SIX STEPS TO TAKE WHEN YOUR CAR IS REPOSSESSED IN ARIZONA

It is very shocking to come out of the house to go to work, or after work or school, and find that your car is missing. Your immediate question is “Was it stolen?” It may have been. But another question to consider is “Was it repossessed?” If you are late on your payments, repossession is most likely the answer.

Immediately take the following steps:

1.   Call the local police department as soon as possible to report your car as stolen. If it was repossessed, the repo company will have already reported that to the police and the police will inform you of such.

 2.   Ask the police department for the name, address and phone number of the repossession company who took the vehicle.

 3.   Call the repossession company to find out where your vehicle was taken and how you can go about getting your personal property back. Neither the bank nor the repossession company can take your personal property but, unfortunately, they often do.

4.   Go to the repossession company’s lot where the car is located and pick up your personal belongings. If there is anything that is missing, make sure you tell the company what it was, and make a note of it for your own record.

5.   If the repo company asks you to sign anything—don’t. They  want you to sign a release so that you cannot come after them for any wrongful actions taken on their part. You are not obligated to sign any sort of release in order to get your property back. And don’t pay them anything to get your property back—it is your property.

6.   Immediately call an Arizona consumer protection lawyer (not a bankruptcy lawyer) who deals in illegal repossessions to see whether your rights have been violated in the process of the repossession.

Arizona Attorney Floyd W. Bybee is available for a free phone consultation regarding your repossession experience. Give him a call today!