Collection Agency Exposed
Arnold Scott Harris, P.C.
Attorneys at Law
600 W. Jackson Boulevard, Suite 450
P.O. Box 5625
Chicago,ILÂ 60680-5625
Dear Mr. Harris,
I am in receipt of your letter dated December 15, 2004 and mailed to one named Wayne Strand, at a cost of $.27.8 that was mailed from zip code 48195. It was received on December 21, 2004. I find it interesting that your mailing address above does not have the correct zip code for the 600 block of West Jackson Boulevard. We are contacting the postal authorities so that they may explain such an impropriety in the processing of your mail; you may be in violation of Federal Postal Regulations regarding the usage of your postal meter.
According to your website at www.quickcollect.com, you are going to make less than $4.50 to collect $150.00 as shown on the page http://www.quickcollect.com/article2.htm, which you shall not collect because of the following:
- When you find this person named Wayne Strand, let him know that you’re going to send a letter about this matter. As you can see, I do not spell my name in that manner nor have I ever since I learned the alphabet and that’s more than 50 years ago.
- I, Wayne A. Strnad, did request a hearing on September 2, 2004 regarding alleged violation # 9057153919. Please see attached. I still await notice as to when that hearing shall take place. I wouldn’t miss it for anything as is evidenced by the fact that any and every ticket I have received was either addressed at a hearing or taken to Cook County Circuit Court. One exception was the denial of my right to due process by the Revenue Department. You can find all the acts of retaliation against me and my organization because of our community involvement in exposing how CAPS doesn’t work in this community (received two tickets during an informational picket in retaliation to the picket) and in getting ride of a Chicago Police Commander at the 25th District (another ticket on private property issued), by visiting our website. You can also find documentation about how the Revenue Department was totally incompetent. I fought and won two of these three tickets and would have fought the other in Cook County Circuit Court but the Revenue Department refused to hand over a paper to present to the Cook County Circuit Court. I was told by the intake people at the Circuit Court that a paper was required. Despite the fact I requested it, it was never sent. Thus, the right of due process was denied. By the way, we do have documentation to confirm this.
- Somehow this ticket was pushed through the system without allowing me the right to due process - again. Please see the attached request for a hearing, signed by one of Chicago’s city employees, that was attained from a city facility on Addison Avenue, near LaneTechHigh School. It’s actually in a mall that has totally inadequate parking for the number of people that matriculate through that center.
- I have a credit with the City of Chicago as per a court order which the Revenue Department has apparently chosen to ignore. Maybe I should employee Harris and Harris (one of the outfits you are allegedly associated with) to collect on my behalf, the money owed me from the City of Chicago. Heck, I’ll even up your rate and give you $5.00 although the chasing of ambulances might be more financially rewarding.
- It is duly noted that the Revenue Department is quick to want money but poor at paying it back. I believe that they are in violation of a court order and next year I very well might go back to the judge and tell her so. Further, I have evidence that shows they collected money for services to be performed but did not complete the request for more than a year. In that case, they collected more than $200.00. The work was not completed until we brought it to their attention and published the fact - citywide. I wonder how many other cases there are in which the Revenue Department ignores court orders or collected payments for services rendered where no services were performed. Maybe I need a Freedom of Information Act request to determine a potentially new type of scandal which we can label the Chicago Revenue Augmentation Program - acronym is CRAP.
There are literally hundreds of pages you can read online at our website. Any further action on this matter shall be met with countermeasures and let me assure you we don’t stop! If you think I’m joking then I suggest you look at the dockets for Federal Court cases against the City of Chicago, filed in August of this year. You will find my name, spelled correctly, in a suit against the City of Chicago and numerous other defendants which includes commissioner(s) on down; some commissioners names do not appear in the original filing but will be added later. I’m not adverse to filing another suit in Federal Court or attaching these gross violations of due process, as protected by the Constitution of the United States of America, against the City of Chicago, Revenue Department or your firm acting as an agent of the City of Chicago in the role of collections. You better get your facts straight!
The phone number that appears on your letter is not that of Harris and Harris either. Indeed, there are more than an ample number of items that question such unethical practices. Do you think we should file a complaint with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois? I have the form in hand. What is the real name of your real law firm? (See page 3 below.) It’s a question on the form.
By the way, according to the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics that you subscribe to at the National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys, of which you are a member, the following should be brought to your attention:
The principles of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics of the National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys express the profession’s recognition of its responsibilities to the public, to clients, and to colleagues. They guide members in their professional responsibilities and express the basic tenets of ethical and professional conduct. The principles call for an unswerving commitment to honorable behavior, even at the sacrifice of personal advantage.
We consider it unethical, non-professional and a breach of your responsibility to the public to disguise your true identity, provide a bogus phone number, do not show your true firms name (Harris and Harris or quickcollect.com or one of eleven others), potentially violate postal meter regulations, etc. Finally when we called the number provided and asked for a fax number, we were given 312-251-2333. This is not the registered fax number you have on file with NARCA. Who do you know at City Hall that got you this account? Is Mr. Diaz HDO?
Now although it is not illegal to form several corporations, you apparently have an inordinately high number and that is a dozen. The names are:
LaSalle Attorneys, Chartered
Affiliated Legal Services, P.C.
Creditors Legal Service, P.C.
Chicago Law Group, Attorneys-At-Law
Harris & Levin, Ltd.
Allen E. Levin & Associates, Ltd.
Harris & Harris, Ltd.
Arnold S. Harris & Associates, P.C.
Bilco Credit Services, Inc.
Business Credit Services, Inc.
Harris and Harris Incorporated - Involuntary Dissolution
Harris and Harris of Illinois, Ltd.
Some of these corporations have been dissolved. Do you get taxpayers money for collection services at each of these corporations? Now we’re definitely going to hand in a FOIA.
Incidently, you have an error on the webpage http://www.quickcollect.com/contact.htm#Telephone: and after all these years (since May 28, 1997) that is really unacceptable. You should talk to Barry May and have him straighten it out.
Also, the indented type on the preceding page is a quote from NARCA’s website and credit is hereby properly given. We are also considering filing a complaint with NARCA.
As you probably suspect, we are very thorough in our research but have left out in this letter some other interesting findings, which may or may not be published at a later date.
I hope you have a happy holiday season.
Most Sincerely,
W. A. Strnad
PS. Are you related to Judge Harris?
As was once said by the Beatles, who were popular before you were born, “Let it be.” If not, you’ll open up a whole other can of worms for me! hehehe.
cc: Mayor Daley
Bea Reyna-Hickey - Director of Revenue
Other interested parties
You can also find this on our website.
Highlights...
One would think that the Revenue Department would look into the collection agency they use. After all, it's eventually taxpayer money and as such should be impeccable throughout the proceedings.
Do you think this agency chases ambulances?
Here is a link to the related newsletter.
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