The American Repossessor

What is life worth?
By Susan Marston

What a sad state of affairs.  In the space of less than a week recently, there were more shooting incidents – one resulting in a repossession field agent losing his life (my condolences to his family) and another, being shot at repeatedly and lucky to escape with his life – and for what?  A piece of metal!!!  Yes, that’s exactly what it boils down to.  And no life is worth that, no matter if you could lose your job or what the value of the vehicle is or how many times a client says ‘we need that vehicle and now!’  NOTHING is worth that.

According to an article on ABC33/40 News, the preliminary investigation regarding the Birmingham, Alabama “repossession homicide” stated that there was ‘a verbal altercation and’ ….there should have been no and.  At that point the situation should have been diffused by the field agent leaving.  No, I am not looking to blame him at all.  Blame is pointless and achieves nothing.  However, having said that, there are many things that can attribute to some of the reasoning behind this senseless killing and I can’t help but look at the door of those that actually increase the possibility of a debtor reacting badly to a repossession, as after all the field agent is only doing his/her job and nothing more.  And why should that happen, as it is not our fault that the debtor’s vehicle is out for repossession.   And then there is the negative media from the TV repossession programs that portray our industry and those within it as thugs!  99.9% of those of us who have or are out in the field to repossess most certainly do not fit into that category.  Unfortunately, many of the general public truly do believe that all repossessors are just like those they see on TV and consequently think they have to protect themselves from us.

The second incident is the one that hit the headline in the Chicago Tribune …”Shooting at repossession team in Hoffman Estates a sign of financial times, industry expert say……”

Well I don’t agree with that one that is for sure, “ a sign of financial times”…., and there are several alarm bells going off for me regarding the situation – first, why does it take a team of three to repossess a vehicle?  That in itself is intimidating to the debtor.  Look at those repossession TV programs,  the so-called repossession agents in some of those arrive en mass and cause more than a breach of the peace, not only because of their approach and attitude but because there a multiples of them and one of the debtor.  If you were faced with three people wanting to repossess your vehicle, wouldn’t you feel intimidated?

Secondly, why did the repossession ‘team’ risk their lives at the point of a gun to take the debtor’s vehicle?  That to me is just unbelievable and irresponsible!
(By the way, both of the incidents I am talking about are in the National Corner section of the website).

And no it’s not a sign of the times, because 99.9% of the time, a repossession is peaceful.  It’s all in the training of the field agents and how they approach and communicate with the debtor.  Yes, I can say that because I have worked with many field agents that have been trained to do just that and they repossess WITHOUT a truck and to do that, you have to communicate.  Of course, there are times when a truck is necessary and yes, we have had many of those too, but ultimately, if you treat debtors with the respect and dignity that you would wish to be treated with, ‘problematic’ repossessions would be minimal.

When training  field agents, the message we make sure that they understand is that  if making contact with a debtor becomes confrontational, they  need to walk away as there is always another day to get that vehicle.  Nothing is worth losing your life over.  Safety first at all times.  That’s why it’s important for field agents to be on good terms with law enforcement and to inform them of your presence in their jurisdiction, so that if there should be an incident, the police are aware of your presence.
“…Cranks up the emotions”…one repossession company owner says….that’s the second part of the headline – but that is all about management and control i.e. managing and controlling the repossession and if the field agent cannot do that, they shouldn’t be doing the job they are doing.

Repossession company owners, I cannot stress enough the importance of ensuring that your field agents are trained in not just hooking the vehicle and driving the tow truck away – a field agent’s job is much more than that.  Times have changed and we need to CHANGE  with them.  The ‘wild west’ is here no longer as this industry is attracting more and more educated and proficient people.  The ones I hire and train can communicate, are computer literate, can manage their time and their accounts.  They are trained in all aspects of the repossession process including being aware of their surroundings and they go through scenario training too (both in the classroom and out in the field) i.e. if this happens this is what  you do, if you come up against this, this is what you do, if the debtor says this, you can respond with this etc.  

Field agent training is paramount and does take up to 3 months or more (subject to the field agent) to be able to perform the repossession basics proficiently. Thereafter, they are monitored regularly and further training provided to enhance their existing skills – known in the training world as CPD – Continuous Professional Development.

A very successful repossession company in the UK spends over $6000 per field agent on training – yes, $6000 and their training is in the classroom and in the field and all before they repossess their first vehicle.  That cost is an investment into the company and its people and it definitely reaps the benefits as they perform many thousands of repossessions annually.  The Managing Director (equivalent of the President role here in the U.S.) runs a very professional company and has a reputation for quality and professionalism and will tolerate nothing less from his employees. His client base and the retention of same, reflects all of the aforementioned.

The repossession industry has a responsibility to providing field agents with as much knowledge and training on not just how to repossess successfully, but safely too.  The latter being paramount.  Why wouldn’t you invest in the very people that are at the forefront of the work that we do and  is a key aspect of making it possible for your company to stay in business?

Of course, we all know the pressure that clients place upon us to repossess their collateral, some more than others.  I would even re-think doing business with those clients that want you to ‘push the envelope’ when repossessing as it is YOU that are liable and not them!  Remember the documents and contracts  you signed before you commenced doing business with them.

Unfortunately, I have met company owners that only provide a few hours of training to field agents  and then let them loose – and that has definitely come back to bite them. Their turnover of field agents is high – well why wouldn’t it be, how can they expect them to repossess vehicles without the tools to do the job? I have heard the owners say, “I don’t have the time or the money “ and my response to that is, you should not be in business – it’s that simple. If you don’t have the basics to take care of your employees, or even simply being a responsible person, then give it up as the repossession industry or any other industry is not for you – if that is your mindset.

I have never been able to understand that philosophy – it’s like putting a police officer to work out in the public with no uniform, little knowledge of the law and expect them to do a good job – NOT!

These are people’s lives we are responsible for and we have to do whatever it takes to ensure that we recruit the right people (and not just a warm body that can walk and talk), train them accordingly and monitor their progress every step of the way.  That’s a good employer – that’s a good repossession company owner/president!

As I said at the beginning of this article, no life is worth a piece of metal and can only hope that we do not see a repeat of this again.  Life is precious and we need to remember that!

The Violence of Repossessions. A Look at ‘Repo Rage’
By David Branch

• January 3, 2009 – Police are called to assist an agent who was assaulted by a debtor in Omro, Wisconsin
• January 5, 2009 – An agent in Leicester, Mass. Was forced at gunpoint to drop a vehicle he had just recovered
• January 9, 2009 – Jason Lee McLendon is murdered by a debtor in Birmingham, Alabama.
• January 11, 2009 – A debtor is charged with armed robbery of the recovery agency that earlier repossessed his car in Lewes, Delaware.
• January 13, 2009 – 3 recovery agents are fired at by a debtor in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
• June 14, 2008 – 2 recovery agents are fired upon by a debtor/attorney in Paso Robles, California
• January 19, 2009 – A Lake Luzerne, New York debtor pulls a shotgun on a recovery agent.

While there has always been an inherent danger associated with repossessions, the sharp increase in the report of altercations involving debtor anger has sent a shock wave through the recovery industry. As the American economy continues to decline and we hear of thousands of layoffs on a daily basis, is ‘Repo Rage’ going to become a household phrase?

Is it possible that, as millions of Americans face mounting debt, foreclosure of their homes and uncertainty of possible unemployment that a visit by the ‘Repo Man’ is the final straw that pushes them over the edge? Ervin Lupoe of Los Angeles, facing a mountain of debt and a recent firing from his job, murdered his 5 young children and his wife before turning the gun on himself. What would the scenario have been if a recovery agent had been in his driveway before he committed his heinous act?

Can the financial woes of a nation be to blame for this unnecessary violence or is it perhaps that as the number of repossessions climb to an all time high, that the level of attacks are just keeping par with statistics? Or is it the fact that we live in a microwave society where everything must be done at once and there is a push to put more agents in the field to keep up with the demands of the lenders? It was with great sadness that I read the news about the murder of the young Jason McLendon. It was met with an equal sadness when I read that he had been on the job for a relatively short period of time. Is it possible that a lack of experience and training plays a part in the some of these altercations? In no way am I blaming Mr. McLendon, that wholly falls on the hands of his murderer, but in some of the other cases, I must wonder if a lack of training and experience led to an escalation of violence. While I have never once been punched, stabbed, or shot at. I have seen a gun or two presented by a debtor. In one particular case, I was caught by a debtor in the driver’s seat of a pick up as I was doing a keyed recovery. The debtor had a weapon in his hand as he came out of the side door of the house. Because I always wrote the debtor’s first name on the palm of my hand, I quickly said his name and started talking. By the end, I was invited into his house while he called the lender, he cleaned out the truck and the recovery was completed. I firmly believe, no, I know for a fact, that my experience in dealing with debtors face to face has diffused many hostile situations.

I am certain that another increase in altercations can directly be linked to one source; Operation Repo. This television show is totally scripted and fictional. Yet when the general public watches it, they fall into that Hollywood trance and believe that what they are watching is actual footage of recoveries. I have read on some internet forums where actual agents, who do recoveries every day, still believe that the show is real! The show promotes itself with the following statement: "We take a look inside the fast-paced, high-pressure world of car repossession with a team of highly trained professionals." So here we have a bunch of goon actors who ride around in a posse to debtors homes and instigate fights and behave like a bunch of Neanderthals. So now we have a bunch of debtors who have watched Operation Repo and expect that when we show up, the fight is on. That’s just brilliant. This is what viewer of this trash wrote on the website Yelp.com: "OMG I’m watching a TV show on truTV called OPERATION REPO. I’ve never felt so disgusted in my life over someone’s job before. I honestly believe if I had a gun and this happened to me or someone I knew I would seriously shoot him in the head. Is this seriously legal what they are doing? It’s physical violence repossessing stuff. This can’t be legal in every state. Anyone know the repo laws for DC/MD/VA regarding deadly force protecting your property?”

A bad economy, desperate debtors at the end of their ropes, the influx of under or untrained and inexperienced recovery agents to handle the ever increasing number of accounts being placed for repossession and moronic television shows that provoke debtors to violent acts… they all add up to an increasingly dangerous situation for the recovery agent.

And why does it seem that as recovery work becomes more dangerous and possibly one of the most dangerous job in the country, do the lenders keep seeking lower fees and more free services?

I have posed many questions here, but let me ask one more:
What can we do about it?