It’s Entertainment, Folks, and a Long Way From Reality
By KEN BELSON
Published: February 25, 2010
“IT’S a cartoon,” said Rodney Myers, dismissing the portrayal of his profession on television reality shows about repossessing cars.
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The Wired Repo Man: He’s Not ‘As Seen on TV’ (February 28, 2010)
Mr. Myers, who runs All Valley Recovery in Harlingen, Tex., has repossessed cars for 22 years. It doesn’t take much to get him talking.
“You see all these bullies beating them up, that doesn’t happen,” he said. “We don’t drag their stuff away.”
Mr. Myers said his agents follow the tough consumer protection laws governing the industry in Texas. Banks and lenders will take their business elsewhere if they learn rules are broken. His drivers are licensed by the state, take drug tests and dress neatly because, he said, they represent lenders.
Shows like “Operation Repo” on the TruTV network, and “Night Shift: Repo Men” on the National Geographic channel, thrive on confrontation, often between repo men and car owners, but also among car owners, spouses, girlfriends and neighbors.
While some who recover cars live for showdowns, others prefer as little conflict as possible. Some states require that repo men get the consent of the car owner before taking the car away, which requires tact, negotiating skills — and sometimes lawyers. In other states, repo men need to make a positive ID of the cars before they grab them.
“Kindness can get you a long way,” said Brian Mason, who runs Seven Star Recovery Services in Santa Ana, Calif. “We’ve all had situations that have gone the wrong way, but I can count the number of cases on one hand. People understand what’s happening, versus these TV shows.”
