Nobody likes the idea of a blacklist.

I get it.

The minute you say that a company has a “do not use” list, people get defensive. They start thinking it’s unfair, that mistakes happen, or that one bad signing shouldn’t ruin someone’s reputation.

And I agree with part of that.

Mistakes do happen.

I have worked with notaries for years, and I have never expected perfection. We are human. Documents get missed. Signatures get overlooked. Things happen.

But sometimes it isn’t the mistake itself that causes a company to decide they don’t want to work with you again.

It’s what happens after the mistake.

And I had a situation recently that is a perfect example.

Two Documents Came Back Notarized—But Not Signed

I had a signing where two documents were returned to the title company without the signer’s signature.

That alone is obviously a problem.

But here’s what made it more concerning:

The documents had been notarized.

The notarial certificates were completed. The notary had filled everything out and stamped the documents.

But the signer had never signed them.

That creates two separate issues, and both of them are important.

Issue #1: When Was the Notarization Actually Completed?

When I looked at the documents, my first thought was:

How did we end up with a completed notarial certificate and a notary stamp on a document that the signer never signed?

Now, I want to be very clear here.

I cannot prove that the notary completed the notarization before the appointment.

But it certainly raises the question.

If the certificate was already completed and stamped before the signer signed the document, that is a serious problem.

A notarization is not something we “prep” ahead of time so that all the signer has to do is sign when we get there.

The notarization is completed as part of the actual notarial act.

The signer appears before you. You identify them. You perform the required notarial act. And then you complete the certificate.

Those steps matter.

And when a notarized document comes back with no signer’s signature, it creates questions that no professional notary should want a title company, attorney, signing service, or client asking.

But that wasn’t even the part of this situation that frustrated me the most.

Issue #2: I Should Not Have to Chase You to Fix Your Mistake

Once the error was discovered, I started trying to contact the notary.

Phone calls … Texts … Emails …

For days.

And I received little to no response.

That is where a mistake turns into a much bigger problem.

Because again:

Mistakes happen.

If you called me back and said, “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I missed that. Let me fix it,” we would be having a completely different conversation.

Instead, I’m now spending my time trying to track someone down to correct a signing that I already paid them to complete.

I should not have to do that.

The title company should not have to do that.

And the signer certainly should not have to deal with additional inconvenience because the notary disappeared when there was a problem.

At this point, I may have to hire another notary to go back out and correct the original notary’s mistake.

And that brings me to the part people sometimes don’t want to hear.

Why Would I Hire You Again?

If you accepted the assignment, you agreed to perform a service.

You agreed to get the documents properly signed and notarized and return a completed package.

That is what you are being paid to do.

If the job isn’t completed correctly, and then I cannot get you to respond so we can fix it, why would I hire you again?

We’re all adults.

This is business.

And I think sometimes in the notary world we make this more complicated than it needs to be.

Imagine you take your car to a shop and ask them to change your oil and rotate your tires.

You come back later and they say:

“We changed the oil, but we didn’t rotate your tires. We’re still going to charge you for both.”

Would you be okay with that?

Probably not.

Would you pay for a service they didn’t perform?

Probably not.

And if they ignored your phone calls for several days while you tried to get the problem corrected, would you take your car back there again?

I’m guessing no.

So why should it be different because we’re talking about a notary assignment?

Your Reputation Is Built on More Than the Signing

A lot of notaries think their reputation is based on whether they arrived on time, printed the documents correctly, dressed professionally, and got the package dropped.

Those things absolutely matter.

But your reputation is also built on what happens after the appointment.

Are you reachable?

Do you respond when there is a problem?

Do you take responsibility when you make a mistake?

Do you fix it quickly?

Do you communicate?

Because if I hire you, I need to know that you are not going to disappear the second the package leaves your hands.

Professionalism doesn’t end when you drop the documents at FedEx.

The Mistake May Not Be What Gets You on the “Do Not Use” List

This is the part I really want notaries to understand.

One mistake does not automatically make you a bad notary.

We have all made mistakes.

But how you handle that mistake tells a company a lot about what it will be like to work with you again.

If you respond immediately, take ownership, and do everything you can to make it right, that builds trust.

Sometimes, believe it or not, you can actually strengthen a business relationship by the way you handle a problem.

But if you ignore the calls, avoid the emails, disappear for several days, or act like the correction isn’t your responsibility?

That creates a completely different impression.

And if a company has to hire someone else and pay them to correct your work, you cannot really be surprised when they decide not to send you another assignment.

Be the Notary Companies Want to Call Again

If you want repeat business, being a good notary is only part of the equation.

You also need to be a good businessperson.

Be responsive.

Own your mistakes.

Fix problems quickly.

Communicate.

Follow through.

And remember that the people hiring you are making business decisions too.

They are looking for notaries they can trust to represent them professionally and complete the assignment correctly.

Nobody expects you to be perfect.

But they do expect you to be accountable.

And sometimes the mistake isn’t what gets you put on the “do not use” list.

It’s how you handle it afterward.