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A pair of consumers accuse Kohl’s of abusive and outrageous debt collection tactics in lawsuits that claim the retailer inundated them with calls, faxes, and emails about their credit card debt.
Two separate lawsuits were filed against Kohl’s in Wisconsin and California federal courts Friday.
In one of the complaints, Wisconsin resident Victoria Bauman says that she has been subjected to unrelenting debt collection actions by Kohl’s after she fell behind on her credit card payments. She says she has asked the retailer to stop, but still receives two to three calls a day from debt collectors.
Bauman says she signed up for a Kohl’s credit card in 2012 for personal use. She says she made payments, but became financially unable to cover the credit card bill eventually. Bauman claims that Kohl’s began contacting her about the missed payments and she faxed a letter to the company withdrawing her consent to be contacted on her cell phone about the debt in October of 2020.
Despite this request, the lawsuit alleges that Kohl’s continued to use Bauman’s cell phone to demand payment on her credit card debt. Bauman says that Kohl’s uses automatic dialing technology to continue to contact her up to three times each day.
In the other complaint, California resident Ginger Paulin says she applied for a Kohl’s credit card in 2017. She says she became financially unable to keep up with the credit card debt and stopped making payments.
Paulin says that, in January, Kohl’s started contacting her about the credit card debt. Paulin says she hired legal counsel and asked the retailer to stop contacting her directly about the debt; however, the debt collection calls kept coming.
The lawsuits accuse Kohl’s of violating federal and state consumer protection laws by continuing to harass Bauman and Paulin about their credit card debts despite their repeated requests for the retailer to stop.
Bauman and Paulin say that Kohl’s continued contact and use of automatic dialing technology to contact them violates the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The TCPA was enacted to protect consumers from harassment from marketers by phone. The TCPA requires companies obtain the express, written consent of the consumer before using their phone number to contact them.
In addition, the TCPA restricts the use of automatic dialing technology the plaintiffs say Kohl’s used to contact them about their credit card debt. Indeed, violations of the TCPA can result in steep fines of up to $1,500 per call or contact.
Bauman and Paulin are each seeking to assess those penalties on Kohl’s, along with other damages under state laws.
Do you have a Kohl’s credit card? Have you been harassed over debt collection? Tell us about it in the comment section below!
Plaintiff Bauman is represented by Elliot Gale of Gale, Angelo, Johnson, & Pruett, PC.
The Wisconsin Kohl’s Debt Collection Lawsuit is Bauman v. Kohl’s Corporation, Case No. 1:21-cv-00519 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
Plaintiff Paulin is represented by Elliot Gale and Joe Angelo of Gale, Angelo, Johnson, & Pruett, PC.
The California Kohl’s Debt Collection Lawsuit is Paulin v. Kohl’s Inc., Case No. 5:21-cv-02948-NC in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division.
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38 thoughts onKohl’s Credit Card Holders Claim Harassing Debt Collection Calls in Lawsuits
My parents died days of each other and I just let some things go because I was under such stress. Then Cole‘s begin to harass me up to three or four times a day with different phone numbers. It’s gotten ridiculously high. I can’t even afford it. I think it started from an amount of probably $30 or less. I’m so overwhelmed with grief and now this. I wish they would just stop
Help. 😓
After my husband was hospitalized for a traumatic vehicle accident this card became the least of my worries as far as bills go as our focus turned over to helping him heal, kohls debt collection calls anywhere from 3-10 times a day. Sometimes calling three times in a row and coming in from many different phone numbers. Ive had to block these numbers as it just started to feel like harassment
My mother passed away a few months ago. I have tried to tell them this several times when they call – up to 3x each day, and yet they still keep calling.
Same here. Harrassing phone calls
I have fallen very hard during the last couple years financially. Having to open credit cards and take on personal loans. It has been a never ending cycle. With prices of everything going up it isn’t getting any easier. Kohls calls me using multiple different phone numbers about 10 times a day every single day. It is so stressful going through financial troubles as it is then to have kohls harass you all day every day over less than $100 is almost debilitating. I’m done shopping with them.
Also forgot to mention that Kohl’s doesn’t mention a cut off time for payments therefore late fees should not apply if the payment was made before midnight… You can’t make a payment on line without some issues such as not working for whatever reason ( customer service can’t help with reset password) page not in service can’t take debit card payment and / or check payment… I can’t always run to a store to make payments… Please investigate them
Keep calling my job home phone and emailed I had forgotten to pay… kept calling… then told me they were not going to charge a first time late fee of $29 and after that a $40 late fee… Took off-I kept asking them why they was charging me two interest charges every month and they couldn’t answer the question…it seems I’m never going to pay the card off… They should not be able to charge two interest fees… it’s not like you can to the ATM and get cash out.. Please investigate this… please contact me if you have questions
I haven’t been a customer very long at Kohls but when I first signed up for card, I didn’t think much of it other than them telling me it would help me out with savings and stuff like that when I do shop. Well I went in there to purchase something that was maybe 60 bucks and when I went to go paid after typing in my phone number for them, the lady told I was good to go so I just left… a few go by and now they’re are constantly calling me everyday, blowing up my phone for a payment of probably $300 or more that I just can’t afford right now but didn’t know about there interest rates pilling up on me, help?!!?
I have been a loyal card holder with kohls since 2014. I have been struggling a little financial after some unforeseen expenses. I have missed a few payments which is stressful enough. They call me from multiple phone numbers & leave me several message to contact them but leave the reason out of the request to call. They’ve even gone as far code calling me using my home town area code (Thank God for Call screening software). The Interest rate is ridiculous & after 7 years I’ve only requested a review for lower rates once & they would not budge, even if it meant losing me as a customer. They will get paid when I have it, we are in a pandemic and have enough to stress about trying to make a dollar out of 15 cent and they have no compassion or boundaries. I will continue to decline the calls and once I pay them off I will no longer using their services, Kohls can keep their credit card, the little bit of kohl’s cash for “appreciation” & their interest rate. I will take my business elsewhere.
Same here! I am done shopping at their store or supporting them. I was a loyal customer for 15 years and then hit a roadblock during the pandemic, signed up for the credit card and fell behind on payments and they made 500 bucks off me, for a 75 dollar purchase on the card because of interest. It’s sickening and the harassment was unrelenting . They should not be allowed to have a credit service. They abuse it
I opened a kohl’s account in 2015 and after having the card a while I lost my job and fell behind on payments. I received numerous calls every day, I asked them to stop but this never happened.