I am on a journey to clean up my credit and financial situation, damaged and neglected for far too long by my alcoholic brain and lifestyle. Sober now for 4 years, I am finding that repairing this damage to my finances is much the same as the repairs to my life, slow, sometimes painful, tedious, but worth the work. One day, One creditor, at a time. Here is my current hurdle.
I have an old debt with AT&T ( around 6 yrs, according to recent credit report estimated date it will be removed is 07/21) that has been picked up by Afni and they have updated the debt on my credit report. This resulted in a new negative mark on my credit report.
In February I received a letter offering a settlement of half the original. The original amount is only $355, they offered $177 resulting in a “settled in full” mark on my credit report. The letter also states that at this time I cannot be sued by them or AT&T for this account, but it can be “renewed” if I take “certain actions”.
I am not disputing the debt, although I have not told them that, and would like to pay it off in one payment and also have it removed from my credit or marked “Paid in full.”
I am considering sending an offer letter to them stating I will pay $215 to settle the debt above their offer if they agree in writing to remove it. I based the letter on this example I have also considered just calling them and asking, the worst case is they say no to removing it from my credit, but I pay the reduced amount and I’m just done with it, accepting the negative mark on my credit for what it is. I have also considered just waiting for it to fall off, but this is my least favorite option for moral and life advancement reasons.
I am cautious to make a move as I a) obviously want my preferred outcome b) don’t have much of any experience negotiating with creditors and c) want to avoid being fucked over (also obvious)
Any opinions, advice, or tips are greatly appreciated!
