Kudos to you for sticking to your guns and getting paid.  Vent away - information is the key.  With out information no one can make a logical decision.  I too have seen the blogs where some have been emotional and received a large back lashing from others.  Shame on the backlashers for not allowing us to speak the truth.  I don't want to work with people that don't pay.  Prime example - since I work Title Insurance it is as close as I can get - is the typical loan officer (LO) who sends over the order that must close by this date for whatever reason.  But, I only get 3 days to get everything done - order the exam from my trusted independent examiner on a rush of course, order payoffs, etc.  Now, I have jumped thru all of the LO's hopes and the closing day comes but no instructions, no documents, no return phone calls because no one will give me a time on the precious day LO so desperately needed.  When I finally do get a live body - imagine the trial I went thru to actually get a person and not voice mail - I am told that we aren't ready to schedule - still in underwriting or conditions need approved.  Another 3 or 4 days go by and I start calling again to schedule or at least check the status only to be told, "oh gee, we now longer need that - the borrower got declined". 

Imagine the horror when I send them a bill for my examination fee and cancellation fee.  You would have thought I was holding someone at gun point.  Boy, the phone calls get returned quickly when you tell them you sent them a bill for services rendered.  Needless to say we never did get paid and you are right, unless it is a large enough amount it is not worth suing over. 

So, I for one am a big believe in passing information on to the next guy/gal.  With out information we will all get duped.  And yes, we should not hold the victim responsible unless one can prove that the victim wasn't really a victim but is now crying so to avoid being caught up in a property flip scam like we have all read so much about.  You know the ones - my buyers credit is shaky so if you could go ahead and buy this property, we will make the payments and give you Xamount of $$ for your trouble.....yeah, I don't feel bad for them.  (Stillwell Capital Partners should ring a bell there.)  You should have known better because it sounded to good to be true.  But, the Seniors and Families that have been taken advantage of make me sick.  How many closings have I done where the borrower refuses to listen because their loan officer told them this is how it would be except for the fact that the papers I received for signing indicate a completely different scenario?  LO is now on the phone saying - go ahead and sign it we can refinance you later and fix it.  Oh gee whiz, did you get that in writing???? Of course not, despite my advice (12 years of title insurance/closing). 

Now, granted you don't know me from a hole in the ground but how well do you know the LO.  I have heard the LO's say some amazing things at closing - when you can actually get one to show up.  Some will even stop me in my tracks to point out to "their" customer (not mine as I have been told by many LO's) that I have miss-spoken about this or that and proceed to re-explain it to them so they will understand better.  When I speak up and correct what LO just said because it is blatant BS, and remind them that it is up to you mr. borrower if you want to continue, I am told by the LO to stop confusing the borrower and just go ahead and get the papers signed.  What can I do - nothing except caution the borrower about how I see the transaction and that they are signing legally binding documents.  I am not an attorney so I can't give them legal advice that they are being duped into a bad loan.  Then let the barrage begin because once the borrower leaves I get an earful from the LO stating that I almost cost them the deal and I really shouldn't go into such detail about the documents.  Burns me up!!  I have refused to work for people like that  and turned away lots of money by sticking to my morals and the law. 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion - freedom of speech, yaknow.  And in turn we may not always like the other person's opinion.  But that is the beauty of this country - we can say what we want, when we want, how we want provided it is politically correct and we bend over backwards not to offend anyone.  I have found in my experience the only ones that get offended are the ones that are at the root of the problem and trying to pull the wool over other eyes. 

In summary - keep the vents open and the information coming.  It is time to clean up this business and it is the good ones like us that speak the truth and demand a higher standard that can do it.  Stick to your guns and keep the truth rolling as the truth will set you free.  And lets try not to attack each other so personally.  If you haven't had a problem with "xyz company" then good for you and feel free to let us know that on occassion they do pay but don't scold me because they decided to pay you and not me or because I might misspell something once in a while, etc.  Get it, got it, good!!!!