Did Charles Papenfus Cross The Line When Dealing With A Company Trying To Extend A Warranty That Did Not Exist?

Telemarketers are not well liked. They call right around supper time and they tend to be disruptive. While our upbringing tells us not to be rude, it is probably best just to hang up. Otherwise, the level of irritation may rise to the level of a crime. For example, take
Charles Papenfus. Papenfus currently has plenty of time to ponder what constitutes appropriate reactions to telemarketers as he sits in a St. Louis jail. (Bond has been set at $45,000.) Just how did Papenfus get himself into such a mess?

Apparently, it all started when Papenfus received mail offering to extend the warranty on his car. Unfortunately for Papenfus, he did not have a warranty on his car. Papenfus called the company and asked how they could extend a warranty that did not exist. Papenfus was not pleased with the response. Papenfus then received a call back from a phone rep of a company that offered to extend Papenfus warranty that did not exist. (Imagine the conversation: Sir, I know you don't have a warranty. But for $499 dollars, we can extend your current status of having no warranty indefinitely.)

Papenfus apparently became more and more furious as the salesman pushed on in the telephone solicitation. At some point, the service rep apparently called Papenfus a "jackass" or something similar, Papenfus snapped. Infuriated by the salesman's tactics, Papenfus allegedly threatened to burn the company's building down, then hunt down and kill the employees and their families. Obviously not a pleasant thought. Even less appropriate to ever say such a thing out loud although others have admitted to uttering such words under their breath.

Service Protection Direct, a front for TXEN Partners, is believed to be the victim of Papenfus' alleged threats. (If you have no car warranty and want to pay to extend that situation indefinitely or if you want to be told how stupid that you are, feel free to give them a call.)

Papenfus is to be considered innocent unless proven otherwise in the court of law. Service Protection Direct (or whoever the company) did not deserve to be threatened. In the future, a better way to handle telemarketers is to get their phone number and call them around their dinner time.