Complaint Review: ICU - tracerservices.com

I found an Internet site for repossessions and called 888-342-7737 on July 8, 2008 and asked if they did personal property reposessions, I was transferred to their repossession department. I did not get the mans name that I spoke with but he quoted me a price of $350 to repossess my boat for me. I told him I knew where it was and that I just needed someone to get it for me because the lock had been changed on it. The man asked me to fax an Authorization to Repossess and Hold Harmless form and took my number and told me that someone would be contacting me.

I was contacted by a man by the name of Mike Collins at 866-959-7376. At that time, I had asked him to repossess my property, a 2006 Nitro (boat). I had already faxed in the form (Authorization to Repossess and Hold Harmless) that was required in order to retrieve my property.

When Mike Collins contacted me, he also quoted me $350, but said they could not send me any quote because if he could not retrieve the property, then I would not owe anything. He said $350 was the right quote. I asked if they would take a credit card, because the website clearly shows that credit cards are accepted. He refused and said the only thing he was willing to accept was a money wire or a overnight check. I told him I would have to verify with my bank if they could do a moneywire transfer. I verified with my bank that as long as it was in that amount that was quoted that they would be able to do the wire transfer.

I contacted Mike Collins again to verify that I would be able to do the moneywire transfer. I asked him where the storage place was located where I would be retrieving my boat. He said he wasn't sure which storage place it would be taken to because there were quite a few in the area but he would let me know. I asked him if he would please e-mail me the information for the wire transfer. He never did. At 11:02 am, on 7/9/2008 he contacted me via an anonymous number and said that my boat had been retrieved and that they had problems getting it and that the police had to be involved and the Sheriff was there, that they always made sure the Sheriff was there for repossessions. He called me again to ask that I re-fax him the form with my signature on it because the Sheriff was there and that he was in big trouble for retreiving my boat without a signed copy of the agreement. I refaxed the form twice to Mike Collins, to the number 866-329-8787. He called to verify that he received it. I asked him how much it was going to cost me and he said he would have to get the invoice to me that now he didn't know because of all the problems they had getting it, he just wasn't sure.
At 1:58-pm I contacted the Arlington Police Department who told me that they had no information of anyone calling for assistance at that address.

At 3:45pm I received the fax and noticed that I was charged an exhuborant charge for Skip Tracing, $3,780.00. There was no need for skip tracing as I had provided via fax a detailed map with the address and an arrow pointing at the exact parking place where the boat was parked. All I needed was for them to cut the locks and retreive my property, I gave Mike Collins all the information he needed, which he specifically thanked me for when he recieved the map. I was also charged $700 (instead of the $350 that was quoted twice to me over the phone by two different people) and $30 per day for storage starting on 7/8/2008, a day before the boat was retrieved. I immediately called Mike Collins, who was now not answering his phone. At that point I called the main number and it went straight to voice mail, no one answered as they did before. I took another look at the invoice and the condition report. There was no information for the wire transfer and on the condition report there were several areas that were falsified. (i.e. no loose gear which there was, it stated it was an involuntary repo which it was not, only one GPS when there are two, date recovered was shown to be 7/8/2008 when it was actually 7/9/2008). Another area of concern for me was that there was no information in regards to Location of Collateral or even a Transporter Name or even an Agent Releasing Boat. How can I be expected to pay a bill or pick up a boat without having any information where to send payment to or information where to pick my boat up? None of that information was included. I called and left a message for Mike Collins telling him that I did not understand how they could charge me over $3,700. for skip tracing when they did not provide that, I provided the exact location for them.

This morning 7/10/2008 at approximately 7:45 a.m. I received a call from Mike Collins who told me that I had signed a contract and that he would not provide me with information on the location of my boat until I made the payment of $4,480. and that I would need to wire it. I refused, he said he could have his supervisor call me in regards to the bill.

At 2:36 p.m. on 7/10/2008 I received a call from Doug, who said he was Mike Collins supervisor. We spoke for 20 minutes in regards to the charges. He said he could take 10% off the price but he would not go lower than that. I asked him where my boat was located. He said that he could not give me that information unless I wired the money first, after that he would fax me the sales receipt and the information on where my boat was located so that I could go pick it up. I told him that I was not going to wire him over $4,400 without getting information and confirmation as to where my boat is located. He refused to give me the information again asking if I would like him to contact the lein holder on the boat so they could just sell it at an auction. I again told him that I did not have that money to give to him and again reminded him that I was quoted twice $350. He said that I was quoted $350 for each item (boat, trailer and motor) and that they were actually giving me a deal not charging me for the motor reposession. I told him that no one ever said that to me, that the two people that I talked to never said anything about any fees of any kind, just $350. He told me that his people read off of scripts. I told him that they did not read any script and they told me $350 and that he wasn't there to hear the conversation so he couldn't possibly know what they told me. He finally asked me if I would like to speak to his supervisor and that he would have him call me.

The issue is they are holding my boat hostage for a wire transfer of over $4,400 plus storage fees of $30 per day starting 7/8/2008. They are trying to extort money from me and keeping my boat as collateral. I have no proof or information of where my boat is located at this time, as I said before they refuse to give me that information.

Browneyedgrl1965
Fort Worth, Texas
U.S.A.