Consumer complaint received 2026-04-21 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Medical debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: Harris & Harris, Ltd.
State: WA

Complaint narrative:
Dispute of Invalid Medical Debt Primary Companies : Harris & Harris , Ltd Ref # XXXX / Original Creditor : XXXX XXXX XXXX Description of Incident : I am filing this complaint against the above-referenced collection agencyfor attempting to collect on an invalid medical debt that is not owed and has been officially written off by the original creditor. Between XXXX and XXXX, I received medical treatment from XXXX XXXX XXXX following an accident in which I was not at fault. At all times, I maintained : XXXX coverage ( subject to Coordination of Benefits & Recovery and conditional payment rules ) Additional insurance coverage, including auto insurance through XXXX Approved 100 % Financial Assistance through XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX remaining balances were covered under 100 % | Violation of RCW 70.170.060 Charity Care Act : Under XXXX law, hospitals must screen for charity care eligibility and are prohibited from collection actions against patients who qualify. I was approved for 100 % assistance ; therefore, any attempt to collect is a direct violation of state law. Proper billing protocol required XXXX XXXX XXXX to bill XXXX as primary until policy exhaustion, and then submit claims to XXXX with the appropriate exhaustion documentation for conditional payment processing. I directly provided XXXX XXXX XXXX with the XXXX exhaustion letter and instructed them to submit this documentation with their XXXX claims. XXXX has confirmed that XXXX failed to properly submit required documentation and did not follow correct billing procedures. Additionally, certain claims were submitted using incorrect diagnostic coding unrelated to the motor vehicle accident, resulting in avoidable denials caused solely by provider billing errors. Despite multiple attempts by both myself and my legal counsel to correct these issues, XXXX XXXX XXXX failed to properly resubmit or appeal claims through the appropriate channels and instead allowed these accounts to be placed with collections. The critical facts are as follows : Debt Invalidity : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX department confirmed that both accounts were officially written off as of XX/XX/XXXX, resulting in a {$0.00} balance. Full Coverage : All services were covered by XXXX, applicable insurance, and/or 100 % approved financial assistance. Provider Billing Failure : Any remaining balance is the direct result of XXXX XXXX XXXX failure to follow required billing protocols, including improper handling of primary insurance billing, XXXX submissions, and claim corrections. Improper Collection Activity : The collection agency is attempting to collect on a non-existent and extinguished debt, which constitutes violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ). Credit Reporting Violations : Any reporting of this account as an active debt would be inaccurate and may violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). Desired Resolution : I DEMAND that : 1. Harris & Harris , Ltd immediately cease all collection activity 2. Provide written confirmation that ALL accounts are closed with a {$0.00} balance 3. Any credit reporting associated with these accounts be removed or corrected immediately XXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX recall these accounts from collections to reflect their confirmed written-off status Sincerely, XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Harris & Harris XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX : Formal Dispute, Cease and Desist, and Demand for Validation Account # XXXX To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally dispute the validity of the alleged debt referenced above and to demand that you cease and desist all collection activity immediately pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ), 15 U.S.C. 1692c ( c ). I do not owe this debt. This account is related to medical treatment following an auto accident and was subject to : XXXX conditional payment requirements under Coordination of Benefits & Recovery ( COB & R ) Additional insurance coverage ( XXXX ) Approved 100 % Financial Assistance through XXXX XXXX XXXX Any remaining balances were covered under 100 % | Violation of RCW 70.170.060 Charity Care Act : Under XXXX law, hospitals must screen for charity care eligibility and are prohibited from collection actions against patients who qualify. I was approved for 100 % assistance ; therefore, any attempt to collect is a direct violation of state law. XXXX XXXX XXXX failed to properly submit and/or correct billing to XXXX and applicable insurers despite repeated notice and intervention from my legal counsel. Additionally, XXXX XXXX XXXX was required to bill my auto insurance carrier, XXXX, as primary prior to billing XXXX. I informed their XXXX department of this requirement and advised them that once the XXXX policy limits were exhausted, they were required to submit claims to XXXX with the exhaustion documentation. I provided XXXX XXXX XXXX with the official XXXX exhaustion letter and instructed them to include this documentation with their XXXX submissions. XXXX has confirmed that XXXX XXXX XXXX failed to properly submit this information and did not follow required billing procedures. Further, certain claims were submitted with incorrect diagnostic coding unrelated to the motor vehicle accident, resulting in improper denials that were caused solely by provider billing errors. Additionally : This account was officially written off by XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX Any remaining balance after insurance processing was covered under 100 % financial assistance Any claim of liability is the result of provider billing errors, not a valid consumer obligation Under XXXX State law ( RCW 19.16.250 ), you are required to provide an itemized statement upon request prior to continuing collection of medical debt. To date, no such compliant validation has been provided. Your actions may constitute violations of : The FDCPA, including collection of a debt not owed and misrepresentation of its legal status The FCRA, if inaccurate reporting has occurred Violation of RCW 70.170.060 Charity Care Act : Under XXXX law, hospitals must screen for charity care eligibility and are prohibited from collection actions against patients who qualify. I was approved for 100 % assistance ; therefore, any attempt to collect is a direct violation of state law. You are hereby instructed to : 1. Immediately cease all collection activity 2. Provide complete validation of this debt, including : o Itemized billing o Proof of proper submission to XXXX, XXXX, and all insurers o Documentation supporting collection after write-off 3. Remove any associated credit reporting If you are unable to validate this debt and there was no insurances to bill, you must immediately close this account and confirm such in writing. Failure to comply will result in complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the XXXX State Attorney General. All future communication must be in writing only. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX Attorney

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation