This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Urgent Scam, Please Respond
Feb
5
2009
Since we own a couple of vehicles, we occasionally get mail about those vehicles. Usually the mail has to do with vehicle maintenance or warranties. Today I am sharing one of the warranty notifications with you.
The reason for sharing this letter is to show how to tell it’s not a good program. Take a look at the whole letter, above, and then look at this particular excerpt, below.
For those who can’t see the image: it says “Due to the nature of this program, we can only authorize your vehicle for 72 hours from the receipt of this notice.”
One of the reasons to distrust it is that it pretends to be related to a dealership by using the words “Dealer Warranty” prominently. But it’s not from a dealership at all. It’s similar to those coin companies that have the words “US” or “Federal” or “Mint” but are not related to the actual US Mint at all.
Anyway, these guys are offering to extend my factory warranty (with their own warranty). But our vehicle has been out of warranty for about 30,000 miles and 2 years. Oh, and only my vehicle qualifies, so it must be an exclusive program that I should feel privileged to join.
If you look at the whole letter, you will not find a date anywhere. How do I know when the 72 hours expires? What I forgot exactly which day I received it? How do they know what time my mail arrives?
It’s not 3 days – it’s 72 hours … from when I receive the notice. They can’t know when the offer expires, but I need to “call immediately”. That’s one of the ways to tell a scam – being told that urgent action is required and being pressured for a decision. That’s especially true when the person applying the pressure is the one who will be taking money from you (or getting you to give them your money).
Hey! Isn’t that what’s being done with the president and congress right now? “We need a stimulus package, and we need it right now. We need to take 800 or 900 billion dollars from the taxpayers, but we don’t want to think about it too long. Don’t delay, vote now! Urgent action is required.”
Unfortunately, I can’t just toss the government’s requests in the trash like I do other junk mail.
“For wisdom is protection {just as} money is protection, But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.”
– Ecclesiastes 7:12
February 6th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Is this similar to those stupid calls I get where a recorded voice tells me it’s concerning my credit card account, nothing is wrong with your account but you may be eligible for a lower interest rate, or some hooey like that; I never listen long enough to hear what they’re trying to peddle.
February 7th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
“The doctrine of the separation of powers was adopted by the convention of 1787 not to promote efficiency but to preclude the exercise of arbitrary power. The purpose was not to avoid friction, but, by means of the inevitable friction incident to the distribution of the governmental powers among three departments, to save the people from autocracy.” Myers v. United States, 272 U.S. 52, 293 (1926) (Brandeis, J., dissenting).
February 7th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
English, please, for those of us unfortunate enough not to have gone to law school.
February 9th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
The US government is not supposed to be efficient or quick; action by it should be slow and bumbling.
I watched part of one of the debates between the two presidential candidates. Someone asked a question about how each would, if elected, do something to solve some problem more quickly. Both gave the right political answer: “I’ll do [something impressive sounding] to make sure everyone gets along and acts quickly.” But that’s the wrong Constitutional answer. They both should have said that a central government that can act quickly will eventually turn into tyranny.
The day all the campaign promises come true, and all the politicians set aside their differences to Make Things Better, is the day I take all my money out of the bank and hide in the hills.