Is this discrimination?

[David T.]

Hey BP,

With racial profiling back in the headlines, I thought it would be interesting to throw out a recent personal experience and ask for your feedback.

Recently arrived in ATL, I've been hunting for a nice place to live for a while other than hotels and eventually found a very nice apartment in Sandy Springs.

After they had quoted all the costs and setup fees, deposit, etc, I filled out their form. That was all fine 'n' dandy and a move in date was scheduled and my checks accepted.

Then, the day before I was due to sign the lease and move in, I got a call from one of the managers. Effectively, as I was a foreign national (Irish - FYI), they told me that the deposit requirement was now increased five fold - from $100 to $500.

I objected very strongly alleging they were acting in a discriminatory fashion and that was not acceptable. I took the position that they had done a deal, taken my money and were making unfair changes.

What do you think?

[Xing Zhu]

Are you sure they asked your ethnicity, not nationality?