Not much I can add to what you said, Vivian, but you've just articulated the main reason we don't accept work from most national vendor management companies.  They're the "big guns" and we're just "small potatoes" in their eyes.  We just don't accept work from companies who don't respect us.

A few suggestions that have worked for us, to anyone who's interested:

1) Set your prices, and stick to them.  Make sure your client knows up-front what you charge so there are no misunderstandings down the road;

2) Don't let anyone talk you into reducing your fees in exchange for the promise of increased volume--it almost never materializes.  Our volume discount policy is set forth on our fee schedule--you send the volume, you get the discount, period, no exceptions;

3) Get a signed Client Services Agreement in writing.  If push comes to shove, you can present it as evidence if you have to go to court to enforce payment of your bill.  If a prospective client refuses to sign, don't accept work from them.  They're usually the ones who will give you problems when it comes time to pay.

So, to sum up, we abstractors need to let our clients know that we are professionals and expect to be treated as such.  Our services come at a premium--you don't want to pay our price, find another abstractor.  We are busy enough providing quality service to the good people who consistently support us with plenty of work and prompt payment of our invoices.

I would encourage all of my colleagues reading this to consider adopting some or all of the policies and practices I have set forth above.  After all, how can we expect these companies to respect us if we don't respect ourselves?

Regards,
Scott L. Perry, President
Jireh Business Information Solutions, Inc.
North Huntingdon, PA
SOT ID #1629