just had the worst repo experience!

[jribe]

Wow. I really wasn't expecting what happened last night..

I had just gotten home from work about 30 min prior and all of a sudden someone starts pounding on the door, then ringing the doorbell non-stop. Literally! Then the person goes to my garage and starts banging on the garage door- and tries lifting it.

I'm a little freaked out at this point- so i called the police. The police tell me they will be there in 20 minutes, and to stay on the line. The dispatcher can hear whats going on in the backround and asks if i have a gun. I do- she told me to keep it loaded.

So it turns out, once the officers get here- it's repo guys looking for my husbands car. These were three huge biker looking dudes! Just staring me down. They blocked my driveway so i couldn't leave, and the cops told them they had to move from my driveway to let me go; i'm not on the loan.

So i leave and phone my husband. We've literally had that car parked on the street for THREE MONTHS waiting for them to come get it. Fully insured and everything. So the repo guys try to say they've come by before and we wouldn't give them the car.. My husband has been off work- and home all day. No repo guys ever came out before today!

So we drive to the local ford dealership to try and leave it there, or surrender it. Ford apparently doesn't do that. So my husband calls Ford Motor Credit, and they said we have to go back to our house and have the repo guys get it. My husband explained how they were acting- and ford didn't care. They thought that was ok. So my husband said we wouldn't go back, unless they were gone. We'd leave it on the street in one hour, as long as they weren't parked outside our home.
Ford said they'd call the agent and tell them to leave the area.

So we drive out there- they are still outside! They tried to run into my husband! It was insane!

Sorry, just venting. It was just a very unsettling experience.

Toyota came last month for their car- and the repo guy was nice as can be...

Ford just sucks..

[Ifonly]

You're describing my worst nightmare. I'm so sorry that happened to you. Do you mind if I ask how many days late you were? I just went 61 on my van which will be surrendered in the CH13. I'm so scared that they're going to repo it when I'm somewhere with my kids or leave me stranded with no way to pick up my kids.

[dingdong]

Wow!

So sorry that happened to you. How scary!

I would have been freaking out. It seems like the repo guys should be covered under the FDCPA, or at least have some kind of ethics code and if it is violated they are liable for damages.


Isn't repo-ing a car considered debt collection in some way? They shouldn't be able to intimidate and harass. Wish you could sue Ford for those jerks acting as their agents. Maybe you could start a suit in Small Claims Court for whatever the limit is and use the police report as evidence.

I know it probably wouldn't fly, but that is not how to do business, repo or not, there has to be some civility in our culture and that is simply wrong.

I am going to give them the big Futher Muckers! label!

[dingdong]

So I did a little research answering my own question about repo and FDCPA.

Since the repo guy is repossesing secured collateral for the OC, they are not covered under the FDCPA, unless.... they ask for payment or otherwise insinuate that making a payment will stop the action, then they are acting as a debt collector. So I guess the trick would be, to get these guys to ask for a payment, and then sue the bastards under the FDCPA!


So if you are ever in a repo situation, have your mini-recorder loaded and ready to record, get the repo guy to somehow ask for a payment or state you need to "make your payment" then if he gets nasty, sue the weenie head for violating the FDCPA!

I know, probably won't happen, but in the best of all possible worlds, wouldn't it be nice to teach the jerks a lesson and force them to be at the very least , civil?

[BigJohn]

Wow. I really wasn't expecting what happened last night..

I had just gotten home from work about 30 min prior and all of a sudden someone starts pounding on the door, then ringing the doorbell non-stop. Literally! Then the person goes to my garage and starts banging on the garage door- and tries lifting it.

I'm a little freaked out at this point- so i called the police. The police tell me they will be there in 20 minutes, and to stay on the line. The dispatcher can hear whats going on in the backround and asks if i have a gun. I do- she told me to keep it loaded.

So it turns out, once the officers get here- it's repo guys looking for my husbands car. These were three huge biker looking dudes! Just staring me down. They blocked my driveway so i couldn't leave, and the cops told them they had to move from my driveway to let me go; i'm not on the loan.

So i leave and phone my husband. We've literally had that car parked on the street for THREE MONTHS waiting for them to come get it. Fully insured and everything. So the repo guys try to say they've come by before and we wouldn't give them the car.. My husband has been off work- and home all day. No repo guys ever came out before today!

So we drive to the local ford dealership to try and leave it there, or surrender it. Ford apparently doesn't do that. So my husband calls Ford Motor Credit, and they said we have to go back to our house and have the repo guys get it. My husband explained how they were acting- and ford didn't care. They thought that was ok. So my husband said we wouldn't go back, unless they were gone. We'd leave it on the street in one hour, as long as they weren't parked outside our home.
Ford said they'd call the agent and tell them to leave the area.

So we drive out there- they are still outside! They tried to run into my husband! It was insane!

Sorry, just venting. It was just a very unsettling experience.

Toyota came last month for their car- and the repo guy was nice as can be...

Ford just sucks..

When they tried lifting your garage door, you should have been able to get them for attempting to break in. If these guys are that aggressive, I would say the police in your area have been looking the other way as regards to their activities.

[Recessionist]

I am sorry you had such a scary experience. Seems like these repo guys were loaded for bear and you just didn't need to be approached that way at all.

Some cable channel has a TV show where they follow repo people around with a camera - I can't stand to watch it. I know they are taking cars from a lot of normal, average, decent folk fallen on hard times, just like me. Just like you.

[jribe]

You're describing my worst nightmare. I'm so sorry that happened to you. Do you mind if I ask how many days late you were? I just went 61 on my van which will be surrendered in the CH13. I'm so scared that they're going to repo it when I'm somewhere with my kids or leave me stranded with no way to pick up my kids.

it was 90 days past due when they came to get it. Toyota was onlly 60 days..

[optimistic1]

lol @ futher muckers, I've never heard that, that is so funny.

[jojo]

"The police tell me they will be there in 20 minutes, and to stay on the line"


20 minutes??? Somebody could be dead in 20 minutes; I am shocked.

And...it is illegal for them to try to break into your garage. That is private property!

[liz417]

Gee, what a horrible experience!! Shame of Ford on "hiring" those type of people (granted, they are collecting on a secured loan, but they DON'T need to act that way!), obviously Ford doesn't care that these people are representing them! You had stated that you left the car on the street from a few months for them to come get it...obviously you weren't trying to hide it!

[jribe]

"The police tell me they will be there in 20 minutes, and to stay on the line"


20 minutes??? Somebody could be dead in 20 minutes; I am shocked.

And...it is illegal for them to try to break into your garage. That is private property!

i know! that's what i was thinking.. I was armed though, lol. I told my husband i want to move though. Seriously- with what was going on, and it ended up being more like 30 min before they came.

[jribe]

Gee, what a horrible experience!! Shame of Ford on "hiring" those type of people (granted, they are collecting on a secured loan, but they DON'T need to act that way!), obviously Ford doesn't care that these people are representing them! You had stated that you left the car on the street from a few months for them to come get it...obviously you weren't trying to hide it!

no we weren't! We had it parked on the street, in front of our house for 3 months (since jan). The *one* day my husband takes the dog to the vet- that's when the repo guy came by.

[WillinVT]

Some cable channel has a TV show where they follow repo people around with a camera - I can't stand to watch it. I know they are taking cars from a lot of normal, average, decent folk fallen on hard times, just like me. Just like you.

I think it was A&E that had that show and it was called RepoMen. I had a hard time watching it. I remember one of the guys was a big thug and would take you down if you tried to stop them from taking your property.

[lookingforward]

Don't forget to turn in the plates! Don't depend on the repo people to do it!!

[GoingDown]

DO NOT ASK THE DEALER TO LEAVE THE CAR, they will always tell you no, they don't want to deal with it. Best thing if you really want to screw them over, send it in for an oil change and never pick it up. Then call Ford or GM and say; oh by the way, my car is at Big Bob's Ford, call the service dept. Also most dealers have a night drop box for repair service, you can park the car at night at the dealer, drop the key with a note its a voluntary repo in the service dept key drop and tell them where the car is on the lot. Boom, done.

.

This is exactly what to do. Take the car into the dealer you bought it from and leave it for an oil change and never come back to pick it up. Then contact the lender and inform them of the address where you left it in writing, sent by certified mail. Make sure to send it to their repo department.