Unexpected inheritance… what should I do about these debts?

Rob5342

Their credit record will repair itself given time no matter what they do, they'll ne able to get a good deal then, but paying it back fnow may not improve their credit record very much at all. They can part with £10,000 if they wish, it might ease their consciounse slightly but it won't have much practical effect. One other thing to consider is that the original lender will habe sold the debt on for a fraction of its value, ao ny repayimg it they aren't really repaying ehat they owe, they ate giving some unrelated company a nice little profit while making no difference to what their original creditor gets. 

RAS

The debt collectors paid 10-30p in the pound, sometimes less.

The OP can't make offers without extending their liability but if they receive settlement offers, there is no harm ringing (not writing to) the creditor and  making a counter offer. That way they clear some debt and the debt collector makes a little profit.