Your observations may be correct depending upon the area about which you speak. There are areas of the country that are overly saturated with notary signing agents. California is one...from the way you describe your market, Chicago may be in the same boat. In the past two years I have had the opportunity to become acquainted with a number of the notary signing agents in other states...both attorney and non attorney states.
As with all things quantity does not equate to quality, and as the VM's fail to realize price does not equate to quality either. They can not seem to understand that if you pay for schlock...that is what you get in return.

Overall I would have to say that the signing agents are a refreshingly feisty bunch. They have no compunction about making their opinions  known to VM's at title companies and signing services. I really do have to respect the posture that they have taken toward the low ball, nickle and diming  VM's. The abstractors have not learned this lesson yet, and based on the complaints I see on this board they seem to continue to operate at the mercy of the VM's...  eagerly waiting to be thrown a bone.

In the area of closings we do get the low baller calls from time to time, but we can normally weed them out in about 5 minutes. It is an absolute pleasure to request them not to call again until they are able to pay market rates. In so far as the abstracting VM's are concerned, I have even less patience.