Mysterious phone calls

Since moving to West Hartford, we've had to re-enroll in the national "Do Not Call" registry. Because of this, we've been bombarded with calls. My favorite is the annoying recording telling us that our car warranty is about to expire (except that the car in question is 9 years old and has one foot in the grave). Usually, these calls pop up in our caller ID as the same "location," so we have an idea of who will be on the other end. I've even tried to play along with some out of sheer boredom, but they usually disconnect before I can get a chance to tear into anyone.

But, we registered with the "Do Not Call" list at the beginning of August, and the calls slowed to a trickle before vanishing completely at the beginning of this month.

Until yesterday, that is.

We received a mysterious missed call from 954-354-8438, a number our caller ID was kind enough to tell us was from "Out of Town." 954 is an area code from Florida, so the caller ID didn't do much to help crack this for us. Never one to be satisfied with such a mystery, though, I called the number back, only to get a chipper recording telling me that the call was from a customer service department doing a follow-up to make sure we were satisfied with our recent purchase.

Now, this sounds like a telemarketer, doesn't it? And, why do I need this kind of call? Wouldn't one think that an interruptive phone call in the middle of the day would NOT be a satisfying experience? Wouldn't said phone call help cancel out any satisfaction received in purchasing something in the first place?

Within five seconds of Googling the number, I found a few forums of folks complaining about these calls. These are worth looking at, as some people get REALLY bent out of shape by these calls. Here's one of my favorites:

"Some one from this number keeps blowing up my cell at least 2 times a week. And when I call back I get NO ONE !!!!!!"

Wow, one call a day, maybe once or twice a week, has led to these companies resorting to setting off explosives for attention? When will this end?!?!? (Of course, I'm kidding. At most, they'll probably just tase you into submission to listen to their pitch.)

In seriousness, the calls apparently stem from automotive outlets, like Midas. Coincidentally, we just purchased a new car earlier this week. So, Ford must be in on this, as well.

Does this mean we'll start to get the calls about a car warranty again? And, if so, can I continue to hang up on them?

Anyway, bottom line is that if you've done any business with a car dealer or big chain auto shop, expect a call from Florida. Just let them know how satisfied you are.