My car is not running out of warranty!

January 19, 2008 1:01 PM

An auto dialer seems to be calling my cell phone frequently about my vehicle running out of warranty. How do I stop it?

I know it's illegal for auto dialers to call cell phones. Gooling the number tells me I'm not alone. I called Verizon and asked if they could block this number. They said that they couldn't do it. The agent noted on my account that this is illegal and the only thing she could suggest was that I call them and ask to be removed from the list. Others in link 1 have noted that this didn't work.

What are my options?

posted by special-k to technology (15 answers total)

Call their contact number back -- with an autodialer.
posted by nathan_teske at 1:10 PM on January 19, 2008

Can you get a contact number or name? I believe that they are required by law to remove you from their calling list if you demand it, as well as give the name of the company and supervisor. If they won't comply, you actually have grounds for legal action and should threaten them with same. You rights might vary by state, but the next time they call I'd demand a supervisor.
posted by bakertim at 1:10 PM on January 19, 2008

I'm in California, if it matters.
posted by special-k at 1:11 PM on January 19, 2008

I think the best thing to do is to add the number to your contacts and make the ringtone silent. Then at least you're not picking it up or being bothered by calls from that number. You don't get charged for calls to your voicemail, so you can just delete all those from that number.
posted by desjardins at 1:14 PM on January 19, 2008

Telephone hacks?
posted by yoga at 2:09 PM on January 19, 2008

I got the exact same phone call a few days ago, from a different number, 281-520-3761. They didn't call again after I pressed the button to talk to an operator and asked, "Who the hell are you?" when they asked for my VIN and plate number. They hung up immediately.

You can also file a complaint with the FCC -- it's illegal to telemarket a cell phone, and it's also illegal to use an auto-dialer for telemarketing to a residential number.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 2:10 PM on January 19, 2008

My store gets this call...oh...probably 5 times a day. If you figure out anything fun, let me know. I'm tempted to let it play through and get me to a real person so I can scream at them.
posted by TomMelee at 2:56 PM on January 19, 2008

I got that call, too! (I'm also in California.)
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 8:28 PM on January 19, 2008

Not helpful immediately, but might be worth it for the future if this happens to you a lot:

You might consider is getting a toll-free number through one of the cheap on-line toll-free providers, and forwarding that to your cell phone. My toll-free provider charges about $10 a month + a low per-minute charge.

Some advantages:

1) There is no such thing as a "private caller" on toll-free. You can always see the number they called from.

2) You can set calls to go straight to voice mail during certain hours or all the time while letting some white-listed numbers through. Voice mail is delivered by email, so this might not be so handy on a cell, obviously.

3) You can block individual numbers, ranges of numbers, area codes, certain states, etc. through the online controls. These calls get a busy signal.

4) You can change where the toll-free points to so if you're home you can point it at your home phone if you'd rather talk on it.

Anyway, something to think about if you're constantly bombarded.
posted by maxwelton at 9:22 PM on January 19, 2008

Uh, obviously you'd never give out your actual cell number, to be clear.
posted by maxwelton at 9:23 PM on January 19, 2008

The 623 area code belongs to the Phoenix-metro area (specifically, the "west side" of Phoenix). Try contacting the Arizona Attorney General's Office
posted by phrayzee at 12:19 AM on January 20, 2008

I had a similar problem, but not on my cell phone. This page, while related to one particular number, was very helpful for any harassment calls such as the ones you are getting. There are links to places to report such harassment and the faster you file, the faster you'll get them.

The FTC is also a place to file a report. I tried to see if I could get a physical address for the company, but alas I cannot. Keep your phone records of your incoming calls from them and make copies. You can use this as supporting data when you file with the FTC.
posted by magnoliasouth at 2:16 AM on January 20, 2008

Oh and I forgot to mention, when I filed my complaint with the FTC, the calls stopped almost immediately. They have an online form, so you send your complaint out immediately.

My problem was a fax dialer that would call my house at least 5 times per day. It was terribly frustrating. I literally hopped online each and every time I got one of those calls and filed a complaint with each ring. Within one or two days, it stopped. Someone jumped on the bandwagon over at the FTC.
posted by magnoliasouth at 2:21 AM on January 20, 2008

Interestingly, I was standing next to my friend when he got this phone call today on his cell phone. (We're in Phoenix, but I don't know if the number was a 623.)
posted by disillusioned at 3:57 AM on January 20, 2008

Seconding phrayzee's comment re: the AZ Atty general: I have been getting this as well, on two (520) / Tucson cellphones I own, so I assume these people are targeting AZ.

Makes me want to invent a cellphone firewall, or at least force the cellphone companies to support the kind of per-number blacklisting like maxwelton describes.
posted by bhance at 8:41 AM on January 20, 2008