You get them. I get them. We all get them. AI robocalls are a nightmare scourge on society that are driving everybody to the brink of their sanity. Usually, they’re from some sort of money-lending organization. Still, one Massachusetts man says he keeps receiving pre-recorded phone calls from Cambridge Honda asking him whether he was interested in selling them his car. Now, he’s seeking class-action status against the dealership, alleging that it violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
Plaintiff Jonathan Kamens has never been a customer at Cambridge Honda, and his cell phone number is on the National Do Not Call Registry, according to Automotive News. The complaint alleges that an AI-generated caller with a “robotic and artificial voice” addresses Kamens by the wrong name, “Timothy,” and then says, “Roger from Cambridge Honda. Reaching out because you’re one of our customers, and your car happens to be on a list of models we are looking to buy. If you’re open to an instant cash offer on your car, give me a call at (351) 300-0683. Thanks.” Kamens added that he received subsequent texts from “Roger” inviting him to sell his vehicle — something he really has no interest in doing.
In an effort to get answers, Kamens called the number back. A voice at the other end answered, but when he started the conversation asking if the person was real or not, it said it was AI, according to AutoNews, which received the same automated response when it called the number.
A lawsuit for all
Kamens says he filed the suit on behalf of everyone in the U.S. who has received a pre-recorded message from Cambridge Honda on their cell phones over the past four years. The complaint asserts that folks who got these calls were “temporarily deprived of legitimate use of their phone because the phone line was tied up, they were charged for the calls and their privacy was improperly invaded.”
“Moreover, the call injured [Kamens] because it was frustrating, obnoxious, annoying and a nuisance and disturbed [his] solitude,” it said.
While this is true, it’s also funny to think about suing someone because they took away from your screen time. I mean, I would, but you get what I’m saying.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, asked for certification of the class, damages and an order prohibiting Cambridge Honda from “making calls, except for emergency purposes, to any cellular telephone numbers using an artificial or prerecorded voice in the future.” The Honda dealer, for its part, has remained quiet. A lawyer representing the store said she wasn’t authorized to discuss the case.
It’s not clear how many times Kamens was contacted by the dealer or how many people in total were impacted, but if they’re going for a class action, my gut tells me it’s not “a few.”
