Comments on: Door Knocking For Keys

By: RepoNut

RepoNut — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:31:00 +0000

I spent many years as a field agent and was trained to hook and book. It was faster, safer and really funner because once the debtor is in your face the enjoyable part of the job is over. Now 25 years later as a business owner of my own recovery company I have mastered the skill of door knocking not only for skip tracing but for collecting keys as well. I train my agents to be able to “read” every situation and to use skills and intuition to know when it’s safe and practical to knock for keys or to just hook and book. Plus the area or part of the country you are operating in is also an important factor. I wouldn’t knock a door in a well known gang or drug related neighborhood but will most of the time in the rich suburbs. The reality is how often are we picking up the rich guys hummer as aposed to the gang bangers cadillac deville. So it’s a skill set I expect a good, well trained agent to have but to use with common sense and with safety for themselves and the public foremost on their mind.

By: mike lancaster

mike lancaster — Mon, 24 May 2010 02:48:00 +0000

some companies charge a fee to obtain the keys. it’s leinholder’s like ford that pressure their vendors to obtain keys or they have to make a working key for the car at no addtional charge. button pushing worms.it’s just another service they want someone to perform for free. upper manangement coporate mentality.

By: C PAVEY

C PAVEY — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:39:25 +0000

I agree with James Mcduffie. I have repode in Richmond Va for 10 years and here in West Va for the past 10 years and I always door knock for keys. My approach is that I wanted to give them the opportunity to get their personal belongings and I have never had a confrontation. Yes, a cussing but I also feel it is how you carry yourself and treat people with dignity. They can cuss me all they want but Im leaving with the unit and I dont have to deal with pp and I get the keys which always looks good to the client. Not having to deal with pp also lowers the risk of law suits. I have had 2 guns pulled on me in 20 years doing a repo and about 10 times getting pp back. Too many of these guys who are “the repo man” need to develope skills of interaction with the debtors and stop stealing there cars in the middle of the night. When they come to the lot to get the pp they are madder then hell and leads to issues. JMO

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:25:52 +0000

I have had a pretty sucessful time knocking the door for keys.

I just advise them if they want their personal property they need to give the keys up before I let them walk twards their vehicle and they are not get hostile with me or it will be over before it starts.

If they are telling me to go f myself when they answer the door I tell them sorry to bother you.

You may pick up your stuff once I have done a complete inventory of the vehicle and there will be a bill for that which must be paid before they get their personal porperty back.

That usually calms them down quickly.

By: Bill Meinhardt

Bill Meinhardt — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:50:55 +0000

There will be enough times that you will have to make contact with the debtor without arbitraiarlly doing it. door knocking for keys is tandimount to the opening of Pandora”s box. All kinds of things can come out, boyfriends, guns, knifes, even naked people! you just don’t know what your going to get!

By: Michael Simpson

Michael Simpson — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:03:54 +0000

No way should you knock for keys. This is asking to have a HUGE problem. Keys are not worth being beaten up or shot over.

By: David Gilstrap

David Gilstrap — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:19:00 +0000

I am a General Manager of a large repossession firm in Georgia and the owners and I go around all the time about this very thing. Neither of them have ever been in the field, while I spent the first fifteen years of my working life there. I agree with each one of you and wanted to add one other thing. BANKRUPTCY!!! Of the vehicles I’ve had to set down I’d say 90% were because of an active bankruptcy. I don’t knock doors unless the vehicle is in the garage or not there. Good luck and be safe out there!!!

By: John Kilpatrick

John Kilpatrick — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:09:23 +0000

Knocking on the door for the key is really just the beginning. To initiate unnecessary contact with the debtor begins a potential series of events that could very well test the limits of your insurance coverage and at the worst challenge the safety of the recovery agent. If the debtor is willing to give up the key to the collateral they, rightfully so, will want to remove the personal property from the vehicle. Simply, where would you rather handle this transaction? In the street in front of the debtor’s home or in the safe, controlled environment of your office?
Dave Branch is correct… Many recovery agents are seeking keys at the point of repossession “out of desperation.” The cause of the desperation certainly depends on the agent. Maybe their fee structure requires keys for each unit. It is definitely more cost effective to get the key from the debtor than to locksmith the unit… Or is it?? Maybe the agent covers such a large area that the agent is desperate for a key so the unit can be driven to the storage compound. Whatever the reason… Knocking on the door of the Debtor after securing the unit has far more potential for negative results for both the agent, personally, and the company.

By: James McDuffie

James McDuffie — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:07:41 +0000

Well I guess I am the minority here because I have been repossessing cars In Chicago and LA for about 25 years and have never used a tow truck or been stealthy. I have received keys about 98% of the time without any problems. 1% debtor was not even there and 1 percent were well not very nice.Most people are not bad people they have fallen on bad times and most of them are not mad at you.They are mad at the Bank for calling 4 times a day looking for money.I can honestly say over 80% have told the bank to come get the car.And of those most have been in the driveway for many months because the bank wont pick them up.They started driving them again.It has been this way for many years.As a matter of fact most thank me for not coming in the middle of the night.I have worked with my wife from about 11 am till about 10 pm when you can talk to people.I am not telling you all to sell your tow trucks because there is a lot of skill in treating a person with respect asking them for there car removing property and plates and having the debtor thank you.I have even made some friends I still speak with many of them years later.There is two sides to every story.I have just taken a moment of my day to listen…..Works for me.Good luck be safe and remember most have you have not always been in the best financial shape in your own lives.I know some of you will scream Breach of Peace Bla Bla but The tow Truck Payments I havnt had to pay in 25 years has made up for the dozen or so cars I have lost from not having a Truck.Be safe and remember what you are doing and Where.God bless you all……Jim

By: Joe Taylor

Joe Taylor — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:57:28 +0000

I have been a licensed collateral recovery specialist in Florida for over 30 years and currently write insurance coverage’s exclusively to the collateral recovey industry. I have to totally agree with David Branch regarding “knocking for keys”. Putting one’s profits before one’s safety is not only foolish it is also inconsiderate of one’s family. I have long advocated that the lien holder require the selling dealer to provide them with keys to every automobile they finance, just like a buy here, pay here dealer does. However, I have found the lien holder to be quite dismissive of such suggestion. After all, it is not the lien holder that is placed in jeopardy.