How To Deal With Frost-Arnett Company

What Is Frost-Arnett?

Frost-Arnett Company is a debt collection agency based in Nashville, Tennessee, with additional offices in Campbellsville, Kentucky, and Houston, Texas. Frost-Arnett collects medical debt for healthcare providers. 

Here is their contact information:

Website: https://www.frost-arnett.com/ 

Headquarters address: 2105 Elm Hill Pike, STE 200, Nashville, TN 37210-3979

Mailing address: PO Box 198988, Nashville, TN 37219

Phone number: (855) 287-7043

Why Is Frost-Arnett Contacting Me?

Frost-Arnett is contacting you because your original creditor — in this case, your healthcare provider — sold your debt to them. Since Frost-Arnett now owns your debt, if you want to negotiate a settlement or payment plan, you will need to work directly with the debt collection agency. 

Is Frost-Arnett Legit?

Yes, Frost-Arnett is a legitimate company. It’s accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which currently rates the company A+. However, consumers have filed many complaints against Frost-Arnett with both the BBB and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Consumers have filed more than 65 complaints against Frost-Arnett with the Better Business Bureau in the past three years. Customers rate Frost-Arnett 1 out of 5 stars on the BBB website. The CFPB also has over 200 complaints against Frost-Arnett in its consumer database. 

Multiple complaints claim the customer didn’t receive the proper paperwork documenting the details of the debt they allegedly owed. There are also many complaints of harassment.* Third-party debt collectors are required to validate your debt and are prohibited from harassing you under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

The FDCPA is a federal law that protects you from harassment and unlawful behavior from third-party debt collectors and collection agencies. If you believe a debt collector has violated the FDCPA, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB or potentially sue for compensation. 

*Note to reader: These reviews and complaints highlight relevant issues but may not represent all consumers’ experiences.

How Do I Know if I’m Being Scammed?

While Frost-Arnett is a legitimate company, there are many debt collection scams out there. Sometimes scammers will use a real company’s name when they contact you in hopes that you’ll give up sensitive information, like your bank account or full Social Security number. A legitimate debt collection agency should already have this information and won’t ask you for it.

To avoid being scammed, make sure the debt collector validates your debt before you agree to make payments or give away any personal information. If anything feels suspicious to you, follow your gut and ask for more information.

You can report scammers to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC is a federal agency that helps protect consumer rights. 

Do I Have To Pay Frost-Arnett?

It depends on whether you truly owe the debt or not. Debt collectors often buy debt accounts in bulk, so it’s not uncommon for them to get information wrong. Before you agree to pay anything, make sure the debt collector has validated the details of the debt with an official notice. 

Make sure you verify that the debt account belongs to you, that the debt collector has the legal right to collect the debt, and that amount of the debt is accurate.

Here’s how to validate the debt, and what to do afterwards.

Step 1: Send a Debt Verification Letter

If you haven’t already received a debt validation letter from Frost-Arnett, request one from them. 

This written notice from the debt collector should include basic information about a debt they’re trying to collect from you as well as information about how to dispute the debt. 

By law, debt collection companies are supposed to send you a debt validation letter before or within five days of first contacting you. They also have to give you a 30-day window to dispute the debt. If you dispute the debt during this time, the collection agency can't continue collection efforts until they validate the debt.

If Frost-Arnett can't verify your debt within those 30 days, you shouldn't have to pay them. 

If Frost-Arnett can verify your debt within the 30-day window, you must decide what to do next. Let’s look at your options.

Step 2: Decide What To Do Next

If the debt collector has verified that you owe the debt they claim you do, you have three main options: 

• Dispute the debt

• Negotiate or settle the debt 

• Ignore the debt (while this is technically an option, it’s not recommended)

Option 1: Dispute the Debt

Your first option is to dispute the debt. You may choose to do this if you disagree with the amount the collector has indicated on your debt validation letter or other details outlined in the letter.

If this happens, you should also look at your credit report for  inaccuracies. You can get a free copy of your credit report each week from each of the three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. By law,medical debt that’s $500 or less shouldn’t appear on your credit report, regardless of the account’s status. If it does, dispute the entry with the credit bureau reporting it.

If you notice errors on any of your credit reports, dispute them with the credit bureau reporting them. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives you the right to ask credit bureaus to remove inaccuracies from your credit report.

Option 2: Negotiate the Debt and Make a Settlement Offer

If you agree the debt is legit and that you’re the one who owes it, it’s time to think about how to settle the account for good. It’s likely that you haven’t paid the debt yet because you’re simply unable to do so. This is quite common. 

But there may be a way to settle the account without paying the full amount. How? By negotiating a debt settlement agreement. 

Because debt collectors usually buy your debt account for pennies on the dollar, many are open to negotiating the amount you pay. Often, they can profit even if you pay less than you originally owed. In fact, you may be able to pay just 40%–60% of the original amount you owed.

You can start the negotiation process with a letter. Upsolve has a free template you can use.

Can You Negotiate Every Past-Due Debt?

Not every type of debt is negotiable, but the most common types of past-due consumer debts usually are. This includes medical bills, credit card debt, personal loans, and payday loans. Even tax debt is usually negotiable with the IRS.

If your debt is backed by collateral, it’s probably not negotiable. For example, car loans and mortgages are both backed by property that serves as collateral. For the car loan, it’s the car. For a mortgage, it’s the home. If you get behind on these loan payments, the lender can take the property back, so they don’t have a good reason to negotiate.

Federal loans are also usually non-negotiable. But if you’re struggling to pay your loans, look into the updated payment plans and forgiveness options. 

Option 3: Ignore the Debt (Not Recommended)

Ignoring the debt is technically an option, but it’s not recommended. It won’t make the debt disappear and debt collectors don’t give up easily.

Further, ignoring the debt can have serious consequences, including:

• A decrease in your credit score

• An increase the amount you owe as interest and fee are added to the original debt amount

• A debt collection lawsuit, which can result in a wage garnishment order against you 

Negative information does usually disappear from your credit report after seven years, but debt collectors can continue collection efforts as long as the statute of limitations hasn’t run out. 

Bottom line: The best thing you can do for yourself is to take action. Write or call Frost-Arnett to see if you can negotiate a debt settlement and avoid a lawsuit or other negative consequences.

Can Frost-Arnett Sue Me?

Yes, debt collectors like Frost-Arnett are allowed to sue you. A lawsuit is rarely a debt collector's first move. But if they haven’t been able to reach you or come to an agreement about the account in several months, you may find yourself more at risk of ending up in court.

Debt collectors consider several few factors when deciding whether to sue customers. These factors may include:

• Your state’s wage garnishment laws

• How long your debt has been in collections

• How much you owe

If you get sued, you’ll receive a summons and complaint. These official court documents notify you of the lawsuit and outline the case details. These papers are often handed to you, or another adult in your household, in person. Depending on your state’s laws, the debt collector may also be able to mail the paperwork to you.

If you get sued, fighting back is usually as simple as filling out a form.

Let’s Summarize…

Frost-Arnett Company is a legitimate debt collection agency that collects medical debt. If they contact you, ask them to send a validation letter if they haven’t already. Then, decide what to do. If anything about the debt is incorrect, you can dispute it. If you agree that you owe the debt, try to settle the account for less than the full amount.