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A self-proclaimed “car man,” Richard Grosvenor of Atlanta is an auto-repossesor. The 15-year industry veteran is president of Speedy Recovery Servics Inc, a repossession company that specializes in cars and watercrafts.

How did you get started doing auto repossessions?
About 16 years ago I had a friend of mine that had a towing service. He asked me to come with him while he was doing a repossession of a car. I’m a bit of a thrill seeker so I agreed to go. We went, but had no success finding and recovering the car. After that I said to him that he really needed to get more information on these people so he could be more successful in recovery. I had worked at a gas station towing vehicle and I also had experience working in auto mobile collision so I told him to give me the information he had and I would work on the cases. We went back a few days later after I made some phone calls and repossessed three cars all in the same night. From there, I purchased my own truck and started my own auto repossession business.

Describe a typical day at work.
Well, first, every morning I go to Dunkin Donuts to get my cup of coffee. Then I call into the office on my way in to ask what the numbers are in recoveries for the day. Then I see if there are any fires to put out, such as someone who has had their vehicle repossessed and is complaining about wanting their property inside the car. I pay some bills. I still do repossessions even though I’m the owner because I like to be very hands on. I also do watercrafts, motorcycles. I had my first plane a few months ago.

How do you train for this job?
It’s much different in today’s time than it was when I first started. With all of the new laws you have to make sure you take the time to really teach your employees the do’s and don’ts. We also send employees through a certification program to make sure they’re nationally certified. All of those things are really important. In this business, a lot of people will try to sue you and you have to make sure that your employees know what they’re doing.

Is your job dangerous?
I would say it’s dangerous, but you do everything you can to make it as safe as possible. When I first started I worked for every car lot along Covington Highway, they used to call me “King of the Highway.” After a while I learned that car lots are the most dangerous places for work because the people they deal with are the most desperate. The majority of the people are paying bi-weekly and have paid twice as much on the car than it’s worth. I just didn’t feel good about doing business in that way. When the opportunity presented itself to do business with the banks instead, I decided to do that.

What is the craziest thing that has happened to you while on the job?
The one that comes to mind is one time I had a guy call me and we had just repossessed his car a couple hours before. He was complaining about his briefcase that had been left in his car and was extremely adamant about needing his briefcase. He said there was a large sum of money in his briefcase and so initially, I thought it was a joke. So I went out to the car and got the briefcase and I thought, Let me see what he thinks is a large sum of money. I opened the briefcase and there was a huge stack of money with a seal and covered in shrink-wrap. I then thought to myself, “This is a guy who had his car repossessed and lives in an apartment.” So I called the police and the feds came by. It turned out the guy was actually a bank robber.

What is your favorite part about your job?
Hearing the things that people will come up with, people will do some of the strangest things to hide their cars. Every time I do repossession the person will ask me, “How did you find me?” I always answer, “I don’t know. Were you hiding?” It’s also a lot different than people think because a lot of these people, especially in today’s time, are successful, upstanding people who have just fallen on hard times. They have purchased a vehicle that is beyond their means because they feel that it’s a status symbol. But they really can’t afford it.

What do you think about television shows like “Operation Repo”?
A lot of people ask me about that show, most of my friends and people I meet have seen it and want to know if that is really what my job is like. I have to say, in 15 years of repossessing cars I have never once been beaten up or had a scratch or stitch. What you see on TV is not real, but it’s what sells. It does kind of make the job difficult, because when I go to repossess a person’s car and they’ve seen the show they can be defensive and say “You’re not going to treat me like those people on that show.”

What do you think is the most common stereotype about repossessors?
I think people think were all adrenaline junkies or they expect us to be really greasy and dirty and operate out of junkyard. A lot of times when I’m meeting with new clients they never find my office on the first try because it looks like a regular office building and they’re expecting something a lot different.

Do you have a problem with the term “Repo man”?
At my company we strive so hard to say were professional repossessors and that what we’re doing is an honest, respectable profession. I have a pretty good sense of humor so I even joke about the term, but I do want people to know we take our job seriously.

What’s the nicest car you’ve repossessed?
I’ve repossessed a Rolls Royce, a Bentley a Ferrari and, most recently, a Maserati. When I picked up the Maserati the owner insisted that I drive the car. It had a Ferrari engine and it was a really nice drive, just the handling and everything. There are definitely perks to the job.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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