General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSo, How Much Do You Guess Is Being Spent
on cell phone robocalls about "your car's extended warranty?"
I've been getting several of them a day, all from spoofed numbers in my area code. Is that business actually profitable enough to warrant all of those annoying calls? Each time, I block that specific number, but the calls keep coming in daily.
Is everyone getting them? I mean, my car is only a year old, and still has four years remaining on its bumper-to-bumper factory warranty. Clearly, they're just calling randomly.
Turin_C3PO
(14,047 posts)Its insane.
Butterflylady
(3,547 posts)They evidently have good supply of phone numbers. Sometimes they come from local numbers, other times from different area codes.
MiniMe
(21,718 posts)I get those calls constantly too. I think the car companies give information to the telemarketers. My car is turning 5 years old in May and I get constant calls about your warrantee may be expiring. It's kind of like those car shield commercials. I find no need to purchase a warrantee like that.
AirmensMom
(14,648 posts)Well, one of them is. The other one is 24 years old. I still get the calls several times a day, along with the ones saying theyre from Social Security (theyre not), and thank you for choosing Marriott (I didnt and never will). I dont usually answer unless Im expecting a call from a docs office or veterinarian, which may come from a number I dont recognize.
Rice4VP
(1,235 posts)my car that I sold over 4 years ago
katmondoo
(6,457 posts)It is a scam.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)My mint car is 25 years old and in perfect condition.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)I assume the TV ads are based on an actual insurance company (though I have no idea whether it's any good or not).
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)Archae
(46,345 posts)Like that neo-Nazi got busted after making all those spam calls.
https://www.cnet.com/news/robocaller-hit-with-10-million-fine-from-fcc/
As is, if I don't see a familiar name, I let my own machine take the call.
BUT...
The car warranty scammers will use even hospital phone numbers in their spoofed calls.
And I don't own a car, BTW.
MineralMan
(146,329 posts)calls from numbers I don't recognize, so I have to answer all calls.
I'm dealing with complicated estate issues after the death of both of my parents.
I'm using the Do Not Disturb feature on my phone when I'm in meetings or something, but really have to take calls at other times.
It's very frustrating. Since the caller does not identify itself or the company that is paying for the calls, it's impossible to complain, since they are using number-spoofing in those calls.
There ought to be a law...
edhopper
(33,615 posts)if the Government took on the telecoms.
But so far, money talks.
MineralMan
(146,329 posts)I would never sign up for such a thing. If you needed to use it, no doubt you'd find that an exclusion in the fine print meant that your repair wasn't covered. I have no doubt about that at all.
It's a scam, and a major one, at that. They must be bombarding every possible cell phone number, using some algorithm to generate the automated calls. For example, my phone prefix is 295 in my area code. That means that there are only 10,000 possible numbers in that prefix. Probably even numbers that are not assigned to actual customers are being called.
As you say, the cost per call is minimal, but it is non-zero, and they must be making millions of them a day. More evidence that the whole thing is a scam.
edhopper
(33,615 posts)say all extended warranties on products are aren't worth it.
edhopper
(33,615 posts)And there is so much money to make when they get just a few suckers.
And yes, I get them all the time.
genxlib
(5,534 posts)IT has taken over as the number one nuisance call
niyad
(113,550 posts)Many different numbers. It must be profitable, as this scam has been ongoing for months.
Wounded Bear
(58,704 posts)ominously saying as how my non-existent policy was about to expire.
Guess I'm moving up in the world.
(Oh, and my car is far too old with too many miles for any of those "extended warranty" insurance scams to touch.)
frogmarch
(12,158 posts)and I don't have a car or any other kind of vehicle.
c-rational
(2,595 posts)did not pick up a call I needed to because of an unrecognized number. Thankfully they were leaving a message so I picked up. I also note the spoofed number trick and never pick those up.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Eventually, I seem to have blocked about 90% of the calls, but it took a long time.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,895 posts)they use many, many different numbers to call from. Or seem to be calling from.
My phone does a lousy job of capturing numbers, and I haven't a clue why that's the case. So most of the time I don't even see a number, which means I mostly answer the phone. As soon as I realize it's some stupid robo call, I just hang up. Takes less than ten seconds of my time.