After making an appliance purchase from ABC Warehouse, I was hounded for well over 4 months by a telemarketer from their service company to buy an extended service warranty. After repeatedly telling this woman that I did not want it, I finally told her not to call again and hung up on her. A week later, I discovered that my credit card had been charged almost $300 for a service contract that I did not want and that I had not authorized.
I contacted ABC Warehouse, as well as their service company, Advanced Telephone. People at both businesses communicated to me that it is routine that a telemarketer be given the personal information (credit card number, physical address, and whatever else might have been entered on the original purchase invoice) from a sale.
Neither the VP of Operations at ABC Warehouse nor the President of Advanced Telephone seemed especially interested in pursuing answers to this egregious form of privacy invasion and fraud. They also implied that it is not uncommon for customers to complain about extended warranty charges to their credit card, whether they were authorized or not.
The simple truth is that if you make a purchase from ABC Warehouse, your personal information will rest in the hands of telemarketers who will then mercilessly attempt to sell you an extended warranty and perhaps, as was the case with me, use your credit card to sign you to an extended warranty.
I am angry because 1) my credit card was charged without my authorization, 2) my personal information was/is in the hands of someone with questionable scruples, and 3) every person with whom I spoke at both ABC and Advanced Telephone seemed unwilling to address my concerns.
If you have had an unauthorized charge made to your credit card by ABC Warehouse via it's extended service contract company, I would like to get in touch with you. I am in the process of investigating the potential for civil litigation and what might be a class action lawsuit.
If you have purchased from ABC Warehouse or plan on making a future purchase, you may be well-advised to think twice, since everything you list on your purchase invoice will end up in the hands of a telemarketer.
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