A collection account from 2 years ago that kept getting reported every couple of months was removed recently from my report. I thus seized the opportunity and called ERC to see whether paying them would prevent its further report. They assured me that if I settled with them (for an amount that was rougly 50% of the original $620 AT&T bill), they simply wouldn't make the report scheduled for a week from now. The problem is that these representatives did not agree to put the part of the agreeement regarding the report in writing. Nevertheless, 3 different representatives (I called them twice) assured me that this is true and they have seen it happen all the time (someone paying them off before their report and ERC not reporting).
I also called AT&T directly twice to collect more data points. They couldn't settle for any amount less than the full amount but also assured me that they wouldn't report it and that it would be pulled back from the debt collector. The second time I was told that they can't really control the way the agency reports it.
Ultimately, I am unsure as to whom I should pay -- AT&T or ERC. I feel like if I paid AT&T, there wouldn't be much goodwill to prevent ERC from simply reporting a collection with a zero balance. On the other hand, there are many on these forums who argue that you should always pay off the OC.
