Finally....FTC cracks down on the crazy robots who've been callin' me.

For the past several years, folks, I have been receiving calls regarding my expiring auto warranty. Which as always struck me as a little odd. I mean, I drive a 1973 Buick Century, whose warranty expired sometime in my teens. Before that I drove a 1977 Chevy Nova, and before that a 1972 Ford Mustang (I know, I know, I am super cool). Not one of these vehicles has any chance of a remaining warranty. But that has not stopped the auto warranty folks from calling me 2-5 times a day, 2-5 days a week for the past 4 years.

Putting your name on the Do Not Call list does nothing to stop the calls. I call it the Do Not Believe list, as in do not believe them when they say they will not call you. Informing the company about how stupid they are to keep calling me about auto warranties on cars over 3 decades old did nothing. They would always apologize, promise not to call again, and I'd get another call the next day.

In fact "Robo-calls" from this company and companies like them have gotten so bad, I don't even answer my phone with "Hello" (the machines can detect a voice and launch right into their pitch.) No, I have taken to answering my phone with a high pitched whistle. The whistle makes the Robo-caller think I am a fax machine and sometimes just hangs up. It also makes my human callers think I am a weirdo, but I had resigned myself to a few annoyed friends if it helped me to avoid the literally hundreds of calls from machines trying to sell me shit.

But FINALLY, somebody is doing something to STOP THE MADNESS.

From Yahoo News -
FTC sues cos. to halt auto warranty 'robo-calls'

By MARCY GORDON, AP Business Writer Marcy Gordon, Ap Business Writer – Thu May 14, 9:50 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Federal regulators filed suits Thursday against several companies they say are behind a national wave of spam "robo-calls" that warn people their auto warranties are expiring and offer new service plans.

Federal Trade Commission officials said they asked a federal court in Chicago to halt the illegal telemarketing campaign of "Your Car Warranty Has Expired." Officials say as many as 1 billion of the nuisance calls have been made to Americans. The calls target people regardless of whether they have warranties or even own cars. They call numbers randomly and leave messages with a computerized voice telling people, falsely, that their auto warranties are about to expire, regulators say.

The FTC named Voice Touch Inc. and Transcontinental Warranty Inc., which it called the telemarketer and promoter of the scheme, respectively, in the lawsuits. The agency is seeking injunctions forcing them to return allegedly ill-gotten gains. ....... (end quote)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090515/ap_on_bi_ge/us_car_warranty_calls;_ylt=AimhT.VhMValpeGOnA2_dp1xieAA;_ylu=X3oDMTJvMWtsbW9oBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwNTE1L3VzX2Nhcl93YXJyYW50eV9jYWxscwRjcG9zAzcEcG9zAzcEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNmdGNzdWVzY29zdG8-
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Now, while I would like to see these jerks get punished to the fullest extent of the law, for today, I'm just happy to see something finally being done about these abusive phone marketers.

But don't expect me to start answering my phone with a normal, "Hello" any time soon. Sure, the FTC says they are gonna stop these robo-dialing assholes from calling me, but my name is on the Do Not Believe list.