It was about 4 am when the phone in my bonds office rang and a guy starts asking me if his bond has been revoked.
I told him I needed to get some info on him to find out, & he stars yelling I a F**king total looser! I ask him if he missed his court date, & he says no, then I hear "mom, when was my court date for" I'm a total F**king looser, repeated 3 times, & then a yes I missed it. What do I need to do?
I asked have you been drinking? because it's obvious he is really screwed up. He responds, no man, I've been doing a lot of coke!
I told him that since he missed his court date he now has a warrant out for that. Again, "Oh my god! I'm a total F**king loser" about 4 times, & then what do I need to do. I said sober up, & call the police to straighten this out so you don't make things worse for your self. He screams I'm a total F**king looser, & I have to go now,& jack off while I still can. Click.
It was like being on crank yankers, or an x rated Candid Camera.
Some peoples kids[rolleyes]

You meet the biggest losers in life at pawnshops and bail offices.

Like my dad says " Are you having fun yet " ?

Searcher;

You are a much stronger man than I.  I spent 90 minutes in the Dept of Motor Vehicle yesterday and I was losing it.  I can't imagine dealing with, shall we say, those already in the "system".

Stay strong and as TJ stated, don't become bitter and cynical like so many in your industry.

Best of luck and keep the stories coming!

-934

Get used to it.  The women in their 40s are the worst, especially if you bonded them for drunk driving.  Wait until they start calling you in the middle of the night trying to hook up.  You must be a new bondsman and still be amazed by people.  I'm not suprised by anything anymore.  As far as the caller goes, make sure you go and pick him up and bring him to the court or jail.  If he's someone who you know you can keep track of and have a good cosigner, do a walkthrough with him and make some more money.

My old buddy TomJefferson gave you some good advice.

As a young man, I became a police officer and had my eyes opened.  I saw the absolute worst of people.  I had to realize that I was dealing with the worst 5%.

Remember that the other 95% are pretty good people.

I like hearing your stories about the gritty side of life, too.  Keep 'em coming.

I enjoy and look forward to your stories Searcherfortruth!
Almost as much as I look forward to Johny Reno's daily news threads [^]
 

So, what kind of training do you need to become a bondsman?

This sure does sound like an interesting profession.

What is the pay and hours like?

Training depends on the state.  The hard part is getting the money or the friend who is willing to let you write bonds for him.

My hours are 11 pm to 7 am Weds night to Mon morn. We have 3 shifts a day, & we are only closed 2 days a year. In my area there are no bennies to the job. No paid vacation, no insurance, no promise of a raise, etc. But I love my hours, & the job is really fun when I do have a customer. It's like seeing a car bad crash, or a house fire. You don't want to look, but you can't stop from looking. I get to ask criminals what they did, & why, & they almost always tell me! They think I'm their friend because I get them out of jail, & back on the street. Go figure. I'll do the same job for any good risk for the money, so my friendship is only in their own little brain.
The pay I get is not bad, I think it's about $13 per hour, & I mostly have free time on my shift. I watch tv/movies, read,study, practice my bagpipes, etc.. I'm at work by myself, & can pretty much do as I please until I get a call, or someone comes in for help.
My sister is a bondsman 2 doors down, & she hooked me up, as she was friends with the girl who had my shift, & told her she was going back to Houston. I knew right when to apply, they hadn't even started looking for a replacement for her yet, when I got the job. So my sister & I can step outside & visit, which we do nearly every night for at least 1/2 hour to 2 hours. As long as we can hear our phones it's ok.
I am thinking of starting some kind of a business of my own on my days, because this job pays my bills, & once I get caught up, I'll be free to invest in a business to make even more money. I might start selling ammo on the net, as I did that for 4 months at a company that was very mishandled before I got there, & which finally went down, in flames. I know for a fact that I could do it successfully form my own property. I'll cut all my ARFcom contacts a sweet deal just because I have been treated so well by so many here!