Possible warranty scam?

[twotails]

I just got a call from a number in North Carolina (I live in and purchased my Sonic in Chicago). It was someone claiming to be calling from the "auto processing department", talking about a mechanical breakdown coverage provided by Chevy. It sounded fishy as hell, but they did know my model year and part of my address, and they just sort of stopped talking after I said I wasn't interested. As it happens I was recording the call, and I thought I'd post it here and see what you guys thought.

To listen (it's about two minutes long): Vocaroo | Voice message

 

[rdss]

I would verify any warranty work with your local dealer before trusting a random phone call. All my recalls come in letter form and advise me to schedule an appointment with my local stealership service department. Sounds like someone was fishing.

 

[CjCsonic]

I've gotten similar bs calls for my wife's kia. They get pi55ed when I start questioning them.

 

[ChrisJ]

It's fake.
I've gotten calls and actual mail from the same type of places.

I think the first time I saw such a thing was back in 2006 or 2007.

 

[laborsmith]

I get them often even for cars I have not owned for several years.

I do not know if they get their info from the original selling dealer or from the state department for motor vehicles but the mail and the phone calls never stop.

A couple of times I have asked about coverage for my 1969 Corvair and every time the caller has said it could be done but I had to talk to a supervisor before the warranty could be finalized.

A Corvair. From the sixties. Warranty coverage for a forty five year old car?

Sure I would like to have a warranty covering my Corvair, after all it has less than 56,000 miles on the odometer and as I said is only 45 years old, but what would be covered? The engine has been rebuilt, almost every wire replaced, the body has been repainted twice, the suspension totally replaced, it now has Kevlar brake pads and the convertible top (now black instead of the oem white) is not yet ten years old. And these companies say they will warrant the car?

My rant for the month but yes I believe these contacts are a scam.


Laborsmith

 

[ColonelPanic]

There are many complaints when googling "auto processing department."

I haven't had one of these calls yet, but I do have a stack of letters awaiting the shredder that pertain to IMPORTANT WARRANTY INFORMATION about my 2013 Sonic. All from third party "warranty" companies.

If I am going to fork over a large sum of money on an extended warranty, pretty sure I would be the one who initiates contact *and* it would be an authentic GM warranty from a GM dealer. Not interested in some third party thing that isn't worth the paper it is written on. opcorn:

 

[Blue hedgehog]

I was getting calls a few years ago for my Tahoe. They said they would give a warrantee on anything with less than 150k. When I said I would take it for my wifes '49 packard super 8. It only had 46k on the odometer. They hung up on me and never called back.

 

[ecohauler]

I received a similar call from a New York number a couple of weeks after I bought mine. They said their records indicated that I did not have the extended warranty. When I told them I did, I got the same immediate dead air response. Dead giveaway that it was a scam.

I receive a similar call or mailer every time I buy a car, whether new or used, financed or cash in hand. There are some parts of vehicle records that are public domain, and when you do anything with credit you can open yourself up to having your information sold to third parties by the lender. The only information most scammers have is your name and what vehicle you have, and possibly your address. Anything else, they're just guessing.

 

[laborsmith]

I am still getting letters/phone calls for the 2010 Camaro which I traded in for the 2012 Sonic which I traded in for the 2013 Sonic.


Laborsmith