That extra $1700 is probably a lot of money for him though.
If he makes a plan to pay say a hundy a week on payday, 17 weeks early could have gotten him out of the hole before Christmas...now it's gonna be next Easter...I'm sure that few hundred would come in handy come the Holidays.
Why do I get the feeling the OP's philosophy is, "If you're in a hole keep on digging."