Harris & Harris is a debt collection firm which appears to have received a large amount of complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Find out who they are, why they might be calling, and how you can stop them.
Harris & Harris is a debt collection business based in Chicago, Illinois. It appears as though there are a variety of different complaints against Harris & Harris alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) such as harassing consumers and incorrectly charging consumers with debt that they do not owe. If you have been contacted by this debt collector, make sure you understand your rights before taking action.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. Harris & Harris has practiced collections for roughly 52 years. The business was incorporated on March 29th, 1968 and its BBB file was opened on July 28th, 2015. Harris & Harris has impressively been accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and the company has received an outstanding “A+” rating from the BBB. It is due to the company’s many years of experience, its accreditation, and its outstanding rating from the BBB that Harris & Harris can be considered a real, legitimate business. Consumers should be aware that Harris & Harris is not a scam.
According to the Harris & Harris website, the company claims that, “It’s All About Our Clients and Their Community”. The collections company appears to pride themselves on being understanding of consumers’ financial situations and treating debtors respectfully. Many complainants do not feel as though this goal has been met by Harris & Harris, as many complainants allege that Harris & Harris uses both disrespectful and unethical collections practices. Lastly, According to dnb.com the company has an employee base of 320, and revenue of $43.21 million. The leadership of the collections company is headed by Key Principal Arnold S. Harris.
Remember that while it is important that you do not ignore the need to resolve your alleged debt with Harris & Harris, as this could potentially harm your credit and ability to take out future loans, be wary of any suspicious activity where the company could potentially be violating the FDCPA. With that being said, remember that the debt which you may have been contacted about is real, and needs to be dealt with.
Harris & Harris lists the areas of collections that they specialize in under the “Markets” section of their website. These sectors include healthcare, government, and utility. If you are aware of the type of debt which you may owe, Harris & Harris provides detailed information for each area of debt, healthcare, government, & utility on their collections website. They provide skip tracing services as part of the collections process and as a standalone company, meaning that firms can use their skip tracing services without using Harris & Harris to actually collect money. According to their website, they even claim to keep a list of affiliate attorneys who will file lawsuits against customers. Because of the company’s wide range of specialities, it is important that as a consumer you confirm with the collections company about what debt is specifically owed and to whom. Inquiring as soon as possible is the smartest move to make, and if you feel as though this company has breached their FDCPA rights be sure to contact an attorney to help you file a lawsuit.
Who are we? We are Lemberg Law, a Consumer Law Firm
Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm helping victims of collection harassment and abuse. We are ranked A+ by the BBB. We’ve helped more than 15,000 consumers stop harassment and recover money from debt collectors. Harassed? Abused? Misled by a collector? Call our Helpline today! There is no charge unless we win.
There are a number of reviews and complaints currently posted about Harris & Harris across the internet. In fact, on the BBB, Harris & Harris has received an astonishing 159 complaints closed in the last 3 years and 61 complaints closed in the last 12 months, as well as 90 customer reviews awarding the company an overall rating of 1.12 stars. In addition to the BBB reviews, Harris & Harris has also received 214 Google Reviews awarding the company an overall 1.3 star review, and 11 reviews on WalletHub giving the company roughly 2 stars overall. These reviews mainly noted that Harris & Harris was allegedly using unethical collections practices and failing to keep consumers informed about their debt.
Additionally, Justia listed 16 complaints filed in federal court in the previous year alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, one alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and two alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The collections company could have also been a part of more lawsuits, sanctions, and penalties. Take a look at the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (“PACER”) which reports all federal complaints within the U.S. federal system’s docket to find out.
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely Harris & Harris would sue you for a debt you may not owe or they cannot validate. However, debt collection agencies are known to have summoned debtors to court and garnish wages after a default judgment. Contacting an attorney BEFORE this could possibly happen would be a smart move. We’ve helped thousands of consumers fight back against unscrupulous debt collection harassers. Find out if we can help you today!
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Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
Absolutely. You can sue a debt collector. Here is a sample complaint:
In 2017, a judge in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, denied H&H’s motion to dismiss Cuenca vs. Harris & Harris for alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. According to the judge’s decision, the customer alleged that H&H had sent her a letter regarding medical bills that said, in part, “If this debt isn’t paid, our customer(s) may exercise their respective choices to enforce collection. At this time, the decision remains yours … please respond accordingly.” She thought the lender was going to sue her, even though it does not sue customers for medical debts. The judge rejected Harris & Harris’ argument that the wording was not a threat of a lawsuit, stating that the legal standard was whether or not the “least sophisticated” consumer would interpret it as a threat. The judge ruled that the customer had a plausible claim, and allowed the lawsuit to proceed.
Federal laws protect you. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) regulates the behavior of collection agencies by prohibiting actions such as the use of abusive or threatening language; harassment; or the use of false or misleading information to collect a debt. The FCRA regulates how collection agencies and creditors report delinquent debts to credit reporting agencies. Additional consumer protection laws include the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
Yes. If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. Federal laws provide individuals like you with a means to seek monetary damages in court. For example, the FDCPA allows consumers who have been violated to recover damages of up to $1,000, plus attorney fees and court costs.
You may have a case, if…
“I never thought I’d finally be free of the nonstop phone calls and letters in the mail, but I finally am free. You went to work straight away, and I saw results fairly quickly. I felt like you really cared about getting me the relief I longed for. I can not thank you enough.”
“When I first emailed the office, I was not exactly sure what they could do for me. I had an idea, but they responded back with what I could expect to take place. I never believed I would be receiving a check, it was definitely a silver lining. They always had great communication. I highly recommend them to anyone seeking consumer legal services.”
“A belated thanks for your company. I still get an occasional call but when I ask them to stop, they stop. Hopefully, sometime in the future, all of the collection agencies will close down. The peace from the constant calls is refreshing.”
“Prior to contacting you, we had tried repeatedly to handle this matter without threatening litigation. In the end, not only were they unapologetic, but they were dismissive – even of an attorney friend who called on our behalf. Sincerest thanks for resolving this matter for us!”
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Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
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