[codethief]

That was not my impression. I asked them about the fee, they claimed that it's legal/required by law. Then I asked them again (in a more detailed manner, i.e. explaining my thinking why there shouldn't be a fee), they still upheld that it's legal, and then I send them the court rulings and suddenly they had "forgotten" about that.

[ng55QPSK]

Notaries are supervised by (depending on state) some local court and there is a feedback system if you are not satisfied with the process.