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Chrysler Financial And ASSET (Registry = Recovery) and Agents Harassment, Intimidation Left Us Sick Milwaukee WI / Royal Oak MI / Toronto ON Canada Wisconsin / Michigan / Ontario
In December 2003, my relative leased a 2004 Jeep Liberty. With her trade-in, the price was $18,000 and the buyout after 4 years was to be $12,000.
In September 2006, she immigrated to Canada. At that time, she faxed the information necessary to get permission to bring the vehicle with her as she didn't want to end the lease early. This information included my address as her new address, and so forth. She continued insurance on the vehicle. She attempted to get clarification on her status in early 2007 as the plates were to expire and the registration would not allow new plating here in Canada. She was told at that point that she was not allowed to have the vehicle in Canada, and would not be able to get plates here. At that point, she parked the car behind my car (to keep it safe) and attempted to keep up payments while she had no income (waiting for paperwork to be done to allow her to work here).
In late 2007, as the lease was about to expire, she contacted Chrysler to find SOME way to return the car to a dealership in the US. They would not give permission for a 10 day permit to drive it insured to the nearest dealer. They offered no other suggestions on returning the vehicle. In early 2008, we investigated having the vehicle shipped back to the dealer, and how that could be accomplished.
At this point, only the last payment for December 2007 was outstanding. We were attempting to find the money to get the car shipped back.
In the meantime, Chrysler and its representatives were harassing her sister in Michigan, calling more than once a day to find my relative. They went so far as to send a nasty collector to her sister's mother-in-law's house to try to find information that they already had in their file that the car was in Canada. The elderly mother-in-law knew NOTHING about the situation at all and was traumatized. The sister has cut my relative out of her life as a result of all the unceasing harassment.
In late February, we had enough money to hire a car shipping agency to take the car to the closest US dealer. She called Chrysler to arrange any paperwork required to make this happen. At that time, she was told to call Lucy in the Collections area. She was informed that Chrysler Financial was definitely wanting the vehicle back NOW, and she would be called back in the afternoon regarding pickup and how that was to be handled. At that time, Lucy told her that the only money owing would be the last lease payment, but not to pay it now, although we were willing to do so.
The afternoon came and went, with no phone call. We expected them to call the next day to arrange pickup and give us a half hour to take anything that belonged to my relative out of the car.
At 5 am the next morning, I had the worst experience of my life. I went downstairs because the dog was barking madly. I noticed a man on the front steps, holding a flashlight and looking like a police officer. I opened the door (not wearing my glasses). He had an 18 or so maglite shining in my eyes. He had a badge that said BAILIFF on it but no other ID. I was very upset, and told him the arrangements made earlier with Chrysler and TOLD HIM CLEARLY I was not the person he wanted to talk to anyhow, that I had absolutely nothing to do with the vehicle or the lease involved. He terrified me. He appeared to want to hit me with the maglite that he was holding and waving threateningly and shining in my eyes. I called up for somebody to come downstairs and help. He appeared to think that I (a 44 yr old woman) was going to be violent, when all the while I was shaking and crying because I was terrified and having a panic attack. He told me we can do this the easy way or the hard way and told me he could arrest me because he was a member of a local police force. He said I had 15 minutes to get that vehicle cleared.
I should note here that I have a long history of suffering from PTSD after a violent relationship with an authoritarian man.
My car (with a flat battery) was parked in front of the Jeep. He told me to find the keys or he would have it towed into the road and leave it there. I found the key and went around to the yard to get my relative's gear out of the Jeep. As I walked down the sidewalk, the bailiff, who had parked in front of my driveway on the side street, started backing up with one set of wheels on the sidewalk. He didn't look and I had to move quickly out of the way to avoid being hit. I limped into the yard in shoes (with no socks, no time), walked through the 18 deep snow to get to the Jeep and started clearing things out. It was not easy hauling the belongings out in the deep snow as I was still suffering from an accident where a car left me with 2 broken legs and 2 destroyed knee ligaments in one knee and I had no time to put on my brace or pick up my cane.
By this point, my relative and 16 year old son had come out to help, and the packing went more quickly from there. We noted there was another man with him. My relative talked to him more than I did, and apparently he was an employee of Chrysler. His computer told him that my relative was an extreme flight risk and they thought she was going to take the car and hide in the US. (An unplated car? Over a border? That we had been trying to return for months?) He told me to slow down, but I was too afraid of the bailiff. He was also quite impressed at how good the Jeep looked.
They had hired a towing company to move the vehicles. They towed my car out of the way into the middle of the road, and then the tow truck operator nearly hit me a few times getting the Jeep out. I moved out of HIS way and then the bailiff nearly hit me with his pickup. Eventually they got the Jeep all hooked up, and actually did put my car back in the driveway (steered by bailiff). They left my car unlocked and with the key stuck in the ignition.
My relative asked if there was any paperwork or anything to sign and was told no. As far as we know, they might have been car thieves. She received a letter from the bailiff's company a few days later saying that they had receipt of the vehicle.
Since then, she has received NOTHING in writing from Chrysler. She called Lucy a few weeks later who said she was no longer dealing with this and sent her over to Lisa in legal. Lisa told her that she owed $6700 for the difference between what the buyout was and what the vehicle brought at auction. (I don't understand who bought that Jeep for $5000 at an auction fantastic condition and less than 40,000 miles). She was told to pay TODAY or legal action was pending. We would like some documentation who sends $6700 to somebody because they say so?
There have been some longer term issues as well with the way this went down. Chrysler hired an agent who terrified me. Some threat 2 middle aged women. I shouldn't have been involved in this mess at all!! Nor should MY car have been threatened like that, or my person, by a careless power hungry macho guy.
Since that point, I have had a very hard time sleeping, and my panic attacks/PTSD have increased to a point where I have had to seek medical assistance and medication again. My son, who witnessed most of this, was already under care for depression, anxiety and agoraphobia. He was admitted to hospital 2 days later as being suicidal and has been hospitalized 3 times since, though he is finally doing a lot better now.
I find myself reliving the whole situation as I write it down.
Is there nothing we can do about this? I feel Chrysler owes ME because of their choice of agent, collection method and so on. They knew where the car was the entire time it was in their file. I have lost a lot of sleep over this. I have had to spend money on prescriptions for myself and my son, plus a lot of bus fare to visit him in hospital. I have had a number of very serious panic attacks, and they are not going away and I was doing FINE until Chrysler's agent came to my door. I haven't been able to work as much at my business. My concentration is shot. And I had NOTHING to do with this whole situation. I can't even drive a car anymore.
Jo
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
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4 Updates & Rebuttals
JDS
United States of AmericaSorry to hear about your experience
#5General Comment
Mon, February 01, 2010
I work in the bankruptcy industry and am aware of the tactics used by Asset in relation to the repossession and pick up of vehicles. It's unfortunate you had to go through this particularly because you were not the owner of the vehicle. I'm not sure what recourse is available to you and I'm not a lawyer but these tactics used are the normal "MO" for Asset and if they caused harm then they should be held responsible for their actions. for those of you who have commented already...shame on you! I'm guessing you're employees of Asset or if you're not then you're very insensitive and I think it might be time for you to go through this type of experience. These individuals are bullies, they do not provide supporting documentation as they should, and they do not care about individuals they hurt rightfully or in this case wrongfully. Chrysler should also be held responsible for turning a blind eye to such ruthless and inhumane tactics. Children are taught at the youngest age that bullying is wrong and yet we see the largest companies in the country condoning and using bully tactics every day. It's shameful!
Jo
toronto,Ontario,
Canada
Clarification
#5Author of original report
Thu, August 07, 2008
1. I was not standing in my driveway when the careless people were backing up in my direction. I was standing in my neighbour's driveway or on the sidewalk in front of the neighbours drive. "Bailiff" decided to turn around in neighbours drive and the tow truck driver was all over he sidewalk. The guy from Chrysler kept moving people around and telling the tow truck guy to be careful. I kept moving to areas that SHOULD be safe, but apparently weren't. I was not in my own driveway at all and not being obstructive. The "Bailiff" appeared to have a habit of backing up without looking behind him.
2. I didn't have a clue what was going to happen or what to do. How would I? I have never had a repo. It wasn't even mine, so I was not worried. What do I know of these things? I own my car outright.
3. I hate drama. I don't live for it. I go to great lengths to avoid it. That is why this was such a problem for me. I like peace and quiet. I am self employed at a job where I don't have to deal with the public very much. I have set my life up to avoid people like that. It has worked pretty well for the most part. I have not told my family or friends about this incident, because it makes me too upset and I prefer they not see that. My feelings are a private thing. My life is a private thing. I brought this here because I thought there might be people who understand a little bit. I was obviously mistaken.
4. I did not make my son sick. It shows a real ignorance of mental illness when you suggest all this. "Just get over it" "Just get better". I tried that with my son at first, thinking it was just a phase. It was not. He has needed a lot of medication and counselling to get to where he is now. This blame the victim stuff really is not going to help matters here. Please try to understand PTSD of people who have lived in terror of a violent husband/father. It is not unreasonable to expect a kid who is thinking suicide already to be affected.
5. I did not call the police and he said he WAS the police. I was too afraid. If I did anything, he was going to leave my car in the road and not let relative into her Jeep and would be gone by the time other police arrived. He said he could arrest me. How could the police help this? He WAS the police. He said the easy way or the hard way. My first reaction in that case is to comply, or it gets much worse - call it training from a really scary marriage. In retrospect, I should have reported the entire incident after he left. I made mistakes there, for sure. He scared the heck out of me by acting like my ex husband. Yes, in retrospect, I should have done something like that, but I was just so relieved he was GONE that I went inside and tried to calm down for a while.
6. Did you realize we were RELIEVED somebody was coming to get the Jeep? We really wanted the situation dealt with. We had been trying to get this dealt with for a long time. One ounce of humanity would have made the situation go smoothly for everybody.
7. So basically, the point of commenters is that it is all right for people doing repos to drive on sidewalks, to show no ID, to claim they are police, to drive carelessly in areas where they need not be, to physically threaten people and to leave vehicles of bystanders in a damaged condition. Thanks folks. I won't be back here, and it has confirmed that I am right to never buy a vehicle on credit. I want to avoid these guys forever - they are too scary. Your compassion is also very helpful. Thanks for making me cry. I see I should have kept my grief private, like I have for the past few months.
Nancy
Steilacoom,Washington,
U.S.A.
Why didn''t you call the police?
#5Consumer Suggestion
Thu, August 07, 2008
WHY didn't you call the police when the guy started knocking on your dor early in the morning? If you were as afraid as you CLAIM to ahve been, that might ahve difussed the situation. I think you like drama and live for it. GET OVER IT.
Nikki
Coconut Creek,Florida,
U.S.A.
Your stress could have been avoided.
#5Consumer Comment
Thu, August 07, 2008
You stated, "The afternoon came and went, with no phone call. We expected them to call the next day to arrange pickup and give us a half hour to take anything that belonged to my relative out of the car."
Why didn't you just take everything out of the car that afternoon and get it ready to be picked up? They usually don't call to warn you in advance of when they are coming because that gives people the temptation to move the car. Had you gotten the car ready for pick up that afternoon you could have saved yourself the trouble and stress of the next morning.
Also, that morning is over. It was probably 1 or 2 hours of stress, and various stressful situations (some of which may have been compounded by you). You stated a few times they almost hit you and you had to get out of the way. If they were in their vehicles driving, why were you in their way in the first place?
Take hold of yourself and take control of your life. There is no reason to still be stressed over the situation. And there is certainly no reason for your son to be so stressed over the situation that he had to be hospitalized. All he did was help move some things and talked to one of the guys. Let your son know it's over. It didn't really even have anything to do with you. It's not like your car was repoed. There need be no lifelong ramifications of this experience unless you let that happen. Let your son know everything is all right and you are sorry if you blew it out of proportion. You may be showing him, by your example, that it's OK to let inconsequential things rule your life and he is learning that to such a degree it is harming his well being. Take charge of your life and teach him, by example, to do the same.