cigarettes during the
signing and I think two bourbons with water, and told me how happy he was to have someone he could trust to be there while
he signed these important papers. He said he's been nervous for weeks about signing...and I can't imagine how much smoking
and drinking would have gone on if some other notary showed up."
First off, there are several things wrong
with how this signing was handled. I would never sign for someone I know -- I don't want to have financial and personal knowledge
about a friend. Second, to go into a borrower's home, place of business, restaurant, or wherever the signing is taking place
doesn't matter -- you are there to conduct a professional and business transaction, and you should act and treat the signing
as such. You are not there to chit-chat and gossip about people you know or have known in the past -- save it for another
time or after the signing is complete. Signing mortgage documents are probably the most important papers someone will sign
-- at least they will have the most impact on their lives for the next 15, 30 years or however long. They are not something
to be taken lightly. If you are talking about old times during the signing, then the borrower's mind certainly can't be on
the matter at hand. Alcohol should NEVER be consumed while signing loan documents. You would never be allowed to drink in
a bank, in a broker's office, in a real estate office ... and to allow someone, whether you know them or not, to drink "I
think" two bourbons with water, should never have been allowed. The borrower/friend admitted that he was nervous and
was happy to have someone he could trust to be there while he signed these important papers -- ha! this signing agent was
not someone he could trust -- because if you had been, you would never have allowed him to drink and impair his judgment.
One, two, five drinks, or however many he ended up drinking was too many -- one was too many !!!!
...
I can't imagine how much smoking and drinking would have been going on if some other notary showed up -- I can tell you how
much -- ABSOLUTELY NO DRINKING WOULD HAVE GONE ON had another notary showed up, and you should lose your notary commission,
because you are certainly not qualified to conduct loan signings.
I don't wish ill-will on any person, but if,
down the road, something does happen with this man and his loan, because he was allowed to drink, YOU KNOW WHO THEY ARE GOING
TO COME BACK AND MAKE ACCOUNTABLE because of your less than professional handling of this loan transaction!
[end of blog]
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