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Auto Repossession Job Packs Adventure

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  • Auto Repossession Job Packs Adventure

    http://newsok.com/repo-mans-job-pack...?tm=1216508345

    Auto Repossession Job Packs Adventure


    The first thing people ask Curtis Compton when they find out he's an automobile recovery agent, or "repo man,” is: how many times have you been shot at? The answer, after 30 years in the business, is zero.

    People continue to imagine auto recovery as a dangerous profession, full of close encounters with hard-headed debtors refusing to give up their car or truck. Violence is rare, but it does happen, Compton said.

    Once, in 1996, he was beaten unconscious by a man whose car he had just hitched to the back of his tow truck.

    The assault landed him in the hospital with a broken nose, 28 stitches in his head, four fractured ribs, a concussion and six teeth knocked out, Compton said.

    Lienholder's last resort
    Other debtors have tried to outsmart him by getting inside the vehicle with the keys and locking the doors.

    Sometimes, two people being tracked by repo men have switched cars, trying to throw them off guard.

    But Compton likes the challenge.

    "One out of 10 people have made up their mind that you're not going to find them or their car,” he said. "It becomes a battle of wits.”

    Compton owns Aggressive Recovery, a repossession service in Oklahoma City. His customers are major car finance companies, who hire him when their own efforts at collecting payment have failed.

    He employs nine recovery agents, who are independent contractors. Each is responsible to own his tow truck (although some lease), pay for gasoline and obtain towing insurance. The agents split assignments based on regions of the state.

    They set their own hours, too, often working at night when the vehicle they are seeking is parked.

    Since it's commission-based, if they don't recover the vehicle, they don't get paid. Sometimes, this system can lead to trouble.

    "Because it's commission-oriented, sometimes they (the agents) are prone to push it too far,” Compton said.

    When training a new agent, Compton teaches them the legal boundaries of recovering a vehicle. It's legal to go onto a debtor's property and take the vehicle, as long as it's in plain sight or can be seen through a fence (like chain link) or an open garage.

    If the debtor tells the agent to leave, they have to. They can always try again later, or find the vehicle on public property, such as a parking lot.

    If the agent successfully hitches the vehicle to the tow truck, they pull it into the street, then return to ring the doorbell. They offer a deal: an opportunity to retrieve personal effects in exchange for the keys.

    About half comply.

    Compton also encourages agents to treat debtors with respect and not raise their voice during discussions. And no physical contact — stay two arms lengths away, he tells them.

    The best repo men often have a criminal element in their background, Compton said. In fact, the job is sometimes termed "legal stealing.”

    But those people never make good employees, he said.

    "I look for good morals and gradually bring them into the industry,” he said.
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