Toni,

making threats of pulling your free listing on SOT is not valid point for the advertising issue nor a way to support your position. 


Robert has gone to great lengths to support abstractors and their goals including providing a FREE forum for the start of NALTEA and he help pay for the first Abstractor Conference, where there was no registration charged for attendees, that was held this past June and he serves on the Board of NALTEA. 


This site is called "Source of Title", not Source of Abstractors or Source of Notaries, or Source of Title Companies.  Fidlar & Chambers provides a title service.  Are we not, as abstractors, also selling public records through our searches?  Yes, we only provide those records to our clients which require them for a loan (title companies, attorneys, etc...). 


Title services come in all types, sizes, shapes and the way they are performed.  It is up to the clients on how they want their services rendered for them.  Yes, most of us (abstractors) disagree with the manner Fidlar & Chambers provide their service, but again it is up to the client, not you, not us, not Robert on how that service is provided. 


Yes, we as abstractors, myself and Robert included are trying to point out that our (most abstractors) way of searching the actual courthouse records is the preferred way of abstracting and F & C are putting together a title plant pointing out that their way is better way.  This is called competition and we, everyone in the industry, must live with it.  Competition will always be with us either by title plants, fellow abstractors, or by counties putting their records on-line.  Almost all the local title companies in St. Louis use the title plant here, which of course hurts my business growth, so I understand your frustrations.

 
In the business world, be it abstracting or any other industry, you either adapt to changes, create the change (a goal NALTEA is working towards) or your business fails, period, no exceptions.


So, Fidlar & Chambers, your company and yes, Robert Franco are all entitled to try make a buck regardless on how each other feels about the other.  If Robert did submit to your demands to remove this competition, what would be the next request?  Having all the listings in the counties that you serve removed because they are also your competition?  Where would it end?

Jay Duncan