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Warranty Services

S

Stuxnet

Diamond Member
For the last six months, my wife and I both have been getting absolutely SPAMMED with telemarketing calls from some company called "Warranty Services".

The caller ID always traces back to cell phones (and they're always busy when I try to call back, and then a few days later it's disconnected). I've done a little research on the Web, and it looks like a legitimate company, but their tactics are absolutely insane.

The call starts with a recorded voice telling you that your warranty is about to expire on your vehicle. Press 1 to connect to a salesperson, press 2 to take yourself out of their system.

Obviously 2 never, ever works. Tried that a dozen times until I got pissed enough that I wanted to face rape someone. So I started pressing 1.

The experience that follows pressing 1 can range anywhere from being hung up on because the first words out of your mouth weren't your credit card number, to being screamed at, cussed out, and threatened.

Most of the conversations begin with them asking what make, model, and year your vehicle is. I often challenge them with "do you even know my name? who you're calling? the vehicle in question? how can you possibly know about its warranty if you don't even know what phone number you're connected to?"

This usually sparks an argument, so I've tried to go more subtle in an effort to get myself out of their system. What is so infuriating about this is that there is absolutely no recourse when they don't take you out of their system, when they insult your mother's sexuality, or harass you.

My latest call was a few minutes ago. I pressed 1 to talk to someone.

"Make, model, and year of your vehicle?"
I want out of your system. What do I need to do?
"You can't be taken out of our system. Buy a warranty and you won't be called anymore."
How do you sleep at night?
"Fuck you, asshole. Don't waste my time."

You can guess where it went from there. But like I said, NO recourse. For giggles, here's the origin of that call: 770-894-4848. The call was literally 10 minutes ago, and it's already been disconnected.

If I ever meet a person who's made calls for this company, I will destroy them.
 
I get about 3 of these a day... there was another post on here about how there has been a class action lawsuit filed against the company but it doesn't seem to have stopped the calls
 
Isn't it illegal to have a phone call start off with a prerecorded message? Can you turn in the numbers or describe the even to the department, which start donotcall.gov?
 
They simply don't respect the Do Not Call list. That's the problem - there's no recourse. They simply ignore all the rules. I read somewhere where they just accept the penalties because it's more profitable to just pay the fines and do business as usual.

As for blocking numbers, they just keep getting new numbers. It's never the same number twice - it's not even the same area code twice. They use a number until their carrier disconnects it.
 
Originally posted by: Chryso
I think the only thing to do is to start taking up the time of live operators on the phone.
Click to expand...

Heh, I did that once. I was "Robert Paulson" (Fight Club reference). I kept him going for a good five minutes. When he asked for my credit card number, it was "5555... did you get that? You did? Great... okay, so 5555-5555-Fuck-You, you bottomfeeding loser."

The dude absolutely came unstitched.

It was fun once, but in all seriousness, I don't want my time wasted anymore than they do.
 
I use a service called Youmail where you can customize your own voicemail, there is a specific message where you can assign to certain numbers called ditchmail, which basically is a prerecorded message of saying that your phone number is disconnected & not in service. I got rid of tons of spam from my cellphone that way.
 
I've read a couple of stories that say the calls are from spoofed numbers. That explains why most of the time, if you try to call back, you get "The number you've reached is no longer in service" messages. Also, when there is a legitimate phone number, they have incoming calls blocked.

These are not the signs of a legitmate company. The folks at the US FTC can't do anything with phony phone numbers, so this gets ignored.

Personally, I'd love to see every person in the company get 5 years in FPMITA prison for their spamming bullshit...but I ain't-a-gonna hold my breath.
 
Ran across something like this reading digg.

If someone gave them their card information, couldn't you find out where they are from the credit card company or do they not require that information?
 
Originally posted by: JTsyo
Ran across something like this reading digg.

If someone gave them their card information, couldn't you find out where they are from the credit card company or do they not require that information?
Click to expand...

You would think.

I understand that these are phantom numbers, but I have to believe that if there was an AG out there really interested in putting in an honest day's work, they could fillet these scamming bastards.
 
dont answer the phone in the first place. i got those calls once a week for quite a while but they seem to have removed me. i never answered it at all.
 
Originally posted by: Beev
Why the hell are these becoming such a huge thing recently?
Click to expand...

Good question. The very first one I got was in November or December, and it was actually regarding my CC interest rate.

Recording: "We've determined that you quality for a reduced interest rate. Press 1 now to learn more."

So I figure hey, it doesn't hurt to hear what MY BANK has to say, right? So I press 1 and Johnny Fuckstick picks up:

"Credit card number please?"
Uh... wanna tell me who you are first?
"Card Services"

Now, one of my banking institutions actually has a "Card Services" department, so this seems somewhat legit. I continue:

Oh ok... so what's up?
"Well you qualify ... yadda yadda. So I just need your CC number.
Don't you already have that?
"We just need to confirm it."
Ok. Which one?
"Your Visa"
Ok. Which one?

*click*
 
Looks like someone is finally going to go on the offense: Text.

No much info to the story, but:

Ever receive a phone call that says your car warranty is about to expire? If so, you're not alone. Thousands of consumers received these computerized calls, and some of them don't even own vehicles. To fight back, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has called for a federal investigation into what he calls 'robo-dialer harassment.' "Not only are these calls a nuisance, but they tie up land lines and can eat up a user's cell phone minutes, possibly leading to a higher cell phone bill due to overage charges," Schumer said.
Click to expand...
 
has anyone tried this yet?


They call you. You tell them "Oh yea I ned that, but my phones battery is dieing that is the beeping sound you hear. Whats YOUR number and ext so I can call back in a couple minutes."

Not sure if it will work but if they think you really want it they may give it out. Then you have THEIR number and cal sue. 🙂
 
I've never had an option 2 to opt out. What I have had was a few options...if you let it sit for 20-30 seconds you'll hear a message saying "To opt out, please press 9" (or some number)

The next time you talk to someone just start blaring some really loud music until they hang up. Repeat. Or just scream that you're going to rape their mother, kill their husband, blah blah blah.
 
from a different thread on the same subject:


http://www.modbee.com/2033/story/697307.html

"US senator annoyed by spam call about car warranty
By KAREN MATTHEWS - Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK -- The telephone calls flood people every day around the country: A computerized voice tells them that their car warranties are about to expire and that they should sign up for new service plans.

The calls target people regardless of whether they have warranties or even own cars and have become such a nuisance that officials in 40 states are investigating the companies behind them. The Better Business Bureau said that last year it received more than 140,000 complaints about the car warranty calls, which come even if a person has signed up for the national Do Not Call registry.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer wants a federal investigation into what he calls "robo-dialer harassment."

http://www.usfidelis.com
http://www.ftc.gov
"Not only are these calls a nuisance, but they tie up land lines and can eat up a user's cell phone minutes, possibly leading to a higher cell phone bill due to overage charges," said Schumer, D-N.Y.

Michelle Corey, president of the Better Business Bureau in St. Louis, Mo., said the industry is based largely in the St. Louis area. She said a group of companies in Missouri in the mid-1990s began offering extended repair warranties to people whose manufacturer-issued warranties were about to expire. Within a few years, she said, about 35 firms were offering similar services.

"It's a very lucrative industry," Corey said.

The companies offer contracts akin to insurance policies, pledging to pay for car repairs in exchange for fees paid up front. They call numbers randomly and leave messages telling people that their auto warranties are about to expire.

Some companies also send out cards that mislead recipients into thinking that their vehicles have been subject to safety recalls, Corey said.

If people call back and agree to buy policies, Corey said, the companies often don't let them see the contracts until they agree to pay. And some scam victims don't learn until it's too late that the deals don't cover many types of repairs, Corey said.

"Some people are losing thousands and thousands of dollars in purchasing a product that turns out to be useless," she said.

The Federal Trade Commission, which already operates the do-not-call list, should work with state and local authorities "to find the scam artists and shut their operations down," Schumer said.

"This is an annoying scam whose perpetrators have found a way around the do-not-call list," he said at a news conference in his Manhattan office. "The FTC has to track them down and then shut them down to put an end to this nuisance once and for all."

Missouri authorities filed a lawsuit last month against one of the largest car-warranty companies, Wentzville, Mo.-based USfidelis Inc., charging that company officials ignored a subpoena demanding that they answer questions about their business.

A spokesman for USfidelis, which has more than 1,000 employees, said Sunday that there was "some confusion about the appearance date." The spokesman, Ken Fields, said USfidelis "treats every customer fairly and honestly."

The company stopped making unsolicited marketing calls last year and now relies mostly on television advertising, he said.

Corey, of the Better Business Bureau, said it is often difficult to know who is making the calls because companies change names frequently and use telemarketing subcontractors.

Schumer, who received a call last week, said a federal crackdown is needed.

"A few states have tried, but we need national action," he said.

Alison Southwick, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau, says the calls even come to her office - though she doesn't own a car.

"Personally, I don't know of anyone who hasn't received phone calls telling them their auto warranty is about to expire," she said. "My friends start bringing up four-letter words when I bring up the topic."
 
That's excellent news. Seriously, these people should be tarred, feathered, raped in the nostril, and discarded in a large body of water.
 
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