My wife gave her bank account info to a collection agency that presented an inflated price. Haven't hit it yet. Illinois.

Gym debt is well under $5k. When I talked to her at lunch, she said she had called the creditor (gym, we knew it was past due) and they told her they turned it over to collections. Third party collection agency here in town. I told her they'd work with her, to tell them she could give them $x a month. x stretches the budget a bit. Apparently a paper came in the mail today as well, stating that she owes at least a grand more than she actually owes (collection fee? must not have been there for that part of the one-page contract.) In any event, before I went back to work, I told her they would work with her because normally people will try to duck it. She gave them her bank account info. She never agreed to have the call recorded, and Illinois is a 2-party state.

Told her that was silly, and that she should call them tomorrow reneging. Illinois, under $5k, they haven't taken payment yet, "deal" was struck today. 2-party wiretapping state and she didn't agree to be recorded.