The repo man cometh and taketh away
Posted by Blueeyes at 11/27/2008 1:33 AM 
Categories: Automotive, Debt, Interesting, Business, Economy
Categories: Automotive, Debt, Interesting, Business, Economy
I just watched an hour long special on auto repo men on the National Geographic channel. It was quite interesting and very real as I was a repo man at one point in my life. It is a very dangerous job. No one wants to lose their car and debtors will fight you and argue with you to stop you from taking their car or truck.
Now, every state has different laws and requirements so, for instance, in North Carolina you cannot go onto any private property and repossess a vehicle. That means you can't even go on a driveway. The car must be in the street or at a public area (mall, movie theater, grocery store, etc...) Yes, many (probably most) repo men do abuse these laws from time to time, but it is against the law. Usually if caught breaking this law the repo man must return the vehicle to the debtor and maybe even pay a fine on top of that.
Going into a closed structure like a locked garage or building to repossess a vehicle is considered burglary or breaking and entering in most states and if a repo man abuses that and gets caught they will get jail time. Now they can use a variety of tools from an electronic handheld key maker to a hidden lift (hides inside or under the bed of a regular full sized truck.). Some repo men carry guns and permits (especially those that tend to take the contracts in dangerous areas like gang territories and high crime areas).
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Most repo men will carry a huge tire iron, truck wrench or bat for protection if needed. I never was involved in a fight during my days of repossessing cars, but I was definitely involved in some crazy shouting matches. I have probably heard every excuse under the sun and seen it all. These debtors that haven't made their payments on their cars know its only a matter of time and so they will be on the move and be keeping their cars well hidden. They will use different locations and even walk a few miles to their house or work to keep their vehicles hidden. But you just wait.
You just wait a few weeks or so til they slip up. One day they will get tired of that long walk or maybe the rain is really heavy and they don't want to get drenched and they think that the repo guy doesn't work in the rain or similar. That's a laugh. The harder it rains the more the repomen are out looking to pop cars. They know the debtors are at home or nearby and the highest odds are on rainy nights - besides you won't even notice they came until you go out in the morning and your ride is gone.
Yes, sometimes the debtor comes out and takes a metal pole or bat and starts hitting the front of the car or truck, smashing the headlights, windshield and more while you drive off. The only thing that does is greatly lower the wholesale auction value of the vehicle and increase the amount the debtor is left owing to the bank. In some states this is seen as a criminal act (misdemeaner and can result in fines and greater collection activities). It does not change or alter what the repo man collects for repossessing (popping in car man slang) the car.
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The usual fee is $300 to $500 for a car or pickup truck. For larger vehicles like dump trucks, semis, RV's and more the price can go up considerably. Bonuses are sometimes paid for old accounts and some more dangerous or special repossessions. Most repossessions companies plan to pop 4 or more vehicles per day depending upon the mileage range and what may be required. Boats and other specialty repos may require a trailer or other specialty apparatus.
Regardless, popping or repossessing cars does provide an adrenaline rush and is very similar to being a bounty hunter. It is a dirty job and the cars and trucks are not usually easy to find. The work can involve doing background checks on the debtors, surveillance, late hours (most repossessions do occur in the middle of the night - as it is usually safer then and easier to locate the vehicles). If you are interested in learning more about the art of the repo man than I would highly recommend the one hour repo special on the National Geographic channel. There are other similar shows and a show on the Speed Channel called Wrecked (it's about wreckers and not reposessions, but it is still quite interesting as they do use similar tools and vehicles).
Now, every state has different laws and requirements so, for instance, in North Carolina you cannot go onto any private property and repossess a vehicle. That means you can't even go on a driveway. The car must be in the street or at a public area (mall, movie theater, grocery store, etc...) Yes, many (probably most) repo men do abuse these laws from time to time, but it is against the law. Usually if caught breaking this law the repo man must return the vehicle to the debtor and maybe even pay a fine on top of that.
Going into a closed structure like a locked garage or building to repossess a vehicle is considered burglary or breaking and entering in most states and if a repo man abuses that and gets caught they will get jail time. Now they can use a variety of tools from an electronic handheld key maker to a hidden lift (hides inside or under the bed of a regular full sized truck.). Some repo men carry guns and permits (especially those that tend to take the contracts in dangerous areas like gang territories and high crime areas).
Restore your worn cloudy headlight lenses to new again with the best in headlight restoration from MDWholesale.com!
Most repo men will carry a huge tire iron, truck wrench or bat for protection if needed. I never was involved in a fight during my days of repossessing cars, but I was definitely involved in some crazy shouting matches. I have probably heard every excuse under the sun and seen it all. These debtors that haven't made their payments on their cars know its only a matter of time and so they will be on the move and be keeping their cars well hidden. They will use different locations and even walk a few miles to their house or work to keep their vehicles hidden. But you just wait.
You just wait a few weeks or so til they slip up. One day they will get tired of that long walk or maybe the rain is really heavy and they don't want to get drenched and they think that the repo guy doesn't work in the rain or similar. That's a laugh. The harder it rains the more the repomen are out looking to pop cars. They know the debtors are at home or nearby and the highest odds are on rainy nights - besides you won't even notice they came until you go out in the morning and your ride is gone.
Yes, sometimes the debtor comes out and takes a metal pole or bat and starts hitting the front of the car or truck, smashing the headlights, windshield and more while you drive off. The only thing that does is greatly lower the wholesale auction value of the vehicle and increase the amount the debtor is left owing to the bank. In some states this is seen as a criminal act (misdemeaner and can result in fines and greater collection activities). It does not change or alter what the repo man collects for repossessing (popping in car man slang) the car.
See better at night with restored headlights!
The usual fee is $300 to $500 for a car or pickup truck. For larger vehicles like dump trucks, semis, RV's and more the price can go up considerably. Bonuses are sometimes paid for old accounts and some more dangerous or special repossessions. Most repossessions companies plan to pop 4 or more vehicles per day depending upon the mileage range and what may be required. Boats and other specialty repos may require a trailer or other specialty apparatus.
Regardless, popping or repossessing cars does provide an adrenaline rush and is very similar to being a bounty hunter. It is a dirty job and the cars and trucks are not usually easy to find. The work can involve doing background checks on the debtors, surveillance, late hours (most repossessions do occur in the middle of the night - as it is usually safer then and easier to locate the vehicles). If you are interested in learning more about the art of the repo man than I would highly recommend the one hour repo special on the National Geographic channel. There are other similar shows and a show on the Speed Channel called Wrecked (it's about wreckers and not reposessions, but it is still quite interesting as they do use similar tools and vehicles).
I wonder if the increase in repos and such is due to the economy? I have noticed quite a few wreckers that repeatedly go through my neighborhood like they are trying to find a certain vehicle. You can tell they must be repossessing cars.
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