Discrimination and abuse of power of a mildly disable customer on 9/11 by Fidelity Work Place…read moreServices LLC employees, violation of my disability rights and abuse of power by a system that is ignorant of disability diversity.
I WISH I COULD GIVE THEM A ZERO
PART ONE
SEE THE LAST PART IN MY NEXT POST
On 9/11/2026 I called to schedule an appointment with a financial counselor at Fidelity Work Place Services LLC to discuss investment options for required distributions for next year since I will be 73 years old and also to update my beneficiary designations and my executor. I politely asked the representative to speak slower due to my Parkinson's disease and mild dementia, she placed me on hold without explanation and transferred me to a security associate, which was disrespectful, dismissive and unprofessional. The security associate informed me that my account was restricted and frozen simply because I mentioned having dementia. She spoke over me, refused to let me speak and explain that both my Parkinson's and dementia are very mild and I am perfectly capable to manage my daily life, financial affairs proficiently and I remain fully competent to make my own decisions. She kept repeating that the action was legal, requested a Power of Attorney and provided a mailing address for documentation which I repeated to her. She made a subj unjustifiable and discriminatory decision of my mental health and physical conditions. If I had been allowed to speak they would have been able to hear me speak eloquently, coherently, clearly and thus acknowledge that I am not demented. Neither of the employees did that.My original reason for calling was to schedule an appointment with a financial counselor to discuss investment options for required distributions for next year since I will be 73 years old and also to update my beneficiaries and executor designations. Would a demented person capable of doing that? NO. The conduct of both employees was illegally discriminatory, unprofessional, disrespectful, dismissive and an illegal abuse of power. I understand that Financial firms have strict, legal rules to prevent "elder financial abuse" or exploitation, which gives them the right to temporarily pause accounts if they suspect cognitive decline or a scam. However, they overstepped, breached my contract with Fidelity and I have clear paths to fight back the unjustified blind discrimination and abuse of power. Any violation of the ADA is also a violation of state law. Had the initial representative handled the call professionally and clearly, this situation could have been entirely avoided. The front-line security staff refused to listen to my explanations, talked over me, and cut off my access to my accounts without a shred of objective proof that I am demented, being exploited or that fraud is taking place. When customers with minimal, partial, or cognitive disabilities face unfair treatment--such as arbitrary account freezes, denied requests, or aggressive "power of attorney" demands--it can constitute a severe breach of consumer rights and an abuse of power. My attorney advised me that all I needed was a letter from my Neurologist regarding my competency stating that my medical condition does not impact my ability to manage my daily life or financial affairs, and I remain fully competent to make my own decisions.On 10/9 I went to the post office to mail my documents and after standing on line for almost an hour, the post office clerk told me that the address was wrong. The same day, I faxed a 21-page document to Fidelity Work Place Services LLC, which included a letter from my UCLA neurologist attesting to my full mental and physical health competency to manage my daily life and financial affairs and a notarized Presently Effective Durable Power of Attorney amendment from my Living Trust. A receipt of these documents was confirmed on October 10. On 10/15 I called, a supervisor informed me that the documents had not yet been downloaded and the account hold could take an additional three weeks to be reviewed. Thus submitting me to their continued unfair bureaucratic abuse of power. Fidelity discriminated against me, a highly educated, capable disabled individual with very mild Parkinson's and minimal dementia by relying on broad generalizations, paternalistic stereotypes, and one-size-fits-all policies rather than listening and evaluating my individual actual financial health and cognitive capability. This illegal, unjustified, discriminatory and unacceptable delay of another 3 weeks continues to be an abuse of power.