Dealing with a mistaken and lost repo tow truck crew is not my idea of a pleasant night out.
I took Itzl and Xoco out for their last night run before bedtime, then went inside to get ready for bed. Work comes way too early to stay up late.
We had just settled into bed when Itzl bounced up and alerted on "stranger danger", which meant someone we didn't know was on the front porch.
So I get up, hastily toss on a sweat suit and shoes, and go look.
A towing crew was hooking my car up to their truck.
So, duh, I go out and demand to know what's happening.
"Lady, we're repossessing your car. Shoulda paid your bills." one of them sneers as he shoves some paper at me.
I read the paper.
My car is a blue 4 door 1996 Toyota Corolla.
The paper said they were picking up a black 2 door 2012 Toyota Camry.
The only thing these cars had in common was that they were both Toyotas.
Oh, and the address they were supposed to be at? Was not my address. They were 40 blocks from the right address, and one city over.
I pointed this out to them and insisted they stop connecting my car.
"Too late, Lady, we got this one hooked and you're going to have to bail it out."
So I sat down in front of the tow truck and called 911.
I explained that I was hearing impaired and couldn't hear them so they'd just have to listen and hope I gave them all the info they needed. I said some people were trying to steal my car right that second, were hooking it up to a tow truck, and gave them my address, reiterated what city I was in and gave driving directions, then repeated until the police arrived.
The police examined the repossession papers, and made the repo men unhook my car and leave.
Yay, all settled for the night!
Right?
Wrong. An hour later, Itzl was up with his "stranger danger" signal again, and be darned if it wasn't the same repo crew out there trying to hook my car up to their truck.
I go out and put my hands on my hips and ask them, "Do you want me to call the police again? Because this time, I'm pressing theft charges."
This time the skinnier of the two said, "We have to bring in a car, and we couldn't find that address, so we came back for yours. We need the money."
"Did you ever think I need my car to get to work so I can earn money? My car is old and paid for, and you Are. Not. Taking. It."
I called the police again, sat down in front of their truck so they couldn't leave, and once again, after a lengthy argument, they unhooked my car and left. I have no clue why the police chose not to arrest them for attempted theft, but then, the local police are kind of - for lack of a better word - unwilling to arrest men who are causing harm to women if there's no violence involved.
This time, I waited nearly two hours to see if they'd come back.
I must have been asleep an hour when Itzl was up with his "stranger danger" alert.
I get up. There's no need to dress, I'd gone to sleep in the sweat suit, and went outside.
Coming around the corner was that tow truck. Again. I held up the cell phone, and they sped past.
So I researched their repo company on line, and this morning, when they open, they are going to get a really nasty piece of my mind.
I am also talking to my lawyer to see what protections and strategies I have to prevent that stupid crew from glomming onto my car again.
The only company I owe any money to is the dratted usurious mortgage company. I have no other loans, no other debts. And the mortgage company isn't taking an old car that's worth maybe $1,000 tops when they have the option to evict me and take my house.
No, this is a stupid pair of repo men who are unethical and don't care whose car they take as long as they bag a car that comes close (in their mind) to the car they are supposed to get.
They are going to learn their lesson today. And they are going to wish mightily they'd never stopped at my house.
I will not have a repeat of last night.
And I am more convinced than ever that it's time to sell my house and move somewhere else.