WMUR: FTC, Congressman Seek To Stop Car Warranty Calls

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The federal government is launching an investigation into the companies behind robotic calls asking Granite Staters whether they're interested in renewing their car warranties.

Rep. Paul Hodes, D-District 2 -- a target of the calls himself -- has urged people who have been targeted by the calls to come forward, WMUR News 9's Adam Sexton reported.

Shaun Walsh last owned a car in 2004. So, he was puzzled when he started getting calls on his cell phone offering to extend his warranty.

"I'm wondering why they're trying to say my warranty's expired," Walsh said.

Walsh said he received at least six calls in the last two months, and he's not alone.

The Federal Trade Commission has opened investigations into several companies allegedly involved in the deceptive calls.

"I would get about three calls morning, afternoon and night. Sometimes, it would be four calls right after another, bang, bang, bang," said A.J. Hirt, of Manchester.

"They're harassing me. Essentially, they're harassing me and I hang up on them," said Jessica Callis, of Manchester.

Hodes said the robo-calls completely ignore the federal Do Not Call Registry.

"It's annoying, it's harassing, and it's got to stop," Hodes said. "That's just one of the violations that we think are occurring here."

The FTC could bring lawsuits against these companies within days, but it is still asking people who have been targeted to call them by dialing 877-FTC-HELP.

WMUR News 9 called the FTC help line Tuesday night, trying to gauge how long it takes to file one of these complaints. The phone system doesn't ask if whether a person is calling about warranty scams, so you do have to push a few buttons, and when you do get to talk to a representative, it's helpful if you have the number from which the warranty company called.

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