Brown's Auto Sales

On January 15, 2014, we received an order of repossession from [redacted] requesting that we secure Mr***'s GMC Sierra Pick Up truck as he was in default on his payments and failed to respond to repeated attempts by the credit union to resolve this matter We are the third repossession company to have this order as the other companys had the order for 6+ months prior to us and were unable to locate it We ran this account over times with no luck On April 14th, at 11:pm, his license plate was read by our camera car The camera car is equipped with License plate recognition readers that scan plates and runs it through a database of all vehicles out for repossession If a positive hit is received, the driver of the car is alerted Our driver received a hit on Mr***s car while scanning plates His truck has parked in a different location than any of the addresses we were given by the lender After the vin was verified to be the vehicle we had an active repossession order for, a tow truck was called to secure the unit The unit was then brought back to our facility in Cicero, In and stored behind a locked fence The next day he called our number that was given to his mother on a contact card Mr [redacted] was very upset, yelling at our employee that we GPS'd his mothers car which is the only way we could have found him, that we have been running his mother's licenses plates & we had no right to be in his apartment complex We do not have any BMV capability to run licenses plates After repeated attempts to explain to him that we do not have the ability to do that and how we actually found his car, our employee gave up and just told him to contact [redacted] *** We spoke with [redacted] on Tuesday (they are closed on Mondays) and explained the situation with them They had already had a full conversation with Mr [redacted] at that point in which he was swearing and yelling at them The representative from [redacted] advised him of our redemption procedures, hours of operation and the amount that was due at the time of redemption Mr [redacted] arrived at our office on Monday, April 21st He was waiting outside so he arrived sometime before am He had an attitude when he walked in and it escalated when he was asked for his photo ID He stated he would not give it to us because he couldn't be sure we wouldn't steal his personal information It was explained to him that it was our procedure to take a photocopy of his driver's license to put with his file - this information is clearly written on our website under redemption procedures We take a photocopy so that we have verifiable proof as to who picks up a vehicle or property so that we can't be accused of releasing it to the wrong person in the future All of our lenders require that we furnish photo ID with the signed paperwork He wanted to see our written "policy" on that He was told that he either produces the ID or he does not get his vehicle He continued to get more and more agitated and this continued for approximately minutes before another employee was able to convince him to let us copy it Mr [redacted] did at one point apologize for his behavior After that he was given a release form to sign stating "In sole consideration of the delivery to me of the above described vehicle and personal property, I agree that I have carefully examined the above described vehicle and made sure that there is no damage, other than any pre-existing damage marked and accounted for on the vehicle condition report I further agree that I have examined all personal belongings that were left in the above vehicle and that everything is accounted for and has no damage By signing this Release, I fully understand the above statements and do agree to Release and Hold Harmless Indiana Recovery Services and [redacted] and or its Agents from all claims, demands and or actions, which I or my Representatives do have or may have against Indiana Recovery Services, [redacted] and/or its Agents or Employees, prior to this date." He signed it without any request to see his vehicle nor did he request a copy of what he signed at this timeHe states in his complaint that he was denied the ability to see his truck first which was not true We allow anyone who asks to inspect their vehicle prior to signing and we give out copies as requested He paid the amount due which was agreed to by the credit union and advised his vehicle would be brought up There was some confusion on the amount owed because the credit union never said for sure if they would pay the difference between the amount owed and the $Mr [redacted] was willing to pay This was all discussed on Friday with the bank and the representative stated she would let us know - which she did not When it came time to bring his vehicle to the front, he stated that he would just go in the secured lot and get it himself He was advised that due to security and insurance reasons no non essential personnel would be allowed in the lot He then stated that he had not driven the vehicle in almost a year and that he would need to go and check the oil and fluids before the vehicle gets moved He was then informed that the vehicle would be brought out using a wheel lift tow truck He became upset and stated that the vehicle is 4xand couldn't be towed At this point we explained that a 4xvehicle can be safely towed however it was getting simply moved less than a yards at speeds less than MPH and it wouldn't affect the vehicle what so ever The vehicle was brought from the rear lot to the front lot without any issues and sat down in the front for Mr [redacted] to check the fluids Within a few moments he came inside and said someone had damaged his door panel of his truck We walked out to the truck and observed the handle area on the inside of the door was pulled away from the door There was a indented mark from where the tie down strap that was holding the door closed was placed This tie down indent was from a long term use of a strap in the same area We explained to him that the damage was caused by the strap he attached to hold the door closed prior to the repossession - which he admits in his complaint that he had done We only removed the strap to conduct a thorough condition report of the vehicle It was never reattached in the case that the vehicle had to be re entered or transported by a transporter We advised that we had not removed the strap for initial repossession and that we had pictures of the broken door panel when it was initially brought in He argued for a moment and then stated "if you got pictures that it was broken when it was brought in than I will leave and not say anything else." He was then told to come inside and look at the pictures As he started walking towards the office he starting calling us names and said you guys probably broke it then took pictures We advised him that the pictures were sent in a file once the vehicle was on our lot to the credit union as well, and that if it was damaged on our lot then the credit union would not have a pic of the damaged door panel He then started calling us a joke and started mother f ing us Based on his conduct he was advised to leave He stated that he was going to file a report He was told that was fine and again asked to leave He refused and continued to be belligerent He stated that he was going to sue us - at which time we told him he could obtain all pictures and documents from the credit union as they were given copies of all documents We were not going to allow Mr [redacted] into our work area due to his conduct and disposition for the safety of our employees At that point he said he's not "f" ing leaving without the police So we called the sheriffs department and requested an officer The sheriffs department and local police department arrived and spoke with Mr*** They then came over and spoke with us Based on Mr***s conduct the officers advised that they would standby until he left the property After approximately minutes of Mr [redacted] attempting to get his vehicle to run, he was able to leave the property with his vehicle I had not since spoke with Mr***, however it was brought to our attention that he had contacted the credit union and was told that he was no longer a member Mr [redacted] also wanted the credit union to use their legal team to sue us due to the repossession in which they stated they would not do that and stood behind us We pride ourselves on being fair and just in a business that is unpopular It is important to us to maintain a business that is run with professionalism but at times we are faced with circumstances that makes it difficult In over years, we have only had damage complaint which we promptly took care of We have no problem taking care of any issues if we caused them, however, Mr***s door was broken prior to repossession We may have even just helped him out in good faith if he was at least civil - which he was anything but We deal with over different people every month and never have had a problem such as this Copies are furnished to anyone who requests Our business is transparent however, our attorney has advised us to cease communications once an individual begins threatening a lawsuit and refer everything to him What is boils down to is that Mr [redacted] was angry because we found his vehicle that he had been hidingHe was in our office for approximately hours causing a scene making it difficult for us to conduct our daily operations Mr [redacted] was also angry over the fact that we close at 3:on Fridays, but our website clearly states our hours - which have not changed since the previous owner started the business in We have attached pictures to show the condition of the truck when it was brought to our lot We also have the initial condition report and signed release that he signed releasing us of any claims I am unable to attach it to this email because it will not allow any more attachments Also, security cameras ran the entire time to document this incident You can contact me at 317-606- [redacted] with any further questions Thank you, [redacted] ***

It seems that we will be unable to resolve this issues as we stand behind our original statement that the damage was there prior to repossession All our data entry into our computer system is time stamped and logged There is no way this information can be manipulated We are not in the business of paying people off just so they won't complain If we had done the damage - we would have fixed it immediately Mr [redacted] states that the lender agrees with him about our company but we have communication with them that tell a completely different story If he wants copies of that, he can contact the lender for it I agree that things could have been handled differently on both sides of this complaint However, he was not shown the pictures that day because of the heated nature of his behavior We have a right to determine if it is not a safe situation for our employees I have no problem showing the entire account to Mr [redacted] so he can see all the time stamps and all information that has been entered into his account However he must agree to conduct himself calmly and we can discuss this professionally At this time , the best I can offer to him is to go over all the information so he can see everything I am willing to meet him in a public place or at out offices to show him all this and discuss it in a calm and rational manner I will not continue to do the he said /she said accusations without him seeing all the information and making an informed decision

My complaint has nothing to do with *** *** *** or how my truck was located To bring up the matter and try to make me look like a bad person is not only childish but, very unprofessional
As a matter of fact I never tried to hide my truck as you assumeI moved and got a new job that included a lot of travel then I became behind on paymentsand with everything going on I just pretty much forgot about it till your driver left a note on my mothers Jeep and then tried to intimidate her into giving any info on where I was Again very unprofessionalbut that is not part of my complaints here.
my conversations with *** at *** about this situation were nothing but politeWhich she acknowledged and appreciated me doing If she says anything else she is not being truthful. I took full responsibility for my actions and wanted to resolve my debt to get my truck back I audio recorded all phone conversations with *** for my own records.
I never once asked her to get ***'s legal team involved to sue you What I did was ask her what could be done from the side of *** since the damage occurred while my truck was in possession of a company that was representing *** As well as ask her to not pay the $balance due until this matter was resolved By the time I talked to her she had already approved the payment. I told her I was not upset with *** in any way and if I did need to take legal action on this issue it would not be against ***. I explained the entire matter in detail with her from My ID, not getting a receipt, having to sign a release with out being able to check my truck, not seeing pictures,and not being able to file a damage claimShe agreed there was a problem and needed to speak with the CEO of *** on what to do nextThe only time I used any profanity was in our second to last conversation and it was me saying " So ***am I just suppose to take it up the *** and deal with the damage they did? She replied "NO" and again said let me Speak with our CEO and I will get back to you.
Now to my actual complaint...
FirstI didn't have any attitude when I entered your officeI only became irritated not because *** wanted to see my ID but, because he wanted to photo copy it I have never denied being in this state of irritation. If your claim is that at the time I was there and on your website it said something about taking a photo copy of someones ID for your own security then that means it is public At my request I should have been shown said policyHow do I know this was not added after I left your office? You state in your own response to this complaint that your company is transparent and provides any documents that are requested I was then told it was ***'s policy that you needed to have the copy of my ID So please tell me what is the truth My recorded phone conversation with *** at *** relieved it was NOT their policy and she didn't understand why you needed the photo copy if you could visually verify it was meI had my ID in my hand to show you Your office Video should clearly show this if not tampered with or deleted
Second... Like I stated in my complaint as I was reading your release form I asked to be able to install my battery and check my truck before signing would mean to inspect it If you didn't want me to install my battery I would have understood and been fine with thatAgain you state in your response that you allow ppl to do thisWhy was I denied this when I requested it? Like I stated I only signed the form due to I was getting more irritated and just wanted to get my truck and go about my dayI also stood there waiting for a receipt and a copy of the form I just signedAgain your office Video should clearly show this if not tampered with or deleted.
Thirdcomplaint concerning my receipt for the $cash I gave you on that dayI don't understand why I didn't get one on that dayIt was cash and there was no way to prove I paid it with out a receiptTo this day I still have not received one and it has been over weeks The address in my file is where I requested it be sent and that said address is only about 30-minutes away from your office and should have gone out with that days or even the next days mail and been in my hands by the end of the weekPlease explain on both points of this
Forth complaint of being denied seeing pictures of damage and filing a damage claim I was told times I could see them while Todd and I were outside at the same time I requested to be able to file a damage claimWhen we entered the office I was denied both requests and told to leavePlease tell me why.
As for my behavior I did and will again apologizeYou should understand that being denied legitimate requests over and over from a so called transparent company would make anyone become irritated. If you are going to suggest that just because someone is irritated gives you a right to deny legitimate requests of your company then you should review your professional conduct of that company. If those requests would have been fulfilled there would have been no reason for me to become irritated.
As for the pictures
Yours: This entire encounter has lead me to not be able to accept your pictures of my damaged door panelIf you had said pictures when I was there why was I not allowed to see themIt would have taken less then a minute to pull the file and show them to me if you had them.
If the damage was there when my truck entered your lot then it occurred when your tow truck driver made contact with my truck and drove it to put on the flat bed and then re-strapped the door wrongThat would cause the impression you see in the pictures and claim was already there.
Of the two REPO guys I know they either video record or take pictures of the vehicle before they hook it to show any damageFrom what I have been told it is common practice for 99% of REPO companies now a days. Where are these pictures?
Like I said in my complaint a statement from *** on the day I was there telling me he strapped it back after his inspection means he strapped it wrong as well. Again his statement should be on the office video if it has not been tampered with or deleted
I'm can't say as to what employee is responsible for the damage but, I do know my door panel was not like that before it was entered by your company.
Mine: You can clearly see that I don't and never have attached the strap to the door panel itself. I have always hooked it to the door openerThis is due to being hard plastic and not soft foam of the door pullI never once said I hooked it to the door panelPlease read it again.
Again if there was not legitimate damage to my door panel I would not have come back into your office with the issue.
I want to make a formal request for the office video from the day I was there to be able to provide proof of my complaintsAs well as a copy of outside video from the time my truck entered your lot till the time I left. This includes every day it was there just to be clear. If you are as transparent as you claim this should not be a problem.
As I have said before all I want is my door panel fixed.
To comment on your final statement of your responseI do not care how long you have been in business nor do I care how many people you deal with every month This is about my encounter and no one else'sI was not told until that Friday as to whom had my truck so how could I look up any websiteActually it really does not matter because I was there when you were open One more time this has nothing to do with my complaints.
Again you assume I was angry about the finding of my truck while I was there. This is again not true... this is only a way to spin the facts of my complaint to again make me look like a bad person.
Regards,
*** ***

It seems that we will be unable to resolve this issues as we stand behind our original statement that the damage was there prior to repossession All our data entry into our computer system is time stamped and logged There is no way this information can be manipulated We are not in the business of paying people off just so they won't complain If we had done the damage - we would have fixed it immediately
Mr *** states that the lender agrees with him about our company but we have communication with them that tell a completely different story If he wants copies of that, he can contact the lender for it
I agree that things could have been handled differently on both sides of this complaint However, he was not shown the pictures that day because of the heated nature of his behavior We have a right to determine if it is not a safe situation for our employees I have no problem showing the entire account to Mr *** so he can see all the time stamps and all information that has been entered into his account However he must agree to conduct himself calmly and we can discuss this professionally
At this time , the best I can offer to him is to go over all the information so he can see everything I am willing to meet him in a public place or at out offices to show him all this and discuss it in a calm and rational manner I will not continue to do the he said /she said accusations without him seeing all the information and making an informed decision

Amazing place to get an extraordinary deal on a great car! Excellent, respectable, and accountable salesman who treat you right and will steer you in the right direction to the car you want

On January 15, 2014, we received an order of repossession from *** *** *** requesting that we secure Mr***'s GMC Sierra Pick Up truck as he was in default on his payments and failed to respond to repeated attempts by the credit union to resolve this matter. We are the third
repossession company to have this order as the other companys had the order for 6+ months prior to us and were unable to locate it. We ran this account over times with no luck. On April 14th, at 11:pm, his license plate was read by our camera car. The camera car is equipped with License plate recognition readers that scan plates and runs it through a database of all vehicles out for repossession. If a positive hit is received, the driver of the car is alerted. Our driver received a hit on Mr***s car while scanning plates. His truck has parked in a different location than any of the addresses we were given by the lender. After the vin was verified to be the vehicle we had an active repossession order for, a tow truck was called to secure the unit. The unit was then brought back to our facility in Cicero, In and stored behind a locked fence. The next day he called our number that was given to his mother on a contact card. Mr *** was very upset, yelling at our employee that we GPS'd his mothers car which is the only way we could have found him, that we have been running his mother's licenses plates & we had no right to be in his apartment complex. We do not have any BMV capability to run licenses plates. After repeated attempts to explain to him that we do not have the ability to do that and how we actually found his car, our employee gave up and just told him to contact *** *** ***. We spoke with *** *** *** on Tuesday (they are closed on Mondays) and explained the situation with them. They had already had a full conversation with Mr*** at that point in which he was swearing and yelling at them. The representative from *** *** *** advised him of our redemption procedures, hours of operation and the amount that was due at the time of redemption. Mr*** arrived at our office on Monday, April 21st. He was waiting outside so he arrived sometime before am. He had an attitude when he walked in and it escalated when he was asked for his photo ID. He stated he would not give it to us because he couldn't be sure we wouldn't steal his personal information. It was explained to him that it was our procedure to take a photocopy of his driver's license to put with his file - this information is clearly written on our website under redemption procedures. We take a photocopy so that we have verifiable proof as to who picks up a vehicle or property so that we can't be accused of releasing it to the wrong person in the future. All of our lenders require that we furnish photo ID with the signed paperwork. He wanted to see our written "policy" on that. He was told that he either produces the ID or he does not get his vehicle. He continued to get more and more agitated and this continued for approximately minutes before another employee was able to convince him to let us copy it. Mr *** did at one point apologize for his behavior. After that he was given a release form to sign stating "In sole consideration of the delivery to me of the above described
vehicle and personal property, I agree that I have carefully examined
the above described vehicle and made sure that there is no damage,
other than any pre-existing damage marked and accounted for on the
vehicle condition report. I further agree that I have examined all
personal belongings that were left in the above vehicle and that
everything is accounted for and has no damage. By signing this
Release, I fully understand the above statements and do agree to
Release and Hold Harmless Indiana Recovery Services and *** *** ***
and or its Agents from all claims, demands and or actions, which I or
my Representatives do have or may have against Indiana Recovery
Services, *** *** *** and/or its Agents or Employees, prior to this
date." He signed it without any request to see his vehicle nor did he request a copy of what he signed at this timeHe states in his complaint that he was denied the ability to see his truck first which was not true. We allow anyone who asks to inspect their vehicle prior to signing and we give out copies as requested He paid the amount due which was agreed to by the credit union and advised his vehicle would be brought up. There was some confusion on the amount owed because the credit union never said for sure if they would pay the difference between the amount owed and the $Mr*** was willing to pay. This was all discussed on Friday with the bank and the representative stated she would let us know - which she did not When it came time to bring his vehicle to the front, he stated that he would just go in the secured lot and get it himself. He was advised that due to security and insurance reasons no non essential personnel would be allowed in the lot. He then stated that he had not driven the vehicle in almost a year and that he would need to go and check the oil and fluids before the vehicle gets moved. He was then informed that the vehicle would be brought out using a wheel lift tow truck. He became upset and stated that the vehicle is 4xand couldn't be towed. At this point we explained that a 4xvehicle can be safely towed however it was getting simply moved less than a yards at speeds less than MPH and it wouldn't affect the vehicle what so ever. The vehicle was brought from the rear lot to the front lot without any issues and sat down in the front for Mr*** to check the fluids. Within a few moments he came inside and said someone had damaged his door panel of his truck. We walked out to the truck and observed the handle area on the inside of the door was pulled away from the door. There was a indented mark from where the tie down strap that was holding the door closed was placed. This tie down indent was from a long term use of a strap in the same area. We explained to him that the damage was caused by the strap he attached to hold the door closed prior to the repossession - which he admits in his complaint that he had done. We only removed the strap to conduct a thorough condition report of the vehicle. It was never reattached in the case that the vehicle had to be re entered or transported by a transporter. We advised that we had not removed the strap for initial repossession and that we had pictures of the broken door panel when it was initially brought in. He argued for a moment and then stated "if you got pictures that it was broken when it was brought in than I will leave and not say anything else." He was then told to come inside and look at the pictures. As he started walking towards the office he starting calling us names and said you guys probably broke it then took pictures. We advised him that the pictures were sent in a file once the vehicle was on our lot to the credit union as well, and that if it was damaged on our lot then the credit union would not have a pic of the damaged door panel. He then started calling us a joke and started mother f ing us. Based on his conduct he was advised to leave. He stated that he was going to file a report. He was told that was fine and again asked to leave. He refused and continued to be belligerent. He stated that he was going to sue us - at which time we told him he could obtain all pictures and documents from the credit union as they were given copies of all documents. We were not going to allow Mr*** into our work area due to his conduct and disposition for the safety of our employees. At that point he said he's not "f" ing leaving without the police. So we called the sheriffs department and requested an officer. The sheriffs department and local police department arrived and spoke with Mr***. They then came over and spoke with us. Based on Mr***s conduct the officers advised that they would standby until he left the property. After approximately minutes of Mr*** attempting to get his vehicle to run, he was able to leave the property with his vehicle. I had not since spoke with Mr***, however it was brought to our attention that he had contacted the credit union and was told that he was no longer a member. Mr*** also wanted the credit union to use their legal team to sue us due to the repossession in which they stated they would not do that and stood behind us
We pride ourselves on being fair and just in a business that is unpopular. It is important to us to maintain a business that is run with professionalism but at times we are faced with circumstances that makes it difficult. In over years, we have only had damage complaint which we promptly took care of We have no problem taking care of any issues if we caused them, however, Mr***s door was broken prior to repossession. We may have even just helped him out in good faith if he was at least civil - which he was anything but. We deal with over different people every month and never have had a problem such as this. Copies are furnished to anyone who requests. Our business is transparent however, our attorney has advised us to cease communications once an individual begins threatening a lawsuit and refer everything to him. What is boils down to is that Mr*** was angry because we found his vehicle that he had been hidingHe was in our office for approximately hours causing a scene making it difficult for us to conduct our daily operations. Mr*** was also angry over the fact that we close at 3:on Fridays, but our website clearly states our hours - which have not changed since the previous owner started the business in 2008. We have attached pictures to show the condition of the truck when it was brought to our lot. We also have the initial condition report and signed release that he signed releasing us of any claims. I am unable to attach it to this email because it will not allow any more attachments. Also, security cameras ran the entire time to document this incident
You can contact me at 317-606-*** with any further questions. Thank you, *** ***