Midnight Mystery
March 3, 2010 3:31 PM Subscribe
Last weekend, an unfriendly man started banging on my door at 4:30 in the morning. With the clues I have from the encounter that followed, I'm looking for your theories about what the hell was going on.
Saturday at 4:30 AM, I'm awakened by a loud banging on the front door. I ignore it for a few minutes, but the person will not go away. A very unhappy me stumbles downstairs. Looking out the window, I see a truck in the middle of the street, empty but with the engines running. I open the door, and there is a fairly large man on my porch with a clipboard. He does not introduce himself, say where he's from or mention the time. He immediately asks if "X" is there.
X is a foreign female name; it is a name I recognize as one of the Czech girls who were the previous tenants in my rented house. I have been there since early 2007, and I don't know how long the house was empty before that, so this person as an address that's at least 3 years out of date. The man read the name off the clipboard and stumbled over it. This leads me to believe the man does not personally know X, going against my original "Crazy Ex-Boyfriend" theory.
At this point, I am extremely annoyed and very groggy. I could tell him that she doesn't live here, and hasn't since 2006 at the latest. Instead, I say "It's 4 in morning. Go away", and slam the door in his face. As I walk up the stairs, he screams through the door "Tell me if she lives here so I won't have to come back if she doesn't." I respond that if he doesn't leave, I will call the police. He didn't leave right away, so I yelled something about getting a bat; again, I was very groggy and very irritated.
He got in his truck, but didn't go anywhere for a few minutes. He was writing something in his truck, and finally left.
Some notes: My place is a single family dwelling that's been a rental for at least 10 years. It is in a reasonably nice middle-class neighborhood in Annapolis, MD. I am in the process of moving to Baltimore, so I am hardly at my place in Annapolis. I do not know if he has tried before or has come back since. It was a white, commercial-looking truck, but I was too sleepy to check for a logo or anything like that on it. The man's clothes did not look like a uniform, but it was dark. When we first moved in, X did receive some letters from collections. My landlord told me that she moved back to Europe with no forwarding address, so I just tossed them. Except for junk mail, I know of nothing addressed to her coming to my house for some time.
Since then, I've been very curious about who that might have been. Some guesses that I have come up with or others have suggested:
-Repo Man: Would a repo guy attempt to retrieve something from inside the house like that?
-Bounty Hunter: I never met X, so I don't know what she was in to.
-PI: This seems a pretty silly way to go about it, right?
-Over-zealous Summons Deliverer: My lawyer girlfriend who used to deliver summons said this is unlikely, but maybe?
-Super Dedicated Census Taker: This sounds really unlikely to me. Are they even walking the streets yet? Wouldn't he have said he was from the census? Wouldn't he have been polite?
Do you have reasons to doubt or support those ideas? Do you have any possibilities to suggest? I doubt there is any danger, but the mystery is bothering me.
Saturday at 4:30 AM, I'm awakened by a loud banging on the front door. I ignore it for a few minutes, but the person will not go away. A very unhappy me stumbles downstairs. Looking out the window, I see a truck in the middle of the street, empty but with the engines running. I open the door, and there is a fairly large man on my porch with a clipboard. He does not introduce himself, say where he's from or mention the time. He immediately asks if "X" is there.
X is a foreign female name; it is a name I recognize as one of the Czech girls who were the previous tenants in my rented house. I have been there since early 2007, and I don't know how long the house was empty before that, so this person as an address that's at least 3 years out of date. The man read the name off the clipboard and stumbled over it. This leads me to believe the man does not personally know X, going against my original "Crazy Ex-Boyfriend" theory.
At this point, I am extremely annoyed and very groggy. I could tell him that she doesn't live here, and hasn't since 2006 at the latest. Instead, I say "It's 4 in morning. Go away", and slam the door in his face. As I walk up the stairs, he screams through the door "Tell me if she lives here so I won't have to come back if she doesn't." I respond that if he doesn't leave, I will call the police. He didn't leave right away, so I yelled something about getting a bat; again, I was very groggy and very irritated.
He got in his truck, but didn't go anywhere for a few minutes. He was writing something in his truck, and finally left.
Some notes: My place is a single family dwelling that's been a rental for at least 10 years. It is in a reasonably nice middle-class neighborhood in Annapolis, MD. I am in the process of moving to Baltimore, so I am hardly at my place in Annapolis. I do not know if he has tried before or has come back since. It was a white, commercial-looking truck, but I was too sleepy to check for a logo or anything like that on it. The man's clothes did not look like a uniform, but it was dark. When we first moved in, X did receive some letters from collections. My landlord told me that she moved back to Europe with no forwarding address, so I just tossed them. Except for junk mail, I know of nothing addressed to her coming to my house for some time.
Since then, I've been very curious about who that might have been. Some guesses that I have come up with or others have suggested:
-Repo Man: Would a repo guy attempt to retrieve something from inside the house like that?
-Bounty Hunter: I never met X, so I don't know what she was in to.
-PI: This seems a pretty silly way to go about it, right?
-Over-zealous Summons Deliverer: My lawyer girlfriend who used to deliver summons said this is unlikely, but maybe?
-Super Dedicated Census Taker: This sounds really unlikely to me. Are they even walking the streets yet? Wouldn't he have said he was from the census? Wouldn't he have been polite?
Do you have reasons to doubt or support those ideas? Do you have any possibilities to suggest? I doubt there is any danger, but the mystery is bothering me.
This is totally bizarre. My best guess is maybe a really intense collections agency? You know they think she lives there, you know they were trying to communicate with her in the past...could be, I guess. Do you remember anything about the truck or what the guy was wearing?
Err, most of my knowledge of collections agents comes from Confessions of a Shopaholic, so I could most certainly be wrong.
posted by sallybrown at 3:39 PM on March 3, 2010
Err, most of my knowledge of collections agents comes from Confessions of a Shopaholic, so I could most certainly be wrong.
posted by sallybrown at 3:39 PM on March 3, 2010
Was the guy European?
posted by desjardins at 3:39 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by desjardins at 3:39 PM on March 3, 2010
I think it's one of the first three. I'm leaning towards one of the first two, since the van indicates he wanted to take someone or something away.
But there's really no way to know for sure.
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:40 PM on March 3, 2010
But there's really no way to know for sure.
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:40 PM on March 3, 2010
Best answer: Monetary collection of some kind. This excellent series by the Boston Globe describes how unscrupulous and insane debt collectors are, on many levels.
posted by Melismata at 3:41 PM on March 3, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 3:41 PM on March 3, 2010 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: Good question; the man was a white American.
posted by spaltavian at 3:41 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by spaltavian at 3:41 PM on March 3, 2010
I have actually had a P.I. do the same kind of creepy knock-at-a-random-time ask-for-someone-random at my old gf's place.
But a) he was polite and b) I don't see why a PI would need a van, which wastes gas and is conspicuous.
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:43 PM on March 3, 2010
But a) he was polite and b) I don't see why a PI would need a van, which wastes gas and is conspicuous.
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:43 PM on March 3, 2010
Another vote for Repo Man. I don't think a kidnapper would want to be witnessed actively searching for a specific person.
posted by Lobster Garden at 3:43 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Lobster Garden at 3:43 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
My first thought was Repo Man as well. Maybe 4am is a good time to catch people? Most are asleep, and its not like the repo guy can just break into the house if they need to take away something; someone has to open the door.
(For some reason I thought of that episode of Friends where Joey & Chandler's apartment is pretty much emptied by the repo guys after Joey's spending spree, but that was in the middle of the day)
posted by cgg at 3:45 PM on March 3, 2010
(For some reason I thought of that episode of Friends where Joey & Chandler's apartment is pretty much emptied by the repo guys after Joey's spending spree, but that was in the middle of the day)
posted by cgg at 3:45 PM on March 3, 2010
Response by poster: Let me clarify regarding the truck: it was specifically a truck, not a van. It looked like one of the larger pickups.
posted by spaltavian at 3:45 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by spaltavian at 3:45 PM on March 3, 2010
not a census taker. he would have identified himself and not been out at 4:30.
my vote is for repo.
posted by nadawi at 3:47 PM on March 3, 2010
my vote is for repo.
posted by nadawi at 3:47 PM on March 3, 2010
Best answer: The empty truck and arriving at a time when most people are home makes me think repo man or bailiff. Either of those should have shown you ID etc of course, but the horrible hour of the visit makes him sound less than professional already.
Telling him to go away and calling the police if he doesn’t seems a pretty reasonable reaction for a 4.30 am visit, but if he comes back during the day then asking him flat out "who are you and what do you want" is possibly the quickest way to figure out what is going on.
posted by shelleycat at 3:47 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Telling him to go away and calling the police if he doesn’t seems a pretty reasonable reaction for a 4.30 am visit, but if he comes back during the day then asking him flat out "who are you and what do you want" is possibly the quickest way to figure out what is going on.
posted by shelleycat at 3:47 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Have you considered calling the police? If you aren't often at your Annapolis place, I'd hate to think this (extremely creepy) guy might try to break in if you're not there in order to repo something/mystery mystery whatever. He doesn't sound like he's quite right in the head, and the police should probably know that this threatening guy is pounding down your down at all hours of the night.
The police were called by my friend's (schizophrenic) neighbor recently, who told them my friend was working for Satan and all kinds of other good stuff -- police came to speak with my friend afterward and said there wasn't anything they could do except ask the apartment management to call her next of kin because she was clearly off her meds, but that they'd let the dispatch know there were potential problems at X address, in case a call came in again. It's worth a shot, anyway, for your peace of mind.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 3:48 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
The police were called by my friend's (schizophrenic) neighbor recently, who told them my friend was working for Satan and all kinds of other good stuff -- police came to speak with my friend afterward and said there wasn't anything they could do except ask the apartment management to call her next of kin because she was clearly off her meds, but that they'd let the dispatch know there were potential problems at X address, in case a call came in again. It's worth a shot, anyway, for your peace of mind.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 3:48 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Quasi-legit repo man.
posted by mreleganza at 3:50 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by mreleganza at 3:50 PM on March 3, 2010
Best answer: My vote is for a process/summons server. I had a VERY similar experience about 10 years ago - dude showed up at my house at 6AM banging on the door, looking for a previous tenant. When I told him that I didn't know that person, he insisted that I was lying and demanded to be allowed inside to look around. I told him to go fuck himself, and he never came back.
posted by deadmessenger at 3:54 PM on March 3, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by deadmessenger at 3:54 PM on March 3, 2010 [4 favorites]
Because of my line of work, my mind immediately goes to human trafficker trying to find a woman who escaped or her family/friends.
posted by emilyd22222 at 3:57 PM on March 3, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by emilyd22222 at 3:57 PM on March 3, 2010 [3 favorites]
Nthing repo man. The TV special on repossessions said that they go to houses in the early morning to increase the odds that whatever property they're looking for is there. Also, it's apparently easier to take things from groggy people. These guys have to do their own research on where to find people who have outstanding debt, so that's why he was asking you to tell him whether she lived there, didn't know her, and was taking notes. They won't tell you much about what's going on because if the Czech girl still lived there, the guy doesn't want to give her any warning that he's taking her property.
You can call the police if he shows up again, but usually repo guys are in an independent contractor position with whatever company it is that's collecting the property, so they're fairly legitimate. An officer probably wouldn't arrest the guy as long as he doesn't take anything that's on his list of things that the Czech girl owes money on.
posted by _cave at 4:04 PM on March 3, 2010
You can call the police if he shows up again, but usually repo guys are in an independent contractor position with whatever company it is that's collecting the property, so they're fairly legitimate. An officer probably wouldn't arrest the guy as long as he doesn't take anything that's on his list of things that the Czech girl owes money on.
posted by _cave at 4:04 PM on March 3, 2010
Response by poster: Okay, if it was repo man, what if I said "Yeah, she's here". Would that have given him the freedom to push me aside and jack whatever TV he saw. What if I I said "Sure, but you can't come in". That's still trespassing. What would have been the consequences of my attempts to stop him? I had he entered my home, I absolutely would have physically harmed him.
posted by spaltavian at 4:10 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by spaltavian at 4:10 PM on March 3, 2010
FWIW, I spent a few days riding along with several repo men for a newspaper article in 2002, and all of them drove big pickups which had fold-up hydraulic car-towing systems that dropped out from under the bed. They were trying to be discreet, because people apparently kept their eyes peeled for an obvious tow truck.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 4:11 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 4:11 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Why wouldn't you just say that she doesn't live there anymore?
posted by horsemuth at 4:12 PM on March 3, 2010 [17 favorites]
posted by horsemuth at 4:12 PM on March 3, 2010 [17 favorites]
I'd call the police and report him as a shady repo guy, but I'm perhaps a kidnapper is a credible theory. Some people wind up here from Eastern Europe by difficult means; perhaps he was coming to collect either her or her money. Maybe I'm more conspiracy minded, but still.
posted by motsque at 4:17 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by motsque at 4:17 PM on March 3, 2010
Repo man. Every TV show I've ever seen had them starting work around 2 am. He's not after a TV, who repos a TV? He doesn't want to come into your house. Pickup truck is a tow truck, what M.C. Lo-Carb! said.
posted by fixedgear at 4:17 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by fixedgear at 4:17 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
drjimmy11 writes "I don't see why a PI would need a van, which wastes gas and is conspicuous."
A plain white van or pickup is about the most innocuous vehicle you can get in any kind of urban area.
posted by Mitheral at 4:24 PM on March 3, 2010
A plain white van or pickup is about the most innocuous vehicle you can get in any kind of urban area.
posted by Mitheral at 4:24 PM on March 3, 2010
Nthing Repo Man. For fun, watch Operation Repo. Though it's all re-enacted stuff for a reality show, it gives you a good idea of their M.O.
Also, next time just tell the guy she doesn't live there and speculate later. Do you really want this happening again?
posted by arishaun at 4:29 PM on March 3, 2010
Also, next time just tell the guy she doesn't live there and speculate later. Do you really want this happening again?
posted by arishaun at 4:29 PM on March 3, 2010
Best answer: Repo man. Every TV show I've ever seen had them starting work around 2 am. He's not after a TV, who repos a TV? He doesn't want to come into your house. Pickup truck is a tow truck, what M.C. Lo-Carb! said.
My brother used to work for two auto credit agencies for major auto makers. He would order the repos. They did it during the day and didn't use a tow truck. They just broke the lock and drove off.
posted by Ironmouth at 4:32 PM on March 3, 2010
My brother used to work for two auto credit agencies for major auto makers. He would order the repos. They did it during the day and didn't use a tow truck. They just broke the lock and drove off.
posted by Ironmouth at 4:32 PM on March 3, 2010
Best answer: Okay, if it was repo man, what if I said "Yeah, she's here". Would that have given him the freedom to push me aside and jack whatever TV he saw. What if I I said "Sure, but you can't come in". That's still trespassing. What would have been the consequences of my attempts to stop him? I had he entered my home, I absolutely would have physically harmed him.
No, he still can't trespass from what I understand. It's surprising though, at how helpful people can be even when woken up in the early morning by a surly stranger--since these guys are professionals, a lot of the time they'll find ways to convince the debtor to give up their stuff. People comply because 1) they know that they owe the money, 2) the dude's really big and scary, or 3) if the item's outside and they can verify the serial number (they just take it without asking in that case).
It's unlikely, if the guy is legit (-ish), that he would try to go into your house or otherwise break the law, because he's in a business and doesn't want to get arrested, or get a bad reputation. Police get irritated with repossession guys sometimes, so if he does try to break in or pull any other nonsense, you would probably make an officer very happy by calling it in. Also, the clipboard had very specific information on what was supposed to be repossessed (also vote car), so the guy can't just come in and start taking what he sees.
Although I'm basing this on a TV special and some scholarly articles that sorta talk about these issues, repossession laws vary from state to state so this guy might not even have an ID to show you.
posted by _cave at 4:45 PM on March 3, 2010
No, he still can't trespass from what I understand. It's surprising though, at how helpful people can be even when woken up in the early morning by a surly stranger--since these guys are professionals, a lot of the time they'll find ways to convince the debtor to give up their stuff. People comply because 1) they know that they owe the money, 2) the dude's really big and scary, or 3) if the item's outside and they can verify the serial number (they just take it without asking in that case).
It's unlikely, if the guy is legit (-ish), that he would try to go into your house or otherwise break the law, because he's in a business and doesn't want to get arrested, or get a bad reputation. Police get irritated with repossession guys sometimes, so if he does try to break in or pull any other nonsense, you would probably make an officer very happy by calling it in. Also, the clipboard had very specific information on what was supposed to be repossessed (also vote car), so the guy can't just come in and start taking what he sees.
Although I'm basing this on a TV special and some scholarly articles that sorta talk about these issues, repossession laws vary from state to state so this guy might not even have an ID to show you.
posted by _cave at 4:45 PM on March 3, 2010
A plain white van or pickup is about the most innocuous vehicle you can get in any kind of urban area.
Especially for surveillance.
I vote repo man, mainly because he was taking notes. He had to log that he'd been to the residence. You think some drug addict or kidnapper is going to fill out a timesheet?
posted by tremspeed at 4:49 PM on March 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
Especially for surveillance.
I vote repo man, mainly because he was taking notes. He had to log that he'd been to the residence. You think some drug addict or kidnapper is going to fill out a timesheet?
posted by tremspeed at 4:49 PM on March 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
What would have been the consequences of my attempts to stop him? I had he entered my home, I absolutely would have physically harmed him.
Please don't put yourself in this position again. Someone banging on the door at 430am? It is a no brainer, call it in to the cops and let them sort it out.
posted by mlis at 5:25 PM on March 3, 2010 [6 favorites]
Please don't put yourself in this position again. Someone banging on the door at 430am? It is a no brainer, call it in to the cops and let them sort it out.
posted by mlis at 5:25 PM on March 3, 2010 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: fixedgear: Repo man. Every TV show I've ever seen had them starting work around 2 am. He's not after a TV, who repos a TV? He doesn't want to come into your house. Pickup truck is a tow truck,
The pickup was not a tow truck. More importantly, he absolutely would not have knocked on the door to take a car on the street. Why give us fair warning? He wanted something from the house, be in an item, a person or information.
horsemuth: Why wouldn't you just say that she doesn't live there anymore?
As I said several times above, I was very groggy and very annoyed. But the more I think about it, I'm not going to help some aggressive asshole who doesn't tell me who he is or what he wants.
posted by spaltavian at 5:34 PM on March 3, 2010
The pickup was not a tow truck. More importantly, he absolutely would not have knocked on the door to take a car on the street. Why give us fair warning? He wanted something from the house, be in an item, a person or information.
horsemuth: Why wouldn't you just say that she doesn't live there anymore?
As I said several times above, I was very groggy and very annoyed. But the more I think about it, I'm not going to help some aggressive asshole who doesn't tell me who he is or what he wants.
posted by spaltavian at 5:34 PM on March 3, 2010
If the previous tenant was a Czech girl, could it be that she's here in the States illegally, and this guy was looking to deport her? I imagine it would be a cop or FBI person who would be doing that sort of job, though. I don't know much about how people get deported.
posted by cleverevans at 5:38 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by cleverevans at 5:38 PM on March 3, 2010
The guy may have been there to repo the Czech girl's furniture, which she might have purchased on a secured financing agreement. Banging on the door at 4:30am insures that he either (a) catches her at home, sleeping; or (b) begins to think she works nights and will be home during the day.
In the future, call the cops before opening the door to someone at 4:30 in the morning.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 6:21 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
In the future, call the cops before opening the door to someone at 4:30 in the morning.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 6:21 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Because of my line of work, my mind immediately goes to human trafficker trying to find a woman who escaped or her family/friends.
posted by emilyd22222
This was my first thought, too. Although the clipboard doesn't quite jibe with that (does he have a route of escaped women?), so I guess repo man.
posted by greenland at 6:27 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by emilyd22222
This was my first thought, too. Although the clipboard doesn't quite jibe with that (does he have a route of escaped women?), so I guess repo man.
posted by greenland at 6:27 PM on March 3, 2010
The pickup was not a tow truck. More importantly, he absolutely would not have knocked on the door to take a car on the street. Why give us fair warning? He wanted something from the house, be in an item, a person or information.
But if he was looking for a car, it wouldn't be on the street because she doesn't live there anymore. And if this was her last known address, and he was trying to repo her car and it wasn't out there, he absolutely would have knocked on your door.
posted by pintapicasso at 7:06 PM on March 3, 2010
I had two theories one of which was mentioned many times previously (repo man) so I will give you my other theory. It is you that he really wanted. This is part of a bigger plot of some kind and these guys do their homework. He found out who the previous tenant was to throw you off. There were other people watching you and your reaction to the test. Have you noticed faces that were of strangers but you have seen before? Is it possible you have been followed?
I don't know enough about you or what your line of work is, but Annapolis could be military or MI.
Or, Some big dude shows up at 4:30 asking about another tenant is not worried about your baseball bat. Assuming you were the other tenant, what good or what constructive could possibly come from a 4:30am confrontation? This is not the sort to be concerned about violence either giving of getting.
I would call the non-emergency police line and let them know about the encounter. If they are not concerned, either they are in on it or you should not be concerned.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:07 PM on March 3, 2010 [3 favorites]
I don't know enough about you or what your line of work is, but Annapolis could be military or MI.
Or, Some big dude shows up at 4:30 asking about another tenant is not worried about your baseball bat. Assuming you were the other tenant, what good or what constructive could possibly come from a 4:30am confrontation? This is not the sort to be concerned about violence either giving of getting.
I would call the non-emergency police line and let them know about the encounter. If they are not concerned, either they are in on it or you should not be concerned.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:07 PM on March 3, 2010 [3 favorites]
It hasn't been mentioned, so I'll go ahead and mention the zebra in the room (as opposed to the horse): it's possible that your visitor may have been a bounty hunter, or employed by them in order to narrow down locations (or non-locations) of people on a list and their last known addresses.
posted by juniperesque at 7:13 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by juniperesque at 7:13 PM on March 3, 2010
Another vote for repo man, but there's another way something like this can go:
1. Dude knocks on door at 4:30 am, asks for "Tara" or whoever.
2. You say, "No Tara here, I live alone."
3. Guy now knows you live alone; home invasion begins now or later.
I'm paranoid, but there have been home invasions in my fairly nonviolent city over the last few years, and the very notion scares the hell out of me.
posted by Billegible at 7:23 PM on March 3, 2010
1. Dude knocks on door at 4:30 am, asks for "Tara" or whoever.
2. You say, "No Tara here, I live alone."
3. Guy now knows you live alone; home invasion begins now or later.
I'm paranoid, but there have been home invasions in my fairly nonviolent city over the last few years, and the very notion scares the hell out of me.
posted by Billegible at 7:23 PM on March 3, 2010
spaltavian: The pickup was not a tow truck. More importantly, he absolutely would not have knocked on the door to take a car on the street. Why give us fair warning? He wanted something from the house, be in an item, a person or information.
Does your house have a garage? If so, he could be looking for a vehicle that's in the garage. In addition, if the truck was a larger one it can tow a vehicle and many repo companies use pickup trucks with a tow bracket that folds into the bed of the truck. This way, the debtor doesn't see a big tow truck driving slowly around the block and alert them to move the vehicle away from the house or stash it into a garage (where, generally, repo companies are not allowed to go without permission).
posted by fireoyster at 8:33 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Does your house have a garage? If so, he could be looking for a vehicle that's in the garage. In addition, if the truck was a larger one it can tow a vehicle and many repo companies use pickup trucks with a tow bracket that folds into the bed of the truck. This way, the debtor doesn't see a big tow truck driving slowly around the block and alert them to move the vehicle away from the house or stash it into a garage (where, generally, repo companies are not allowed to go without permission).
posted by fireoyster at 8:33 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
A repo guy isn't going to show up three years after she leaves. They're written that debt off by now.
posted by fshgrl at 10:39 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by fshgrl at 10:39 PM on March 3, 2010
Repo guy could definitely show up three years later--you don't know when she stopped making payments (could have been recently), they don't know that she stopped living there long before she stopped making payments. He talked to you because there's no way to tell if the car not being there is permanent or temporary; maybe she's just out of town.
I would have called the cops when he started shouting because I'm a bitch when people wake me up.
posted by anaelith at 2:08 AM on March 4, 2010
I would have called the cops when he started shouting because I'm a bitch when people wake me up.
posted by anaelith at 2:08 AM on March 4, 2010
As I said several times above, I was very groggy and very annoyed. But the more I think about it, I'm not going to help some aggressive asshole who doesn't tell me who he is or what he wants.
He told you what he wants. He's looking for a person and asked you if she was there. You're the one being an ass, and now if he's in debt collection he wrote down that you didn't deny she lived there, and another visit is required. Considering they've already reached the point of showing up unnanounced at 4:30am, it's unlikely the next contact with them will be a cordial phone call. Instead, you'll be woken up again, you'll be pissed again, and you won't have solved any problem. Indeed, you'll be suffering from a problem of your own creation at that point.
You could have just said "She hasn't lived here for years" and caused yourself and others much less aggravation. You reap what you sow.
posted by splice at 4:58 AM on March 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
He told you what he wants. He's looking for a person and asked you if she was there. You're the one being an ass, and now if he's in debt collection he wrote down that you didn't deny she lived there, and another visit is required. Considering they've already reached the point of showing up unnanounced at 4:30am, it's unlikely the next contact with them will be a cordial phone call. Instead, you'll be woken up again, you'll be pissed again, and you won't have solved any problem. Indeed, you'll be suffering from a problem of your own creation at that point.
You could have just said "She hasn't lived here for years" and caused yourself and others much less aggravation. You reap what you sow.
posted by splice at 4:58 AM on March 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
Don't screw around. Call 911. It's is totally legitimate to call 911 for exactly this kind of thing. Don't worry about bothering the cops for what might be "nothing". Someone banging on your door at 4:30 in the morning? Don't even get out of bed before you call 911. Call 911. It's really easy. Don't worry if it's an innocent mistake. If the door-knocker is innocent, he has nothing to worry about from the cops, right? It's not your problem anyway. Maybe some dumbass deserves to get his head knocked for being rude and stupid. Not. Your. Problem.
After you call 911, you'll be asked questions by the dispatcher. Tell them everything you can. They want to keep you on the line so they can record stuff. If you have to, set the phone down where any noise - banging on door, shouting, whatever - can be heard, and recorded. Cordless or cell phones are good.
Don't tell the guy you are calling the cops. You don't want him to scamper. Holler at him through the door. Get the noise recorded on the 911 line. Don't open the door for any reason. Please.
Cops LOVE this kind of stuff, I mean that. They live for it. They will be there in minutes.
As to what this guy was doing? This guy could be an American employee of a completely unscrupulous debt collector, (i.e. the mob). Eastern European mob, probably specifically Czech, though they might operate under the aegis of the Russian mob, which is all over the U.S. now. The old Cold War hegemonies are still playing out. Sounds silly, but the Eastern Europeans don't operate under the same rules many people take for granted, and the mob runs thick in the new immigrant community networks.
posted by Xoebe at 5:11 AM on March 4, 2010 [7 favorites]
After you call 911, you'll be asked questions by the dispatcher. Tell them everything you can. They want to keep you on the line so they can record stuff. If you have to, set the phone down where any noise - banging on door, shouting, whatever - can be heard, and recorded. Cordless or cell phones are good.
Don't tell the guy you are calling the cops. You don't want him to scamper. Holler at him through the door. Get the noise recorded on the 911 line. Don't open the door for any reason. Please.
Cops LOVE this kind of stuff, I mean that. They live for it. They will be there in minutes.
As to what this guy was doing? This guy could be an American employee of a completely unscrupulous debt collector, (i.e. the mob). Eastern European mob, probably specifically Czech, though they might operate under the aegis of the Russian mob, which is all over the U.S. now. The old Cold War hegemonies are still playing out. Sounds silly, but the Eastern Europeans don't operate under the same rules many people take for granted, and the mob runs thick in the new immigrant community networks.
posted by Xoebe at 5:11 AM on March 4, 2010 [7 favorites]
Repo guys do show up very early in the morning and pound on the door. They'll ask for your keys, so they can drive the car without damage. They'll even allow you to remove any personal possessions from the vehicle if you need to, because they don't want anything but the vehicle.
posted by xingcat at 5:22 AM on March 4, 2010
posted by xingcat at 5:22 AM on March 4, 2010
Definitely repo/collections man. Hence, the truck.
If it had been a bounty hunter, he would have simply kicked-in your door. They have that "right." Unfortunately.
If he returns, simply tell him she doesn't live there and you have no idea where she moved to.
Also, I agree about calling the cops. Even if the guy is legit, no one will fault you for calling them in at four in the morning for something like this.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:43 AM on March 4, 2010
If it had been a bounty hunter, he would have simply kicked-in your door. They have that "right." Unfortunately.
If he returns, simply tell him she doesn't live there and you have no idea where she moved to.
Also, I agree about calling the cops. Even if the guy is legit, no one will fault you for calling them in at four in the morning for something like this.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:43 AM on March 4, 2010
I had a very similar experience a few years ago. I woke at about 3 AM on a Sunday morning to a very loud banging on my front door. Two men with flashlights and a clipboard, and a "badge-ish" emblem on their shirt. In my very groggy condition I thought they might be cops, but in retrospect they very obviously weren't. they asked gruffly for someone I'd never heard of (not the previous tennant). I said I didn't know the person. They asked how long I'd lived there, I said about 2 years. They went away. I noticed a flatbed truck parked across the street.
After a few more hours sleep and some reflection I figured they were repo men. Especially since a family across the street from me had literally moved out overnight a few nights previous - moving truck at 10pm, house empty the next morning. Possibly bounty hunter, but the flatbed truck leads me to think repo men.
posted by Roommate at 7:35 AM on March 4, 2010
After a few more hours sleep and some reflection I figured they were repo men. Especially since a family across the street from me had literally moved out overnight a few nights previous - moving truck at 10pm, house empty the next morning. Possibly bounty hunter, but the flatbed truck leads me to think repo men.
posted by Roommate at 7:35 AM on March 4, 2010
Seriously, don't open the door at 4 a.m. unless it's your Mom. Call the police.
I vote for hit man hired by Eastern European mob, because it's a good story.
posted by theora55 at 7:53 AM on March 4, 2010
I vote for hit man hired by Eastern European mob, because it's a good story.
posted by theora55 at 7:53 AM on March 4, 2010
He's looking for a person and asked you if she was there. You're the one being an ass, and now if he's in debt collection he wrote down that you didn't deny she lived there, and another visit is required.
God, lay off her. It's 4:30 in the morning and you've just been woken up, you aren't thinking clearly and the things you might or might not do at 4:30 in the afternoon really don't come into play.
I was robbed a few years back, and when I saw the random person coming down the stairs with a crowbar in the middle of the freaking night, I asked him if I could help him. Because that's the shit your brain thinks up at 2AM in the fog of interrupted sleep.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:24 AM on March 4, 2010 [5 favorites]
God, lay off her. It's 4:30 in the morning and you've just been woken up, you aren't thinking clearly and the things you might or might not do at 4:30 in the afternoon really don't come into play.
I was robbed a few years back, and when I saw the random person coming down the stairs with a crowbar in the middle of the freaking night, I asked him if I could help him. Because that's the shit your brain thinks up at 2AM in the fog of interrupted sleep.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:24 AM on March 4, 2010 [5 favorites]
Almost the exact same thing happened to me last summer. It was 6am instead of 4, and my husband answered the door despite my not wanting him to do so (who bangs on the door at 6am unless the house is on fire?). Same thing, guy asking for the whereabouts of a woman, refused to show my husband any ID, and after we had denied that person being in our apartment he became belligerent. My husband shut the door in his face and after pacing around in front of our building for a few minutes, he took off. In the meantime I was absolutely calling the police because I had never, ever had an experience like that or heard about anyone else experiencing it. Absolutely call 911, especially if you are alone. It's fucking creepy.
We have very nice cops here; an officer came over to the house & took a brief report, and said the guy was probably a bailiff, bounty hunter, or process server. Don't hesitate to call the cops if you feel threatened--and strange yelly man at 4am is totally threatening! Don't feel like you need to open the door if he shows up again, either. I hope he doesn't!
posted by Fui Non Sum at 4:42 PM on March 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
We have very nice cops here; an officer came over to the house & took a brief report, and said the guy was probably a bailiff, bounty hunter, or process server. Don't hesitate to call the cops if you feel threatened--and strange yelly man at 4am is totally threatening! Don't feel like you need to open the door if he shows up again, either. I hope he doesn't!
posted by Fui Non Sum at 4:42 PM on March 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If it had been a bounty hunter, he would have simply kicked-in your door. They have that "right." Unfortunately.
Not in all states -- in fact, some restrict bail bondsmen and bounty hunters so severely that the practice is all but eliminated. Others license them up the wazoo.
Because of my line of work, my mind immediately goes to human trafficker trying to find a woman who escaped or her family/friends.
I don't see a scenario like this jibing with knocking on the door and causing a commotion. More likely an operation like that would wait for a moment when she's walking on an empty street near dusk and hustle her into the car with as few witnesses as possible. Just my hunch colliding with yours.
Repo guy could definitely show up three years later--you don't know when she stopped making payments (could have been recently), they don't know that she stopped living there long before she stopped making payments.
Exactly -- the payments could have been cleared electronically and she never changed her address with them, then the bank account or credit card closes and there you are. Maybe she sold the vehicle to a relative who agreed to assume the payments (heck, maybe she was a straw buyer to begin with). Etc.
posted by dhartung at 6:17 PM on March 4, 2010
Not in all states -- in fact, some restrict bail bondsmen and bounty hunters so severely that the practice is all but eliminated. Others license them up the wazoo.
Because of my line of work, my mind immediately goes to human trafficker trying to find a woman who escaped or her family/friends.
I don't see a scenario like this jibing with knocking on the door and causing a commotion. More likely an operation like that would wait for a moment when she's walking on an empty street near dusk and hustle her into the car with as few witnesses as possible. Just my hunch colliding with yours.
Repo guy could definitely show up three years later--you don't know when she stopped making payments (could have been recently), they don't know that she stopped living there long before she stopped making payments.
Exactly -- the payments could have been cleared electronically and she never changed her address with them, then the bank account or credit card closes and there you are. Maybe she sold the vehicle to a relative who agreed to assume the payments (heck, maybe she was a straw buyer to begin with). Etc.
posted by dhartung at 6:17 PM on March 4, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by lobstah at 3:36 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]