Consumer complaint received 2026-05-29 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Medical debt
Issue: Written notification about debt — Didn't receive notice of right to dispute
Company: Harris & Harris, Ltd.
State: OR

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX Pacific time, my phone received a cryptic text message that stated this exactly : " You will receive messages from Harris & Harris Debt Collector . # of messages varies. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX STOP to stop Msg & Data Rates May Apply '' I have never heard of this agency, so I did not click on the link. I have not ever given out my private personal number to any agencies, nor gave permissions for any such agency to contact me via phone/text. I have not, as of the date above, ever received any other form of notification or communication from this agency. I immediately responded " STOP, '' and I received a text reply stating that I successfully unsubscribed and will no longer receive text messages and to call XXXX, which I did not. However, upon independent research online I found that this was their listed phone number. I called twice on XX/XX/XXXX, both I was prompted for an operator who when I explained the cryptic text I received placed me on hold. The first time I was on hold for 26 minutes and I disconnected and called back, the same happened as before and I was placed on hold again for 23 minutes before the line disconnecting on its own. I called a different number I found for them XXXX. I was on hold for only a few minutes, no operator, and a representative using the name XXXX answered the call. That is how she spelled her name to me. It was stated to me that the call was being recorded for quality purposes and that it was an attempt to collect a debt. The phone call lasted 11 minutes. She asked my to verify my name and address, which I did. I asked her what their claim to debt is, she stated it was a medical debt in a specific amount for a local clinic from XXXX. I responded to her that I would pay the debt, IF it is mine, as long as they send me a statement or the claim via mail, USPS so that I can verify who the original claimant is. She immediately stated that their agency does not and will not send any statements or information via mail, that it all must be sent via email. I told her that was illegal and once again requested any and all communication be sent via mail because I need a paper statement to possibly dispute this for insurance reasons. She once again stated that they will not send any paper communication, information, or statements via mail. I asked her to repeat the debt claim and couldn't quite get what she said at the end about another person. I asked her to repeat this, and she said " your daughter. '' I asked what my daughter had to do with this, and to tell me her name, and she said " you don't know your daughter? '' and " I can not tell you that information '' after she had clearly stated her name to me already, I had just asked that she repeat it. Then she stated " your daughter is of age so I can't talk to you '' and " she is going to have to give us permission to talk to you '' after the entire conversation had already taken place and after I verified who I was at the start of the conversation without any corrections or objections in the beginning. IF this was a debt they were claiming my daughter owed she had already confirmed to me that they claimed I owed it. I replied to her that my daughter is covered under her parent 's insurance in state of Oregon until the age of 26 years, she is not the responsible party as per any clinical medical visit in XXXX, nor has she ever signed to be. I told XXXX this and she stated she could " no longer talk with me. '' That was the end of the call. I sent a message to the text above stating the contents of the phone call and once again requested any claims or statements via USPS mail. They did not respond back.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation