Judge disconnects alleged car-warranty "robo-callers"
It's official. The Feds are pissed, too. On Thursday, a federal judge did what many of us have wanted to do for a long time now. He handed out restraining orders to two companies the Federal Trade Commission says have been calling you, me, all your friends, your 90-year-old blind grandmother, and anyone else without enough sense to ignore unidentified phone calls. "Today the FTC has disconnected the people responsible for so many of these annoying robocalls," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz in a press release. "We expect to see a dramatic decrease in deceptive auto warranty calls, but we are still on high alert.
Voice Touch, Inc. and its partner Network Foundations LLC were ordered to immediately stop making phone calls that violate the Do Not Call Registry. The Feds also ordered the companies' assets frozen and appointed receivers over them to ensure all relevant documents are preserved for a May 29 hearing. Transcontinental Warranty, Inc., a client of Voice Touch, was also given a restraining order.
Does this mean those annoying calls will now stop? Most of them, probably. Does it mean your car's warranty really isn't about to expire? Judging by the number of new cars sold in the last two years, the end of your car's coverage is probably long gone or very near. Leave your number in the comments and someone will get with you soon to discuss your options. (We're kidding, obviously.)
[Source: The Associated Press]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Seminole 10:50AM (5/16/2009)
Now only if they could get the USfidelis commercials on TV to stop...
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UpIrons 12:55PM (5/16/2009)
Oh man, I hate those freaking commercials.
Tool 12:59PM (5/16/2009)
And could they also stop the people calling my cell phone with offers to clean my carpet????
I don't even have carpet.
crawford.kirk 11:02AM (5/16/2009)
It is about time. Nothing they said about not getting anymore calls didn't work.
Besides, it wasn't the car company anyway.
W. Kirk Crawford
Tularosa, New Mexico
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Avinash machado 11:08AM (5/16/2009)
Good. So there will be fewer interruptions with our schedules.
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geo.stewart 11:09AM (5/16/2009)
HOW about they publish the management teams phone numbers, home and cell, for all of us to call them?
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Rob 10:03PM (5/16/2009)
I was going to say the same thing. Great minds....
Smegley 11:10AM (5/16/2009)
I'm not worried about a warranty expiring because the US government stands behind all our warranties now and we all know how utterly competent the US government is! My warranty is as secure as my social security and medicare and soon as secure as my nationalized healthcare!
Mehhhh.
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Lanehog 3:17PM (5/16/2009)
...Backing a warranty isn't the same thing as extending it past an expiration date. Nice attempt to find somewhere to insert an Obama Administration jab though *thumbs up*
versionII 11:27AM (5/16/2009)
Lease a BMW, free maintenance and warrenty for the term of your lease.
And have them put "special BMW oil" instead of the Castro synthetic they say its not.
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why not the LS2LS7? 11:28AM (5/16/2009)
For any ABers following F1, the BBC has reported that Mosley has backed down on the changes that gave lower-budget teams more technical freedom.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/f1mole/2009/05/a-day-at-heathrow-as-f1-seeks.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8052680.stm
Just 10 hours earlier Mosley had been presenting a much stronger front.
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MajorGeek 11:31AM (5/16/2009)
Now block all robo callers... actually block all telemarketing. If I want to buy it, I can get to the store or try that fancy internet thing.
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Kitko 12:02PM (5/16/2009)
So they CAN do it.
I just wonder why they didn't do the same thing years ago with all other "telemarketers" who deploy exactly same methods. See, once in a while my credit card payment is allegedly due.... or so I'm being told. I hope these folks are next.
MikeofLA 12:17PM (5/18/2009)
You do mean just business to home, right? I am a telemarketer, business to business, and the products I offer (Office Equipment and supplies) is something everyone needs, and you wouldn't suggest that everyone just go to the big box stores and ignore all the small business's right? That's how we got our start. Had to telemarket.
MajorGeek 11:34AM (5/16/2009)
All 10 Autobloggers who do care about F1 thank you for posting this here, a totally unrelated post, rather then submit it as news to Autoblog. News if you consider we all knew this would happen. The rest of us, however, still don't care. Thank you.
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why not the LS2LS7? 11:42AM (5/16/2009)
After submitting the last update about 16 hours ago (where Mosley said this absolutely would not happen and he didn't care which teams quite over it) and AB declining to print it and submitting an update last weekend an AB declining to print it, I kinda figured I had to take the law into my own hands for this once.
I see from your off-topic post that you are fiercely against off-topic posts clogging up AB articles.
MajorGeek 12:58PM (5/16/2009)
Wow, thats one F1 fan, guess 10 was a bit optimistic.
waiownsyou 3:43PM (5/16/2009)
Man, wtf is F1?
Chris 11:53AM (5/16/2009)
Good! What surprises me more is that there is actually enough people out who fall for this stuff to make it worth the while of these companies to even conduct business like this.
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xspeedy 12:00PM (5/16/2009)
About freaking time. I don't know why it is so hard for the various watchdogs (FCC/FTC...) to crack down on such blatant law breakers.
Almost makes me wonder the purpose of these organizations.
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