Shirley,
Laws can vary by state. Generally, personal property that
is in repossessed Cars, Trucks, SUVs, Boats etc, should be
inventoried and placed in a secure location for the owner to
claim during normal business hours without charge.
Charges can be imposed if the property is not claimed
usually within ten business days after you have been
notified by US mail. You should check your states
laws.
If the repossessor refuses to allow you to claim your
property, I would contact the local police agency that has
jurisdiction and ask them to accompany you to their location
to keep the peace. The police can't force them to give you
your property but their presence usually helps.
If you claim that property was in the vehicle and is not
accounted for, the burden of proof is on you to prove that
it was really there when it was repossessed. This can be
very difficult to do.
Depending on your proof and the value of the property you
may need an attorney or local small claims court. I would
also make a police report and check your insurance
coverage.
A recovery agency provides a valuable service to banks
and finance companies in keeping losses down, which results
in lower charges to all of their customers.
While the vast majority of the recovery firms are honest
business people providing a service, there are a large
number that are rogues who violate the law and whose
employees come from questionable backgrounds.
I hope this is not the case in your situation. However if
it is they will in all probability have a record of
complaints with the local police and licensing agency.
Good luck, Let me know the outcome.
Tim
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