The American Repossessor

Operation Repo
By Susan Marston

I wouldn’t normally look to have my monthly article as the ‘Featured Article’, but in this instance I am making an exception, because so many of you out there have been and still are, concerned about the negative connotations that this subject area has had recently…

Buster Keaton would have a hard time not laughing at this one – Slapstick at it’s best!

Watching ‘Operation Repo’ on TRU TV has got to be the best comedy on TV!  I mean come on, who could possibly believe that that repossession company is a Bona Fide one?  They  make Monty Python’s Flying Circus look like the novices of comedy  …….. and they even give Benny Hill a run for his money too!

Well, Repossession Industry, we may not take all that pandemonium in, but there are an awful lot of public out there that will! 

‘Shame on the TV channel and even bigger shame on the California company that really makes the rest of this industry look like a freak show.

So, where is the California Licensing Bureau that regulates so many repossession companies in the state to the point of not being able to breathe and these smucks come along and make a total mockery of everything that this industry has strived to be?

I am not the only one out there that has aired opinions about this set of jokers as some of you did make many comments on www.repoman.com in relation to the comedy act of the century.

It’s a shame those debtors didn’t know the law as they could have taken them to court and smothered them in lawsuits, to the point of that company totally disappearing…and rightfully so.

Since when does it take 3 repossession agents to repossess one vehicle, particularly as they had  no idea what the debtor was like etc?  And since when do we ‘man-handle’ the debtor to the point of pepper spray for no apparent reason and then they wondered by the debtor might have been a little bit angry?  Oh, and let’s not forget the ‘David and Goliath’ scenario, where the young woman who was probably 100lbs wet through, gave Muscle Man more than a run for his money….. and he had to be the caveman and throw the debtor over his shoulder because he couldn’t cope with her at all….

Oh yes what macho men you all are – NOT!

Oopss I nearly forgot.  Now the last time I remember going into what was deemed to be a dangerous area of the city, I had checked the account, the area, the surroundings as most normal repossession agents would do BEFORE going to repossess the vehicle….Hey and guess what…I even informed the Police that I would be in the area, just in case.

My guess is these Neanderthals have no idea what the word professional means, let alone training and safety and indeed, the words integrity and dignity.
And where were the police when this pantomime was happening?  The ‘Breach of the Peace’ law was made a complete ass of and who knows how many other laws they broke at the same time.

And what has to be even worse, is who are this set of Muppet’s clients?   One thing for sure would be, that if I was their client, I most definitely would not be now.
On a more serious note,  it’s time some lenders out there woke up to looking much closer at their repossession suppliers and seeing who is exactly representing them.

After that circus act, I would suggest to lenders that perhaps it’s time that  when reviewing  a repossession company’s marketing as part of your selection process for repossession services,  that you ask them to include photographs of their field agents and how they are dressed.  Oh, no,  don’t think I would make it that easy, that you could substitute just anyone, no I didn’t fall off a cherry tree to think that I would leave it at that!  As part of the contract, I would want up-to-date photographs on a quarterly basis and included in that too, would be random visits to your company and make no mistake, I would most definitely do that.

When all said and done, your reputation, credibility and professionalism is on the line, hence the vital importance of managing your supply chain and ensuring that those within it are of a high standard.  You too are some of the client companies out there,  that aid the ‘cowboys’ of our industry to survive at the cost of all the professional and quality repossession companies in the industry and believe it or not, against many of the odds, there are quite a few, thank goodness!

There is no doubt that many repossession companies would not want the aforementioned listed as a criteria to do business with lenders – oh well, that’s competition for you as there are many professional repossession companies out there, that would welcome such a criteria as it would differentiate them from the cowboys and freak shows, out there, that is for sure!

The sooner this industry becomes regulated, the better, if ‘Operation Repo’ is anything to go by and that includes the TV industry too!

As pathetic as this TV program was/is, no matter how you look at this,  this kind of behavior does reflect badly on the repossession industry.  Ignoring it does not make it go away BUT what it does do, is make the professional repossession companies out there even more professional than they were before, as they do not want to be ‘tarred with the same brush’.  Unfortunately, we are only as strong as our weakest link and boy is that company the weakest link, ever!

As this reality comedy show has no idea what customer service is, It would seem, sad to say that there are many other companies associated to the repossession industry that simply have no idea  what customer service means either.  Well,  perhaps they need a ‘101 course’ in the basics of providing a service, eg., like returning telephone calls to their customers that have to leave a message because there is never a human voice to be had.

I could certainly match them up with some of my client companies where customer service is at the top of their agenda in delivering a professional and quality service to all its stakeholders including the ones that pay their bills – oh I think that may be their customers!

Taking care of our customers/clients is the very thing that keeps us in business, no matter how small their income level may be.  Professionalism and quality service to all the end-users  of our services is paramount, otherwise, we may as well hand over our client list to our competition, who will give the client what they need and want – and when THEY need and want it!

Being in business is not a game – if not done correctly, it can be very expensive to learn to the contrary and I wouldn’t want to see that happen to any reputable repossession/recovery company!
As for  the ‘slap-stick’ comedians of this industry – keep doing what you are doing as it won’t be long before your competitors have your clients – thank goodness!

Overlooked North Carolina Regulations
By David Branch

Although NC State Law 20-101 Sect D has been in effect for over 8 months now, I still see unmarked trucks on the road. The law states that all tow trucks shall be marked with 3” lettering showing the name and address as it appears on the trucks registration card on both sides of the truck. Penalties range from1st offense, $500 fine, 2nd offense, impounding the truck.

‘Tow Truck’ includes recovery trucks. The NC-DOT Trooper that I spoke with understood our need to remain anonymous while performing a recovery and stated that magnetic signs are perfectly legal and suggested removing the sign before entering the debtors neighborhood and replacing the sign once the recovery was performed. He stated that he personally would not ticket a driver, if explained the situation. He also stated that recovery or repossession trucks do not fall under the ‘Not For Hire’ rule.

§ 20‑101. Certain business vehicles to be marked.

A motor vehicle that is subject to 49 C.F.R. Part 390, the federal motor carrier safety regulations, shall be marked as required by that Part.

A motor vehicle that is not subject to those regulations, has a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds, but less than 26,001 pounds, and is used in intrastate commerce, and is not a farm vehicle, as further described in G.S. 20‑118 (c)(4), (c)(5), or (c)(12), shall have the name of the owner printed on the side of the vehicle in letters not less than three inches in height.

A motor vehicle that is subject to regulation by the North Carolina Utilities Commission shall be marked as required by that Commission and as otherwise required by this section. (1937, c. 407, s. 65; 1951, c. 819, s. 1; 1967, c. 1132; 1985, c. 132; 1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 756, s. 12; 2000‑67, s. 25.8; 2001‑487, s. 50(d).)

So, as I said, I see unmarked trucks on almost a daily basis and when I have the opportunity to speak to a driver of a unmarked truck, I get the same answer; I didn’t know. Here is another new rule that I didn’t know about. When I was speaking to the Trooper, he told me that all vehicles that are towing another vehicle must now go through the scales. I have been blowing past them for years. He said that they are aggressively targeting violators, chasing them down and handing out tickets.

So, for you North Carolina Agents, get your lettering and start stopping at those weigh stations.