Repo man- Ha! We've had the FBI stop by looking for a previous occupant. Yes, they really do carry the neat badges, and drive a gov't issue car that tries WAAAY to hard to blend in.
Repo man- Ha! We've had the FBI stop by looking for a previous occupant. Yes, they really do carry the neat badges, and drive a gov't issue car that tries WAAAY to hard to blend in.
I grew up in the mountains in NC... in a moonshine family. When I was in the Navy, I ended up in a job that required a cleanance that required a field investigation on me...
So the way this works is I give them 10 names of people I grew up with. They go to those 10 people and ask them for 10 other people that know me. Then they go to those folks and ask for references... then decide which of these people I would have been least likely to "warn" about the background check... then go interview them.
For months, I got the same sort of call from old school chums: "Bill, there were some Feds here asking about you. I don't know what they wanted, but don't worry, I told them I didn't even know you!!"
Apparently this is expected in some areas of the country.. ;-)
The life of a repo man is always intense.
Just ask Emilio.
David S. Wallens wrote:
The life of a repo man is always intense.
For some of us (the ones that skipped the whole "big hair" pop culture nonsense in the 80s), that film's my own generation's "Easy Rider".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087995/
"Miller, did you do a lot of acid? Back in the hippie days?"
That being said, I've actually been on both sides of this. Y'see, I skipped a lot of bills over the years because I actually paid my child support. At the time here in Georgia, that payment was 23% of my income after taxes. Takes you out of the "middle class" and into the "working class poor" pretty berkeleying quick. Actually, it's why I had to quit racing. And eating real food. And taking hot showers. And central heat in my apartment during the winter.
Now that I've almost recovered (although I'm still scrambling for my daughter's college money), I find that I don't have the desire to help folks looking for the people who used to live in the house me & SHMBO (who has a similar experience with debt collectors, after her previous husband abandoned her) stumbled across. We give them a simple "we're not that person", and remind them of the "Fair Debt Collection Act".
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf
If they call again, we attempt to remind them that we're not those people, and if they call a third time, we ask them to revisit the FDCA, and then express our wish that their parents give them a venereal disease.
As always, your mileage may vary..
friedgreencorrado wrote: For some of us (the ones that skipped the whole "big hair" pop culture nonsense in the 80s), that film's my own generation's "Easy Rider". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087995/ "Miller, did you do a lot of acid? Back in the hippie days?"
Plate of shrimp.
David S. Wallens wrote:friedgreencorrado wrote: For some of us (the ones that skipped the whole "big hair" pop culture nonsense in the 80s), that film's my own generation's "Easy Rider". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087995/ "Miller, did you do a lot of acid? Back in the hippie days?"Plate of shrimp.
ROFL! I guess I kinda forgot the climax of the film..Miller was right!
"Lovely night, isn't it? You can almost see the stars.."
Did he look like this ?
Where is that damn "Do Not Want" hotlink! 
Karl La Follette wrote:
Yeah, them FBI folks is often masters of disguise..
I did the repoman thing for about 6 months back in the 60's. One morning the assistant manager came in right after me, threw his keys across the office and screamed "I QUIT!!". The night before, an unhappy client had held a .45 to his head and pulled the trigger. It went "click", not boom. He decided not to pursue that career path any farther. I left shortly afterwards.
I was fairly lucky. In the thre years I did it the worst that happened was haing a loaf of bread thrown at me.
Wally wrote: I was fairly lucky. In the thre years I did it the worst that happened was haing a loaf of bread thrown at me.
did you catch it?
Forgot to tell BoxTim..hey, dude-if they're still knocking on the door, it's a good thing!
It means they don't have enough "paper" (as those of us in the "working class poor" in the US often call legal documents against us-it's slang) to just send in the SWAT team. If the right person has "the paper" against you, they will smash your windows and doors to get into your house, and drag your (and everyone else in the house, including your mate & child) asses out into the street by your hair. Sad thing is..if you don't allow them to do that, they will shoot you stone cold dead.
Arlo Guthrie was right when he sang about "..using up all kinds of cop equipment that they had hanging around the police officer's station.." when he composed "Alice's Restarant". OTOH, I'll bet ten Euros that even Arlo never imagined that the cops would have military assault rifles back when he wrote the song.
http://reason.com/archives/2007/07/02/our-militarized-police-departm
A knock on the door is good. It means nobody with any real power has enough unfavorable data about you to just drag you away like you're Salvador Allende.
Long story made short for brevity...I had a insurance claim yesterday on a Sti that was a theft recovery, fixed elsewhere, now in my territory with continuing problems. I go see the car and read the laundry list of issues, most of which are either invisible or so minor I can't understand why the owner didn't just grab a screwdriver and fix them himself (loose clamp here, missing nut there...). But whatever. I see this is going to be a never ending nightmare. Instruct the dealer to do whatever and I'll write a check to get it out of my life.
Dealer calls later that afternoon, laughing. I no longer have to worry about the Sti, as it's being repo'd as we speak.
ddavidv wrote: Long story made short for brevity...I had a insurance claim yesterday on a Sti that was a theft recovery, fixed elsewhere, now in my territory with continuing problems. I go see the car and read the laundry list of issues, most of which are either invisible or so minor I can't understand why the owner didn't just grab a screwdriver and fix them himself (loose clamp here, missing nut there...). But whatever. I see this is going to be a never ending nightmare. Instruct the dealer to do whatever and I'll write a check to get it out of my life. Dealer calls later that afternoon, laughing. I no longer have to worry about the Sti, as it's being repo'd as we speak.
ROFL! What's the line from the old Carfax ad? "People do some strange things to cars.."
friedgreencorrado wrote: A knock on the door is *good*. It means nobody with any *real* power has enough unfavorable data about you to just drag you away like you're Salvador Allende.
I think that would be legally unhealthy for said debt collectors, given that we're not the people who owe the money in the first place. I'm pretty sure they know that and were on a fishing expedition...
Most likely, you'd be surprised what comes up when you troll like that. One that worked very well was to try the number for the co-signer. Tell them the person you are looking for won a new tv. They will tell you the don't know the person but about 70% of the time you will get a call back from the number where the car is hiding.
Wally wrote: Most likely, you'd be surprised what comes up when you troll like that. One that worked very well was to try the number for the co-signer. Tell them the person you are looking for won a new tv. They will tell you the don't know the person but about 70% of the time you will get a call back from the number where the car is hiding.
ROFL! People need to learn TANSTAAFL..
OTOH, the only reason I didn't turn in the guy I'd cosigned for (he was once areally good friend, but fell apart after he got divorced) was because I actually wanted the damn car (Nissan S13 240SX convertable) for m'self. I discovered two weeks after I'd signed that he was relapsing..and back on crack. He only owed about 1K on it (and was only behind about $500), but he turned the car in himself before I could scrape it together. Claimed he didn't know that in Georgia, they can take the car, and still go after me for the money.
If it had been a boring car, I probably wouldn't have put the repos to so much trouble. I was seriously PO'd at the time.. 
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