The motor vehicle service notification is basically a direct way to communicate with you. Generally, the manufacturer will send the notification through a letter or a postcard. And it will usually state that your car will soon be out of warranty. The thing is, the manufacturer’s warranty usually covers significant repairs.
However, this warranty usually stays valid for a certain number of miles or years. But is that all that the notification states? Not really! There is more to know regarding the motor vehicle services notification. And we will discuss it all!
What Is a Motor Vehicle Service Notification?
The motor vehicle service notifications are meant to come to you from the factory. And the primary purpose of this service notification is to inform you about the warranty status. As mentioned earlier, it will come when your warranty is about to be expired. It will tell you about the status and urge you to extend it.
A valid notification will have a lot of vital information, including the vehicle’s model, your name, and your phone number. It will also have the logo or seal of the brand.
But the thing is, not all of the motor service notifications are real. Sometimes, a third-party company will be looking to sell you a car warranty that might not be relevant to you.
How Do You Know If the Vehicle Service Notification Is Real or Not?
So, there are some factors that you need to consider when it comes to checking the legitimacy of the vehicle service notification. Here is a complete rundown
The Notification Will Come at the Correct Time
As we stated earlier, the warranty of the vehicle will cover a certain amount of time or miles. And manufacturers will not send the notification when your warranty has a long time to get expired.
A standard manufacturer warranty will cover the car’s essential parts. And it will usually last anywhere from three to five years or 36000 miles to 50000 miles. And you will not get any notification from the manufacturer unless your warranty is about to expire.
It Will Have Basic Information
The legitimate motor vehicle service notification will have your correct basic information. It will also contain the correct year of the vehicle and the mileage count. The mileage count will be according to the last known service.
Correct Purchase Price
A legitimate notification will have the correct price of the vehicle. This is something that the manufacturer will not skimp out on.
Company Name and Number
The genuine motor vehicle service notification will contain the name of the company on it. Again, this is something that the brand will not miss. Also, the company’s name will match the name that is on your original warranty card. The same thing is applicable to the number. It will match the original warranty card.
Notification Address
An original vehicle services notification will come from the company’s known location. In other words, if you check where the postcard came from, it will not be from a different state where the company is not based on.
The Company Will Treat You with Courtesy
A legit company service notification will not have any threats on it. Nor with the notification will have anything that will frighten you about the warranty. Remember, the postcard or the letter is there just to inform you that your warranty is soon to expire and let you know that you can extend it.
What Are the Signs of a Motor Vehicle Service Notification Scam?
Now that you know how to identify a legit vehicle service notification, let us discuss the telltale signs of a service notification scam.
Notification Does Not Arrive at the Correct Time
One of the telltale signs that the notification is a scam is wrong timing. If you get the notification when the warranty is nowhere near the expiration date, it is a scam. The same thing goes for the mileage count. It is a scam if you receive a letter or postcard when your vehicle’s mileage is not around the limit.
In this case, even if the other information matches, such as the company’s name, number, model, and others, it will not matter.
Lacks Basic Information or Has Wrong Information
A scam notification will have a lot of information on it. However, it is highly unlikely to have all of the right information. For example, your vehicle’s mileage according to the last service will be wrong. It might not even have the correct information regarding the vehicle.
Purchase Price
There will not be correct information regarding the price of the vehicle. Usually, a scam service notification will have a price that current dealers ask for the car. And in most cases, it will not match what you initially paid for.
Company Name and Phone Number
A fishy vehicle service notification will not have the company’s correct name and phone number. At least, the information will not match with the one that is present on your original warranty card.
Location
The scam vehicle service notification will mostly be from a state where the company is not based. Instead, the postcard will come from the location where the scammer is based on.
Agents Will Not Treat You with Courtesy
One of the typical behavior of scammers is that they do not like giving you a moment to think about things. They will rely on scare tactics to bombard you with signing up for the extension right away. In fact, at one point, they will be rude and very disrespectful towards you.
Grossly Exaggerated Repair Bills
The scammers will grossly inflate figures when it comes to letting your know about future car repairs. This tactic is yet another way to scare you and get you to sign up as soon as possible.
Invalid Information on the Phone
Usually, scammers will say that the finance company requires you to get an extension. Again, this is a scare tactic that can get the upper hand of someone that is unaware of how things work.
What Should You Do to Save Yourself from Scams Related to Motor Vehicle Service Notification?
Yes, it is pretty easy to fall for the traps that scammers will put out for you. However, even if you do not get the telltale signs or can not tell whether the notification is legit or not, keep these in mind.
Acknowledge That These Warranties Are Not Generally Needed
Even if the extended warranty comes from a genuine company, they will rarely provide you with a cost-effective solution for future repairs. Most finance companies will not even require you to get extended warranties. Therefore, you can completely ignore these notifications, regardless of their legitimacy.
Do Not Give Individualistic Information
As you know by now, the scam vehicle service notification will not have the right information regarding you or the vehicle. However, the scammers will try to get it out of you, which will help them to make their future scam attempts seem more legit.
So, you should not provide any individualistic information to them or anyone that you do not know.
Dealership Denies Knowledge
When you get a vehicle service notification, you should give your dealership a call. Talk with them and tell them about everything on the postcard. If the dealership denies the knowledge of the postcard or letter, you are dealing with a common scam.
You should also check whether the number on the letter or postcard is actually the number of the dealership or not. If it does not match and you give that number a call, you will be falling deep into the scam.
On the other hand, if the number is correct and the dealership explains why they sent you the notification, you can look into it. But, again, you should know that these warranties are pretty much useless.
Have a Clear Knowledge of When the Notification Should Come
We have already established the fact that the vehicle service notification will only come when your warranty is about to expire. In this case, the companies will rely on two pieces of information. The first one is the period, and the second is mileage. For the case of the mileage, they will depend on the last known one and estimate it accordingly.
Now, if you have a clear idea regarding when the warranty will expire, you will know when exactly you can expect to get the notification. And with that knowledge, you can easily ignore any other notifications that come before the exact time frame.
Invalid Account Activity
You should check the backside when you get the vehicle motor service notification. There should be full details of the activity of your account. There will be a random list of repairs for the scams, which will add up to thousands and thousands of dollars.
The fake postcard will claim if you get the warranty, you will not need to pay for them. Now, the easiest way to figure out whether the letter is fake or not would be to check the repairs. See if your vehicle has gone through these repairs or not. If you find that they are random and do not make sense, ignore the letter.
Check All the Information
One of the ways to see if the notification is accurate or not is by checking the information that is on the letter. If it is a scam, it will have the wrong information. For example, the price of the vehicle might not be correct. Likewise, there will be other pieces of info that will not align with the accurate details.
In such cases, you will not even have to give the dealership a call or do anything to verify the notification. Just ignore the letter.
Be Wary About Fast-Talking Telemarketers
The scam callers will try anything and everything to make you settle with their terms. They will employ different threats and scare tactics to get you off-guard. And if you are unaware of such tactics, you might fall into their traps. In fact, you might even give out information that they need to make the scam successful.
Nonetheless, the thing is, when someone calls you regarding the vehicle warranty, do not take the call at face value. Companies will not try to hard sell you the warranty extension through phone calls.
Be Skeptical Regarding Certain Terms
Most scammers will utilize scary terms such as notices of interruptions and final warrant notices. These terms can make you feel like the issue is a high priority. And again, when you fall into the trap and go along with the scammer’s flow, you will lose money.
Do not rely on the information that is in the letter. Instead, do your research and check whether the pieces of info on the postcard are correct or not. Companies that use the terms we have mentioned will try to make you believe they are legit. Do not fall for the traps that the scammers set up.
Keep the Paperwork Safe
It is always a good idea to keep the paperwork that comes with the motor vehicle safe. That document will contain some important pieces of information that you will need later down the road. And even if you have lost it, you can get copies by talking with the manufacturer or dealer.
That said, when you get a vehicle service notification, check the information that is on the letter or postcard with the original paperwork. When you see that the information is not lining up, you can know whether the letter is official or from a scammer.
Do Not Sign Up for Anything Without Giving Things a Read
Even if you think that the extension of warranty will be useful for you, you should read the fine print before signing up for anything. These warranties will usually come with a large number of exclusions. Those will be hidden in small print.
The scammers will take proper advantage of these small prints, and the scammer on the call will make you believe that you need to ignore those small prints. And they will make you rush into signing up for the deal. This is yet another telltale sign that you are dealing with a scam.
Final Words
Scams regarding motor vehicle service notifications are pretty typical. However, not all motorists are aware of the fraud. That eventually leads them to fall into the traps that the scammers set up.
However, now that you have a fair idea about motor vehicle service notifications, you know what to expect. So, consider all the factors we have gone through in this guide and check the postcard accordingly. That will lower the chances of you falling for a scam.
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