Victim Location 78109
Type of a scam Credit Cards
I should have known better to fall for the scam from this company, being a business major. A letter came in the mail from the "Department of Warranty Services, National VSC Program". It stated that my warranty was due to expire by the end of this month. The letter looked official, so I gave the number a try. Once I was able to make contact with an agent, a female named "Reagan", she began to tell me what information they had on file for my vehicle. It all sounded very efficient and professional at the time. She went offline for a minute and contacted her "supervisor". Once she got on the line with me, she said that I was being approved for the highest level of their warranty program. She began to list off all the benefits that came along with said warranty, everything to do with the car including down to the intricate sensors in my vehicle. She passed me back to "Reagan" and she had all the financial information. Initially, the plan would be a 5 year plan totaled at just over $5,000.00, payed out monthly for $393.30 after a down payment of $569.00. The deductible would only be $100.00. It sounded kind of steep, and I became skeptical. This was the first red flag as it seemed so steep. The second red flag came next – I asked if I could call back after thinking it over to discuss it with my significant other. She told me that is a "very common response", which they later used many times when I had an opinion different from what they wanted me to say throughout my dealing with them. She said that affordability and payments were set up to help me out financially and not put me in a bind and was willing to see what she could do. She put me on hold and after a couple of minutes, she said she could get me their "good customer’s discount". I had never dealt with this company in my life, but for some reason, the discount sounded good and I suckered in at this point, unfortunately. She got everything set up, including my credit card information. I got a few more details and finished the call. After a couple minutes of thinking, I was still pretty skeptical and unsure of what I just did. I did some quick research online and found many less than reputable reviews of this company and determined that it was fraudulent. I then decided to call the customer service number they provided to cancel the plan and of all three times I attempted to get through to them, I was disconnected. I then called the number from the letter I received and asked to be passed to customer service. The first time, I was told they weren’t sure what time customer service closed, but would patch me through anyway. Once I got through, the agent named "Ashley" tried talking to me, but every time she tried to speak it sounded like someone rattling a candy wrapper against the phone. I called three more times and each time it sounded the same, and did not sound like she was doing anything to make the situation better. I called a fourth time and was told he would have to go on hold to find the customer service number. Once I got through, I reached a male named "Mike". After he found my "policy", he asked what he could do for me. I said, "I would like to cancel my policy, immediately." He then proceeded to ask me why I wanted to after reading off a long script of what all SafeGuard Auto "had to offer". I told him I was no longer interested, and he continued to hit me with punch lines. I repeatedly stated I wished to cancel, and all he could do was continue to argue with me why I should give them a chance and how many issues there were with my brand of vehicle. He literally "googled" my car model and called it a "klonker", "out-dated", "doomed to fail", etc. My vehicle brand is very reputable and has few issues to which he listed, attempting me to change my mind. After he continually refused my request, I got more aggressive with my request to which he responded with direct insults to me personally as to my financial decisions, that I lacked common sense (by cancelling) and a wide variety of "learning the hard way" as to why he would not cancel. I could list many more insults but it would only further this report. I asked if I could speak to his supervisor. I was temporarily put on hold and told that I could speak with him in the morning as that he had gone home for the day (their hours go until 7 pm, but the "customer service department" closes at 5). I questioned why he wouldn’t cancel my policy as that he was perfectly capable, and he became very aggressive towards me and extremely unprofessional. He asked for my e-mail address and I refused. After going back and forth for over twenty minutes, he finally told me the policy was cancelled and that I’d see a refund in thirty days. I took necessary precautions to avoid further charges. I highly caution anyone who receives such a letter to be vigilant and aware of this scam.