Rachael Ward is suing a loan company for repeatedly freezing the ignition on her 2003 Mitsubshi Galant with a remote device. Companies that give high-interest loans to people who don’t qualify for regular car loans are installing devices that prevent cars from starting and can be activated remotely when payments are missed. Critics say the devices are dangerous, leaving people stranded far from home or in dangerous areas. J
Ah, how has technology changed the way we work? Let me count the ways. In the good old days, if you could not meet your car payment, other than receiving notices in your letter box from the bank, you also had to keep a keen eye out for the repo man. The thing is, the repo man is no longer flesh and bone these days, but rather, he comes in the form of a small device that is located under your dashboard. Whenever you miss a payment, the robot will get into action by immobilizing your ride, turning your car into a giant paperweight that sits on your driveway.
Of course, you as an owner will have the choice of paying up your monthly loan in order to use the car again, or simply to wait until the human version of the repo man show his face as he will have his co-ordinates locked onto your car thanks to the wonders of GPS navigation.
Filed in . Read more about Chip.