Consumer complaint received 2015-12-13
Product: Debt collection — Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.)
Issue: Taking/threatening an illegal action — Threatened arrest/jail if do not pay
Company: Tower Loan of Mississippi, Inc. (LA)

I took out a loan a little over a year ago, not only did they charge me an interest rate that made me pay back almost double of what I borrowed but when I moved out of state and had to pay online, I got charged a convenience fee as well. Since XXXX I have been unemployed. I have been current on ALL of my payments until 2 mo ago. I talked with these people several times from XXXX until present about my situation and being unemployed. I assured them that as long as I had money, they would get their payment on time. Well, they started calling me asking me to borrow more money a day or 2 before my note was due. I declined and told them I am unemployed and am having enough hardship paying my existing note. When I became 1 day past the due date, the phone calls began, XXXX times a day, Monday thru Saturday. Each time I talked to them, I explained to them, yet again, I am unemployed and as soon as I got some money to pay them, I would. I know I owe these people money and have no problem paying them back .... IF I have any type of money to do so. After 3 weeks of the constant phone calls, the people from tower loan being very rude on the phone, while I 'm trying my hardest to stay nice. Since XXXX I had to sell my car, because I could not afford the notes anymore, sell and pawn almost all of my belongings, just to be able to pay on my debts and keep food in mine and my son 's mouths. If I left it all up to foodstamps it would be dry plain oatmeal for breakfast, Ramen noodles for lunch, and maybe beans for dinner with no sausage. The phone calls continued and continued. I started blocking every number they called from because I was tired of explaining my situation and them setting deadlines of when I had to make a payment and that they would n't accept less than my current due balance. So, then the branch manager calls and leaves me an EXTREMELY rude voice mail telling me she is tired of my excuses, technically I am not even 3 months past due yet. She started threatening me with if and when I get a job they will garnish my wages ( so obviously it is noted in my account that I am currently unemplyed ) as well as they are going to bring me to court and I will have to pay all court costs and attorneys fees, Yada Yada yadda. So, to avoid any more of these harassing and threatening phone calls, I take the change cup that I have been living out of, that contained maybe XXXX in mixed change. I borrow a vehicle and go to the store and ask to speak with the store manager, which is the one that so rudely called me that morning. She has one of the associates pull my account and start going over the details, which I know how much I owe, I know my due date, I know what my current balance is, etc. I was told they will not take less than what my past due balance is, which tacked into the past due balance is they payment that was also due that day. I take the change cup and hold it up and tell the lady this is all I have. I go to set it down on the counter and it slipped and tumpled over. The lady tells me that she can not accept my payment and walks off. The store manager then comes storming in threatening to call the cops. All I was trying to do was make some sort of payment on my account in hopes that they will see that I am trying. The branch manager, XXXX, became irate and told me she was calling the cops yet again and told me that she is suing me ( even though I just tried to make a good faith payment by surrendering every penny I had ). She continued to yell and scream at me as I turned to walk out the door. I did not go there to start problems. After all, she called ME requesting that I go into the store that day. I left my change cup with then and as I was walking out the door turned and said, I am trying. She then told me the cops were on their way and to never come back into that store again. NO PROBLEM! Is there anything I can d