North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper won a temporary restraining order has been obtained against a car warranty telemarketer. Superior Court Judge Ripley Rand ordered New Jersey-based Automotive Protection to stop illegally telemarketing to North Carolinians and to stop taking their money. Below is the press release from the NCDOJ [pdf]:
Telemarketer forced to park auto warranty scam, says AG
Cooper wins order against telemarketer that targeted seniors, took money without permissionRaleigh: A telemarketer pitching car warranties to seniors must stop making illegal calls and taking money from North Carolina consumers, Attorney General Roy Cooper announced today.
“Calling people on the Do Not Call list and trying to trick them is no way to do business,” Cooper said. “We’re taking action to stop the calls and try to win money back for consumers.”At Cooper’s request, Wake County Superior Court Judge Ripley Rand entered a temporary restraining order on Thursday against Automotive Protection of New Jersey and its manager Christopher Doyle. The order requires the defendants to stop illegally telemarketing North Carolinians and to quit taking their money.
Cooper contends that Automotive Protection targeted consumers aged 65 or older, called people who had signed up for the Do Not Call Registry to stop telemarketing calls, and misrepresented the terms of its auto warranties. He is asking the court to permanently stop the company’s illegal telemarketing calls and deceptive sales practices, and to order the company to pay consumer refunds and civil penalties.
A total of 24 consumers complained to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division about the company’s illegal calls, tricky sales tactics and refusal to pay refunds. Consumers’ stories, filled as affidavits with Cooper’s complaint, illustrate how the company has operated in North Carolina:
• A Guilford County resident was promised that a $1,599 extended warranty would cover his car bumper- to-bumper for four years. But when he got the contract, the warranty wasn’t as good as the telemarketer had claimed. He called to cancel and was told he would get his $350 deposit back. Instead of returning his money, Automotive Protection charged $1,249 to his credit card.
• A 74-year-old woman in Avery County agreed to buy a warranty for her Toyota for $2,050. She made a down payment of $200 but had second thoughts within the hour and tried to cancel. She repeatedly faxed in her cancellation form and was promised her money back, but Automotive Protection kept her $200 and the company’s payment processor took an additional $154.13 from her bank account.
• An 82-year-old resident of Pitt County was told that he had 30 days to review the car warranty contract before he’d be charged. But a few days later, he discovered that Automotive Protection had withdrawn $250 from his bank account using a fake check number. He wrote and called to cancel the contract but Automotive Protection’s payment processor continued to try to bill him.
North Carolina consumers who had dealings with Automotive Protection can file a complaint with Cooper’s office by downloading a complaint form at www.ncdoj.gov or calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM toll-free within state.
“Tough times bring out the scammers,” Cooper said. “Let my office know if you spot a potential scam.”
When will the AG will go after those Florida-based car warranty companies?