McCarthy, Burgess, Wolf Joseph Tomoletz Collection Company Cleveland, Ohio

Since you are dealing with a Collection Agency you need to familarize yourself with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act(FDCPA).  It will tell you what a Collection Agency can and can not do.

Also, you NEVER talk to a collection agency over the phone.  Every communication with them needs to be in writing so you have proof of what was said.  When you send something to them be sure to send it Certified with Return Receipt.  If you make a payment offer to them, DO NOT send them a single dime or give them any financial information until you have something in writing that says they accept the offer.

Now, with that said.  The dumbest thing you did was to let your debt go to collections.  The second dumbest thing you did was to take the word of a company that said if they send the debt to the Collection Agency that they would accept payments that would be manageable to you.   You will notice that no where in the FDCPA does it state that a Collectiion Agency agree to a payment plan.  But a lot of it has to do with what you offer.  If you owe $500, don't think an offer of $5 or $10/month is going to be accepted.  As a rule of thumb if they allow payments, they want it paid off in anywhere from about 2-6 months depending on the total amount of the debt.  If it is a significant debt, you may be able to get them to go to about 24 months.