I think all bondsmen should make a note of this .... IMHO
I have been a licensed bondsman for about 14 years... during that time I have had to outsource recoveries that were a bit out of my realm of expertise... either due to physical limitations or just plain no time to fool with them... as I have said many times... I am a candy azz and sometimes will call someone else to do recoveries for me... thus saving me from getting bruised up or worse....
Ok.... Now there are times when the recovery agents did not find or did not bring in the skip... sometimes, the person was already in jail or sometimes I was able to do the recovery or sometimes they turned themselves in .... anyway.... on those occasions, the agents did not complete the recovery...
Maybe some of you (bondsmen) believe that no recovery means no money and I am certainly not gonna try to change your mind on that... but I want to offer a little insight that you may want to think about the next time your recovery people don't bring in your 'man'.
Do you owe any money when this happens.... well,,,,, maybe not but maybe so........ here's my take on it...
I can remember several occasions when I ask for assistance.... not only in recovery but also in working out details with LE and attorneys and a few involving US Marshals and such, on weird cases I sometime find myself involved in.
On those occasions and on other occasions when the recovery agents I hired did not find the skip for whatever reason as mentioned above.... I still felt an obligation for services rendered.
A few years ago, a new recovery agent called me on a case and I agreed to let him work it… he called me less than 3 hours later and informed me that the skip had been arrested and was back in jail... he had done nothing but call the jail to find this out... he did not make the pickup. He told me to “not worry about” it but I sent him a check because he had done a service for me and I just felt he deserved compensation for what he had done. It wasn’t much but I felt he should be paid.
Another time a well known agent did a fair amount of field work and then before he could make the apprehension, the skip got locked up. I paid him what he asked because he had fielded several agents and had done a fair amount of looking for which he should be paid.
So… you make the call on these cases but be fair and if you honestly believe the recovery agent has “earned a fee”, even though he may not have recovered the skip, for whatever reason… pay him. Maybe not the full amount, but pay something for his time and effort.
Now I will offer this… one of the main reasons I do this is rather selfish… it enhances my reputation as an honest man… 'not an easy man, but honest'.
If you do this more often than not, your reputation as an honest bondsman will increase and the next time you call on this agent or someone that he has been in touch with and has told about you… you will have no trouble finding a reputable recovery service for your needs.
… and trust me on this… how you interact with other bondsmen and recovery agents will follow you… good or bad, your reputation will be greatly affected. Just give it some thought the next time you put a recovery agent on a case.
One other bit of advice.... it is not a good idea to hire a recovery team and then hire another at the same time... if you are not happy with the first hire... tell them about it and cut them loose before you put someone else on the case... nothing pisses off recovery people more than playing two separate, non connected teams on the same skip...
added later.... I have to mention something that is pertinent on this post.... I have never signed a contract, I have them and I suppose I could get everyone to sign off on them, but to date... I just never have used them... the agents I use know me and they know I am a man of my word... the problems I see happening when a bondsman doesn't pay up after the fact probably should have required a contract be signed but I have always simply trusted the agent to do the right thing and he trusts me also... of course if I should ever hire someone outside my realm of knowledge or if I just don't know a lot about them... I may require a contract, but frankly.... as long as I can continue to deal with those I know.... I just don't need a contract....
I know everyone says contracts keep you honest and protect you legally but... well, maybe so, but I will continue in my ways... BTW.... I always make sure that the person I deal with is licensed and compliant and that is usually enough... most of the time...
