As someone who has had credit problems and had to deal with blood sucking hell spawn collection agency phone monkeys, I'd say this:
1) IC SYSTEMS is one of the most obnoxious you could deal with.
2) Do nothing without it in writing. Tell them you need to see proof they own the debt and that you are the one responsible. Doesn't matter if you know its true, force them to prove it.
3) If they try to pressure you for quick turnaround, counteroffer that they can go fuck themselves. You'll hear all sorts of carefully crafted half truths like "The Client wants this taken care of today to prevent going to court." THEY are the client. And they surely do want to take care of it today. But
4) The likelihood of them suing you for $80 is somewhere around zero. Small claims filing and legal fees would run them many times that. They'll threaten, mark my words. They'll claim that their lawyer can have it in the courts today. But they'll never pull the trigger. Spending $500 to get $80 isn't worthwhile, even if they get a judgement against you that includes legal fees. I've been threatened by the best for much much more money and NEVER been sued.
5) As said above, Collection Agencies are basically loan sharks that buy your debt. They probably paid paypal around $50-60 for your debt. Paypal no longer lists it on their books. You've got to deal with the collection.
6) Never, ever, sign anything you send to a collection agency. Ever. There are many clearly documented cases of collection companies forging a debtor's signature on documents. I'm not saying that IC Systems does this, but it has happened before to other people. They don't need your signature, they need money. Even if your debt was $8000 they don't need your signature.
If you are willing to pay $80 and want this to go away, do this.
Call IC Systems and tell them that you are willing to pay them in full provided they are willing to work with you on the details. As I said above, I prefer forcing them to prove they own the debt, but if you know you own it, you can just pay it.
Tell them you want the following. You want a letter from them, on company letterhead, detailing the debt, it's amount, and language saying that if you pay it in full, they agree to remove the record from your credit report, and that this constitutes 100% closure of the debt.
Once you receive that, MAIL them a US Postal Money Order that you have photocopied for your records, a photocopy of the letter they sent you, and a cover letter restating your agreement.
Removing it from your credit report is good for you and they shouldn't care.
Making them specify that the debt is 100% paid prevents them from saying "We collected the debt, but there's these fees, we'll sell THAT to another collection agency." This is extremely common. You need something that says you are 100% paid in full.
And to that I would make your payment contingent upon them agreeing to send you a PAID IN FULL letter after your payment is received.
Again, do all of the above on paper, in the mail. NEVER give them a credit card or checking account number over the phone no matter how hard they push.
The thing to remember here is that while they want you to think they have you over a barrel, they really have very little leverage. They want their investment back and will usually do just about anything to get you to pay. You offer them paid in full, they'll gladly let you have your documentation and removal from credit report, though they'll try to make it seem that they are being generous for doing so.
That said, remember. I'm not a lawyer, I'm just a guy who has spent far too much time on the phone with these slimy cockbags. While I can't guarantee that you won't get sued, in the days of my youth I've personally let far far larger amounts just sit and refuse to pay them because a collections agent pissed me off. I never paid them, and never got sued.
