Discover Financial Services

Discover Financial Services (Discover) offers direct banking and payment services. This includes credit cars, student loans, personal loans, and home equity loans. Discover was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in Riverwoods, Illinois.

According to Discover's website, it is their mission “to help people spend smarter, manage debt better, and save more to achieve a bright financial future.” Despite claiming to help manage debt better, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received almost 1,000 complaints against Discover for its debt collection practices. The CFPB is a Government agency charged with protecting consumers from unfair, deceptive and abusive debt collection practices. Discover has been accused of the following illegal debt collection practices:

• Attempting to collect a debt that is not owed by the consumer;
• Attempting to collect a debt that has been paid;
• Making false statements or representations;
• Repeatedly calling consumers at places of employment;
• Refusing to validate or provide proof of a debt; and
• Threatening legal action if payment is not made.

After receiving multiple phone calls from Discover at his place of employment, a consumer contacted Discover and requested that the calls stop while he was at work because he was not permitted to take personal calls. With total disregard for both the law and the consumer's rights, the representative stated that he would continue to call.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (RFDCPA) prohibits debt collectors and creditors from contacting consumers at work if the debt collector or creditor knows that your employer prohibits such calls. Because the consumer informed Discover that he could not accept personal calls at work, Discover was prohibited from further communication. Consequently, the consumer filed a complaint with the CFPB and the matter was resolved in favor of the consumer.

Creditors and debt collectors should be held accountable for these unethical and unlawful practices. If you are being harassed or subjected to any of these, deceptive, or abusive debt collection practices, it is time to hold Discover accountable. Please contact our office for a free, no obligation consultation at 1-800-219-3577.