Repo business more than grab and go
Staff Writer
Repossessions don’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter if you are black or white or yellow or blue, rich or poor or middle-class, live in a mansion in Ponte Vedra or a mobile home in Macclenny, drive a BMW or an ‘88 Impala or a Harley Davidson — if you are behind on your payments, the financial institution or dealer wants the vehicle back.
In Jacksonville, there are about 20 companies in the repossession business. Some have several trucks and repossess thousands of vehicles a year. Others are one-man operations that may recover a car or two a day — or none.
“It’s a game,” said Rob Meixel, owner and operator of A-1 Towing & Recovery.
The Raines High graduate has been in the business for over 18 years and on his own since 2001. Meixel was detailing cars at local dealerships when his landlords — who owned Sun Coast Towing and Recovery and Auto Sales — asked him to help one night. The company was owned by Lewis Patterson and Hugh Eason, who was a 25-year detective with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, so Meixel knew he was in good hands.
“I was young and an adrenaline junkie and liked anything exciting,” he said, adding he asked Eason what he was getting into. “He said, ‘Let’s go out and steal cars at night legally.’ I haven’t stopped since.”
That night, Meixel says he was part of three or four repossessions, then stayed with Sun Coast for almost five years. Over time, he quickly learned there are several facets to the business. You cannot just buy a tow truck, reach an agreement with a local car dealer and start snatching cars from homes in the middle of the night or from office parking lots during the day.
You must first acquire an EE license from the State and keep it for a year. During that time, you must have someone in the tow truck with you. Then, you can apply for an E license, which allows you to work alone or for any company in Florida.
Two years later, you can apply for an R license. This allows you to essentially establish a towing and recovery company in whatever name you choose.
Then, there is the human side. Meixel said being as polite and professional as possible is key to dealing with people who are experiencing a very stressful moment. While Meixel recovers plenty of vehicles when the owner is nowhere to be found, other times he has to explain why their car is three feet off the ground and headed for an impound yard.
“First, they are angry,” he explained. “Then, they are apologetic. I tell them, don’t be mad at me. I am just the middle man.”
The repossession business is part driving around, part guesswork and part computer work and paperwork.
Dale Nettles has been in the business since 1990 as owner of Jaguar Towing & Recovery.
“I got into it merely by accident,” he said.
Nettles was working for a chemical company doing cleanups. His blood became toxic and he had to quit. In the process of looking for another job, Nettles got talked into trying the recovery business.
“I didn’t even know there was such a thing as repossessions,” said Nettles, who estimates his company recovers 300-400 vehicles a year. “The first six months I was scared and working for a national company.”
Six years later, Nettles went on his own and still enjoys every day like it was his first.
“To me, every repossession is like the first. It gets your heart started,” he said. “If you don’t have that rush when you are in someone’s yard, it’s time to get out. That means you are not taking care of yourself or the public.”
Both Meixel and Nettles say the economy — and so many small, perhaps legal, perhaps not, recovery companies that seem to spring up every day — has affected their business. The financial institutions don’t want to go after the car or truck or boat or motorcycle because the auction business is also struggling.
“They are trying to get all the money they can and they don’t want a pick up,” said Nettles, adding too many people who buy vehicles, shouldn’t. “It’s a game to 50 to 60 percent of the people who buy a car. They are struggling or they aren’t able to pay. Some have buyer’s remorse and default without making that first payment.”
The other side of the game is: where’s the car? Legally, the vehicle must be in view. If it’s on private property, an attempt must be made to notify someone that it’s being recovered. If it’s on the street, it’s fair game. If the car is in a garage or behind a locked or privacy fence, guys like Meixel and Nettles are out of luck unless someone permits a voluntary recovery.
People also go to great lengths to hide their vehicles. They will cover them or park them at another residence. There are means to locate people — through DVM information, JEA, phone records and even cable records. However, a great deal of the day is spent repeatedly going back to the last known address to took for the vehicle. Those searches take place in the middle of the night or in broad daylight. Eventually, if you owe, the repo guy will catch up to you.
“I have repossessed everything from doctors and dentists to very well-known CEOs,” said Meixel. “Some of these people with high-end cars outlive their means.”
356-2466
