How To Deal With Frost-Arnett Company Debt Collection

Frost-Arnett Company is a debt collection agency that collects medical debts for healthcare companies. If they contact you, validate the debt first. Confirm it’s really yours before taking any action.

Once you confirm the debt is legitimate, you have options. You can dispute incorrect information or negotiate a settlement. Settling means you only pay a portion of what you owe.

What Is Frost-Arnett?

Frost-Arnett Company is a debt collection agency based in Nashville, Tennessee. They have additional offices in Campbellsville, Kentucky, and Houston, Texas. Frost-Arnett specializes in collecting 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 healthcare provider sold your debt to them. Your original creditor no longer owns the account. Since Frost-Arnett now owns your debt, you must work directly with them. Any payment plan or settlement must go through the collection agency.

Is Frost-Arnett Legit?

Yes, Frost-Arnett is a legitimate company. The Better Business Bureau accredits them with an A+ rating. But consumers have filed many complaints against them.

Consumers have filed more than 65 complaints with the BBB in the past three years. Customers rate Frost-Arnett 1 out of 5 stars on the BBB website. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has over 200 complaints in its database.

Multiple complaints claim customers didn’t receive proper documentation of their debts. Many complaints also describe harassment. Third-party debt collectors must validate your debt under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. They’re also prohibited from harassing you.

The FDCPA is a federal law that protects you from harassment. If you believe a debt collector violated the FDCPA, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB. You may also be able to sue for compensation.

How Do I Know if I’m Being Scammed?

While Frost-Arnett is legitimate, debt collection scams are common. Scammers sometimes use real company names to trick you. They hope you’ll give up sensitive information like your bank account or Social Security number.

A legitimate debt collection agency already has your information. They won’t ask you for it again. To avoid being scammed, make sure the debt collector validates your debt first. Never agree to make payments or share personal information before validation.

If anything feels suspicious, trust your gut and ask for more information. You can report scammers to the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC helps protect consumer rights.

Do I Have To Pay Frost-Arnett?

It depends on whether you truly owe the debt. Debt collectors often buy debt accounts in bulk. They frequently get information wrong. Before you agree to pay anything, make sure they validate the debt.

Verify that the debt account belongs to you. Confirm that Frost-Arnett has the legal right to collect the debt. Check that the amount 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 received a debt validation letter from Frost-Arnett, request one. Our partner Cambridge Credit Counseling can help you understand your options once you receive it.

A debt validation letter is written notice from the debt collector. It should include basic information about the debt they’re trying to collect. It should also explain how to dispute the debt.

By law, debt collection companies must send you a validation letter within five days. They must also give you a 30-day window to dispute the debt. If you dispute during this time, they can’t continue collection efforts until they validate.

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

If Frost-Arnett can verify your debt within 30 days, you must decide what to do next.

Step 2: Decide What To Do Next

If the debt collector verifies you owe the debt, you have three main options:

• Dispute the debt
• Negotiate or settle the debt
• Ignore the debt (not recommended)

Option 1: Dispute the Debt

Your first option is to dispute the debt. You may choose this if you disagree with the amount. You might also dispute if other details on the validation letter are wrong.

If this happens, check your credit report for inaccuracies. You can get a free copy of your credit report each week. The three major credit bureaus are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

By law, medical debt of $500 or less shouldn’t appear on your credit report. If it does, dispute the entry with the credit bureau reporting it.

If you notice errors on your credit reports, dispute them. The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to ask credit bureaus to remove inaccuracies.

Option 2: Negotiate the Debt and Make a Settlement Offer

If you agree the debt is legitimate and you owe it, think about settling. You probably haven’t paid the debt because you can’t afford to. That’s quite common.

But you may be able to settle without paying the full amount. You can do this by negotiating a debt settlement agreement.

Debt collectors usually buy your debt for pennies on the dollar. Many are open to negotiating the amount you pay. They can profit even if you pay less than you originally owed. You may be able to pay just 40%-60% of the original amount.

You can start the negotiation process with a letter. A structured debt management plan through our partner Cambridge Credit Counseling can help you pay off medical debts with lower interest rates.

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. Medical bills, credit card debt, personal loans, and payday loans are negotiable. Even tax debt is usually negotiable with the IRS.

If your debt is backed by collateral, it’s probably not negotiable. Car loans and mortgages are backed by property that serves as collateral. For car loans, it’s the car. For mortgages, it’s the home. If you get behind on these payments, lenders can take the property back. 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 updated payment plans. You should also explore 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. Debt collectors don’t give up easily.

Ignoring the debt can have serious consequences, including:

• A decrease in your credit score
• An increase in the amount you owe as interest and fees are added
• A debt collection lawsuit, which can result in a wage garnishment order against you

Negative information usually disappears 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 is take action. Write or call Frost-Arnett to see if you can negotiate a debt settlement. 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 their first move. But if they haven’t been able to reach you in several months, you may end up in court. If they can’t come to an agreement about the account, legal action becomes more likely.

Debt collectors consider several factors when deciding whether to sue. These factors 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. They outline the case details. These papers are often handed to you in person. Depending on your state’s laws, the collector may also mail the paperwork to you.

If you get sued, fighting back is usually simple. You can work with our partner Solo to draft your answer. They’ve helped 234,000 people respond to debt lawsuits. They offer a 100% money-back guarantee.