None of the PDL's are illegal. Are they fair? NO. But before you apply for a pdl, you know what you're up against. The interest rates are right there online. You choose to put your check info in there. You actually get finds deposited into your account, and you literally give whichever pdl company to withdraw it.
What makes it different than a credit card is that the check info you put in is basically you writing a postdated check. It's easier to explain it on a personal level. Say you hand me $300 to get my car fixed. I say "Well, Bayley, I don't get paid until two weeks from now. So, here's a $400 check for such-and-such date, you can deposit it on that day." On that day, the check bounces. What would you do? You'd flip out. Writing bad checks IS illegal. I think the anonymity of online payday loans make people think the funds are coming from thin air and they don't really owe it back because they can't see the face of the person who gave them the loan.
It really gets crazy when the debt is sold to some rinky dink debt buyer. That's when the really crazy calls come in. Only because the debtors aren't seen as regular debtors. These people can't be approved for any kind of credit, so they go online and get a loan. They've been in collections before for all kinds of debt so they're a lil callous to normal collection tactics.