I became delinquent for my Dillards account in 2008 due to an accident, divorce, husband's job loss etc. I am a single mother with two children. I had always paid my account. I was not able to pay anything and the account was charged off and sold to Portfolio Recovery. I had asked them not to call. They have not ceased and they call me at work. I finally today spoke with a Chris Patrick as I could now afford to pay a little something. He told me that unless I had a checking account that he could take the money from, then he would not give me a break on the interest or even work with me. If I would open an account which would be a benefit to me anyway, then he would remove the interest. I told him I would pay monthly with a money order or cashiers check.
He told me no, that I would have to pay ALL the interest and he would give me no break unless I had a checking account that he could draw from. I said I was not opening an acct. As I had nothing to put in there. He asked how I paid my bills. I said I cash my payroll check at a local grocery for three dollars. He said if I opened a checking account I wouldn't have to pay the three dollars. I said well you know they give me the three dollars back in a coupon which I grocery shop anyway. They asked how I got in this predicament and I explained said I was a single mom with two kids and by court order I also have to pay for half college fees too. And Chris Patrick said you know, poor mothers with 4 kids pay us 20 a month. So I guess they have to open a checking account to pay 20 dollars a month? He told me I should have put my husband in jail for opening this account for me. He was giving me legal advice unasked for.
Since when is it right for a collection agency to penalize you financially and discriminate against you for not having a checking account. I know other collection agencies that accept payment and work with people money orders, cashiers checks. Is it illegal to discriminate based on a checking account? Or illegal?
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