     Kelly Blaettermann (Kelly) | Monday, November 13, 2000 - 05:17 pm 
Hi all,
My husband has 5 small medical debts (about $1270) on his Equifax Credit report (SOL won't expire before they fall off his CR)
I want to try to negotiate these debts. Should I lump them all into one letter and offer a %, or should I separate them and write settlement terms for each account.
Any advice for me?
Kelly |
| John Shimmer (Jshimmer) | Tuesday, November 14, 2000 - 02:50 am
Does he owe all of them to the same medical institution/doctor ??
Hopefully, you're not under the impression that you owe them to Equifax - they only report data.
Provide some more info and I'm sure folks will be happy to provide suggestions. |
| June Logan (Junel) | Tuesday, November 14, 2000 - 07:47 am
Call each creditor and negotiate. Ask these agencies what amount the original creditors will customarily accept to settle the accounts. That amount can sometimes be 30% off the debt. I wouldn't make an offer until you find this out because you might not get as much off as you potentially could. Keep in mind that if your husband had insurance that company would pay about 50% of what these medical providers charge you (is that fair?) and use that to negotiate. Good Luck! |
| Kelly Blaettermann (Kelly) | Tuesday, November 14, 2000 - 08:05 am
Sorry, I wasn't clear! Doh! They are being reported by the same collection agency for the same creditor (a hospital). I disputed with the credit bureaus. They came back verified by the collection agency to one credit bureau (Equifax) and deleted by the others.
Thank you,
Kelly |
| June Logan (Junel) | Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - 05:43 am
Dispute them again with Equifax before you contact the agencies to settle. They may come off and you'll know in about thirty days. If they don't, try and settle but make sure you ask the agency to take these off his file completely once the settlement amount has been rec'd. One more thing, get everything in writing before you pay them a penny. |
