HOW TO TALK TO THEM

Start your negotiation by offering an amount a little lower than what you really want to pay. The goal is to make the debt collector agree to the amount that you've decided you can afford to pay.

You have to negotiate with the debt collector regarding this. You have to say a few things like:

I'm in financial crisis and can't pay the full amount
I'm unemployed right now. So can't pay the entire amount.

Prove your financial hardship first. Do you have a job right now?

It depends on your negotiation skill and how much you can convince. If you can't do it on your own, you can take professional help.

Take help of attorneys or a settlement company. It's not going to be an easy task. If it was only your creditor, then things would have been different. But you missed your opportunity, and now collectors are handling your accounts. Things will get difficult during negotiations!