How to Resolve a Debt With Harris and Harris

Dena Standley | September 12, 2023

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Fact-checked by Patrick Austin, J.D.

Summary: Is Harris and Harris contacting you about a debt? SoloSuit can help you request a debt validation, respond to a debt lawsuit, and negotiate a debt settlement before your court date. Keep reading to learn more.

If you've ever asked yourself, "Why is Harris and Harris calling me?" you're not alone.

Americans' distaste for debt collection is one thing they all agree on. You know how frustrating and relentless debt collectors can be if you have dealt with them. Expect a constant flow of calls all day and more letters in your mailbox when your past due debts go to a collection account.

Companies hire debt collectors like Harris & Harris to collect the debts. But Solosuit can help you fight back. Below, we discuss how you can resolve a debt with Harris & Harris and move on with your life.

Sued by Harris and Harris? Use SoloSettle to settle your debt for good.

Settle with SoloSettle

Make an Offer

What is Harris and Harris debt collection agency?

You may see Harris & Harris on your credit report if you owe money, and they may appear in one of the following names:

Harris & Harris Limited
Harris Harris
Harris and Harris Ltd
Harris Collection
Harris and Harris Debt Collectors

Here are Harris and Harris' contact details:

To pay a debt call: 1-800-362-0097
Clients call: 1-866-781-4538
Address: 111 W. Jackson Blvd, Suite 400 Chicago, IL 60604

The company purchases your debt from a creditor—credit card or loan company—and may contact you by phone or mail to demand payment. Harris and Harris collects for taxes, utilities, government, healthcare, and more. When you refuse to pay a collection, Harris & Harris will continue to contact you persistently, leave negative marks on your credit report, or may take legal action. Below are the steps you should take if Harris & Harris appears on your credit report to avoid unnecessary frustrations. But first, let's take a look at Harris and Harris's reputation.

Who does Harris and Harris collect for?

Harris and Harris primarily collects for companies and agencies in healthcare industry, but it also helps with collection in the government and utility industries.

Harris and Harris has received many complaints

Harris & Harris Ltd. has received hundreds of complaints with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Even worse, the Consumer Financial Protection Burea has reported nearly 1000 complaints against Harris & Harris.

Most of the complaints involve the following violations of the FDCPA:

Harris & Harris uses vulgar and abusive language to collect a debt.
Harris & Harris fails to provide documentation of a debt being paid off to them.
Harris & Harris fails to validate a debt.
Harris & Harris calls consumers at their workplaces.
Harris & Harris uses robo calls to collect debt.
Harris & Harris reports inaccurate information to the credit bureaus on fraudulent debts.

Let's take a look at an example of one of these complaints against Harris & Harris.

“They call me several times a day, on my work number, purportedly to collect on a debt from someone else. I have asked four times to be removed from their call list, which they say they'll do, and then they call me back within hours. I warned that if this happens again I will contact the authorities, they called me back less than an hour later and, this time, when I threatened to report them, they called me back three successive times within seconds. This is a harassing, illegitimate enterprise that must be stopped.”

If you are feeling frustrated by Harris and Harris, you're not alone. Here are some steps you can take to beat Harris & Harris and their crazy collection tactics.

Confirm the debt claim is legit

Verifying if Harris & Harris' claim is legitimate is an essential first step. Collection agencies must respond to your request to validate your debt under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). There is a possibility Harris & Harris is trying to collect an incorrect debt or contacting you by mistake. When debts shuffle to third party debt collectors, details about the debt are often accidentally lost. If you pay without verifying the details, you might pay someone else's debt.

After Harris & Harris first contacts you, you have 30 days to request verification of the claim. If you don't verify the claim within 30 days of receiving it, they presume the debt is yours. Verifying the debt ensures that the debt is accurate. Responding to a collection letter with a Debt Validation Letter is a wise option. Debt collectors may even consider dropping the case after receiving your Debt Validation Letter.

You can dispute the debt

By law, the credit bureaus must remove inaccurate information from an account. There is no guarantee that your credit report will be accurate, and reviewing your credit report can take time.

However, AnnualCreditReport.com offers free credit reports.

You should carefully read the report, looking for typos and any other errors that could lead to the collection account being removed. You can file your dispute with the credit bureaus if there is an error. Submit all the ‌documents to each credit bureau: TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian.

Offer to settle the debt

As long as the debt is valid and Harris & Harris responds with accurate documentation, it should be paid off if possible. You might face legal action if you refuse to pay Harris & Harris, but they are often willing to work out a debt settlement where you pay back far less than the original debt. You have an option of paying part of the debt monthly if you cannot pay the total cost of the debt. In this situation, third parties might agree to reduce your debt.

But if sued, use our SoloSettle. It is a powerful tool that offers a debt collector an agreement to settle the debt outside of court. Although you may desire to win the lawsuit and pay the person nothing, it might be more realistic accepting to pay a reduced amount than the face value of the debt.

To learn more about how to settle a debt with Harris and Harris, check out the following video:

Negotiate the removal of negative information from your credit report

Negotiate a deal with the creditor if you still owe a debt, and the statute of limitations is close to expiring where the creditor removes the collection account from your credit report ‌for a fee.

Make sure you know the limitations period in your state. The statute of limitations for debts varies from state to state. Upon reaching a certain age, you may no longer be legally liable for your debt, which is called "zombie debt."

While Harris Harris may still contact you about the debt, they cannot sue you, and you do not have to pay them back.

What happens if I am sued by Harris & Harris?

Harris & Harris will probably not sue you, but in the event that they do, the first step to beating them is to respond to the debt lawsuit with a written Answer. You can follow these six tips to draft an Answer that will strengthen your case and help you win in court:

The Answer isn't the place to tell your side of the story in detail. Instead of using an elaborate story to respond to the lawsuit, your Answer should focus on responding to the claims listed in the Complaint document. Keep it simple. You can admit, deny, or deny due to lack of knowledge.
Deny, deny, deny. Most attorneys recommend that you deny as many claims as possible, forcing Harris & Harris to do more work to prove their side of the case.
Include affirmative defenses. These are any legal reasons that Harris & Harris should not win the case. A common affirmative defense used in debt lawsuits is the statute of limitations, which is the time period that a debt collector has to sue someone for a debt. If the debt is past the statute of limitations, then the lawsuit is void.
Use standard formatting or “style”. At the head of the Answer document, be sure to include a caption where you list the court information, party information, and case number.
Include a certificate of service. It's important to serve your Answer to Harris & Harris. At the end of your Answer document, include a certificate of service when you verify the address you used to serve Harris & Harris the Answer.
Sign it. Most courts reject any legal documents without signatures, which is why this last step is so crucial.

Learn more about these six tips in this video:

You can also file a Motion to Compel Arbitration, which makes it easy to win a credit card debt lawsuit. Debtors send the Motion to Compel Arbitration to debt collectors suing them. If your credit card agreement or loan agreement contains an arbitration clause, our document may be an excellent choice for you. In this document, the arbitration clause in your credit card agreement is used to dispute the collection.

As a result, the collector faces time challenges and spends more money chasing you. Many debt collectors will give up once they receive a Motion to Compel Arbitration. When considering a Motion to Compel Arbitration, it is advisable to file an Answer first.

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to fight debt collectors.

You can use SoloSuit to respond to a debt lawsuit, to send letters to collectors, and even to settle a debt.

SoloSuit's Answer service is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your Answer. Upon completion, we'll have an attorney review your document and we'll file it for you.

Respond with SoloSuit

"First time getting sued by a debt collector and I was searching all over YouTube and ran across SoloSuit, so I decided to buy their services with their attorney reviewed documentation which cost extra but it was well worth it! SoloSuit sent the documentation to the parties and to the court which saved me time from having to go to court and in a few weeks the case got dismissed!" – James

Get Started

We have answers.
Join our community of over 40,000 people.

You can ask your questions on the SoloSuit forum and the community will help you out. Whether you need help now or are just looking for support, we're here for you.

Ask a Question

>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate