Coincidence my …

I haven’t had a good rant in a while, so maybe I’m due. It is unfair that personnel at auto service centers feel they can prey on the public, or at least those who may not be aware of what they are doing. It is awful that you used to be able to get an oil change for $9.95 and now it costs you $40. We take our vehicles to these service centers that supposed to be trained in maintenance of your vehicle. It is more like they are trained at trying to rip folks off.

Look, I just asked for an oil change. Why do you have to keep recommending these services that I do not need and just happen to be able to quote the price without researching? I made it a point to mention that I am married and this is his car. That should have been enough warning to not to try to push me into agreeing to some service that was not needed. I already said NO to have the radiator flushed. But NO, you had to take it to another level to get additional money out of me. Why until I return back to work, the Oil Light comes on in the dash. Flickers when moving, steady when stopped.

I’m glad this place was just across the street from my job; I turned around and went back.

Why you look dumfounded? OK, you show me the oil level is appropriate. OK, you tell me everything is dry underneath and there are no signs of a leak. Still the light is on and it was not on when I arrived 20 minutes ago.

Oh, so now my oil ascending unit just now goes bad AFTER you’ve been messing around down there. It’s no where near the filter? Yeah right! Keep looking…sure, I’ll show you again. I’ll just sit here and Twitter as long as you stare under the hood.

Now try again, sure…hmmm, it’s off now. A connector was loose? He just stuck it back in?...Yeah, it was loose so he JUST snapped it back in. Yeah right. No sucker here today.

Would have been nice to go to the previous guy for an oil change for $18, but every time you leave there another problem occurs. Are there any credible and honest mechanics out there? Please let me know.

public awareness #1: bogus caller id

When I started back on the blogging bandwagon, I decided to start several series of posts, 'have you wanted to...', 'have you noticed...', and 'money-saver tips...', but after a call last night, I must add a new one, 'public awareness...', and it had to be made as the first, so here goes...

A woman called my house last evening and left a message on my answering machine. I almost quickly deleted it when she started out by saying, 'YOU DO NOT KNOW ME, BUT...'. I am thankful that I listened to the message.

Apparently, she received two calls from telemarketing companies, one for satellite service and the other for automobile warranty insurance. This would have seemed normal except that the caller id of the calls had MY NAME AND PHONE NUMBER. She only answered the call since it appeared as a local number. She left her home number and I was able to talk to her later in the evening and gather more details.

She said that she asked them how they were using a local number to make the calls and the response was something like this, 'WE HAVE WAYS TO DO IT.'

Besides the oddity that my name and phone number was being used, but my home number is non-published and supposed to be caller id blocked.

I made calls to Windstream this morning and they are going to put check, traces, or something on my line to figure out how this being done.

I was transferred to their trap and trace service to see if anything more to be done. The service rep told me some telemarketing companies have been illegally putting in any number they want as the caller id. If I knew the actual number that they were calling from they could do more. Well, since they did not call me, I can't get that information.

I also reported this to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center. If they get enough reports of this problem, they will investigate. That really doesn't really help me now, but is at least something.

After my phone call to the FTC, I realized something. The telemarketing service may have pulled my number from some collection of area numbers, but how did they get my name?

I will be making another call to Windstream.