Car Warranty Phone Calls: Can You Stop Them?

Reported by: John Matarese


It's happening to almost everyone: your phone rings, and the caller is a computerized voice selling car warranties.

Sound familiar? That would be bad enough, except that now the callers don't care if you're on the Do Not Call list.... and don't care if your phone is a cell phone!

Renew the Warranty on a 1964 Car?

Tim Henderson tells me he recently received an unexpected call on his cell phone....only to answer it and hear this message!

"Out of warranty? You are still eligible to reactivate warranty coverage. This is the final call before we close the file."

Tim says "I got this call several times this past week. Some friends I know got three in one day."

The call urged him to renew his car's warranty. Only problem: His car is a 1964 Dodge Dart....a vintage car whose warranty expired 40 years ago! No legitimate company would offer a warranty on a 1964 model car.

Tim says "all the work is being done at home...So essentially I am the warranty!"

Thousands of Complaints

But whether you drive a '64 Dodge or no car at all doesn't really matter, according to the Better Business Bureau....which has logged more than 20,000 complaints about these computerized calls.

Tim is especially frustrated, he says, because "I am on the Do Not Call list!"

But the BBB says your number appears to be chosen at random, by a computer number generator.

That means the calls will come even if you are on the National Do Not Call list.... and even if you select the option to be removed from their calling list.

The recording typically gives you an option to stop receiving calls, usually saying "press two to be removed from the follow up list."

But some complaints to the BBB claim the calls will continue, even if you do that.

What can you do?

This is the latest incarnation of a marketing pitch that used to show up in the form of a post card from third party extended warranty companies. Now, these companies -- which are set up all around the country -- have decided to use a massive calling campaign to sell their warranties.

So what can you do if they call?

• The Better Business Bureau says don't talk to them, and don't sign up for their No Call list....because they don't honor No Call lists, and the risk is that registering with these callers could make things even worse if they share your number.
• Instead, try to capture their number through your Cell Phone's call log or your home phone's Caller ID, and report them to the BBB, the State Attorney General, and the Federal Trade Commission, at ftc.gov (click link above).
• If the calls keep coming, screen your incoming calls...and don't pick up any calls from unknown area codes.
• However, it is still a good idea to be on the National Do Not Call list, as it stops other telemarketers. Click the link above.

What about an Extended Warranty?

Should you buy their warranty? Absolutely not, because calling cell phones is illegal, and you don't know what other law breaking they may do.

In addition, as Tim learned, they really have no idea what car you are driving, so their contention that your warranty "is about to expire" is bogus.  His warranty expired in 1967.

An extended warranty can be a good idea, but if you want one, contact your car's manufacturer (such as GM or Toyota), or check with the Dealership where you bought your car, to see what they stand behind.

Can't Anyone Stop Them?

The Attorney General of North Carolina recently got a court injunction to stop one of these companies from calling consumers. 

And just this past week, an Oklahoma judge issued an injunction against one St Louis area company, threatening to fine it $25,000 per call if it continued to call Oklahoma residents. But those rulings affect only individual states.

So the best thing to do is file a complaint, if you get their number. If thousands of people report these callers, there's a good chance the law will eventually make them stop.

And don't waste your money. I'm John Matarese.