Date Received: 2020-02-19
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Subissue: Account status incorrect
Consumer Complaint: PLS NOTE I PAID OFF ONE OF TWO STUDENT LOANS IN FULL XX/XX/2014 THE SERVICE PROVIDER WILL NOT MARK THE LOAN PAID IN FULL AND IN CORRECTLY NOTES BALANCE OF XXXX
Company Response:
State: MA
Zip: 024XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-02-19
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-02-19
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: In XX/XX/XXXX, I graduated from XXXX XXXX. I finished classes in XX/XX/XXXX and officially graduated in XX/XX/XXXX. In XX/XX/XXXX, my loan servicer notified me that I had lost the subsidy on my subsidized loans due to exceeding the 150 % time limit for my program at XXXX. However, I started at XXXX in XX/XX/XXXXand was in a 4 year program. As such, to have exceeded 150 % of the length of my program, I would have had to make it through a 6th year at XXXX and start a XXXX in Fall of XX/XX/XXXXwhich did not happen. Furthermore, the notice was sent out before Fall XXXX at XXXX even began so the timing isn't right for that being the issue either ( cropped copy of the letter with dates shown and personal info removed is attached ). I contacted my loan servicer and was instructed to contact XXXX. I contacted XXXX about this issue multiple times since them, and XXXX representatives stated I should have had no issues and that I hadn't exceeded the limit. I went back to my loan servicer with this information and asked what my next steps should be and they haven't given me any helpful responses. They have simply told me that my status is listed as " in school - part-time '' and my account has continued accruing interest it shouldn't be gaining yet. They haven't even acknowledged my concern about my loss of subsidy not have they explained why the paperwork they sent says I lost my subsidy due to exceeding a time limit that XXXX says I haven't exceeded. If there's another reason for it, they haven't offered one. It has accrued hundreds of dollars of interest at this point and haven't given me a meaningful response to any of my attempts to get this resolved. I sent another request to both FedLoans and XXXX today, XX/XX/XXXX, but I'm not confident anything will improve, so I've decided to file this complaint. All of my contacts to both XXXX and FedLoans were completed digitally, so I have full records of all responses if needed later.
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 95127
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-02-19
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-02-18
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: I am still in school, enrolled XXXX/XXXX XXXX. FedLoan Servicing has issued a bill due in just a few weeks, claiming that I am required to begin repayment. The website 's " frequently asked questions '' indicates that individuals in this situation should not " worry, '' but should simply request a forbearance, claiming a reason of financial hardship. This a suggestion to commit fraud, as I am not experiencing financial hardship -- I am still in school at least half time, and I am therefor not required to begin loan repayment. I have attempted to contact the company three times via their online support request in the last two weeks. I have received email confirmation of all three requests, but have not received a single response.
Company Response:
State: NM
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-02-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-02-18
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Problem with customer service
Consumer Complaint: This year I decided to make tackling my student loan debt a priority. After investigating some options, I decided to go with making daily payments on my AES serviced loans. Before setting up a single payment, I perused the information available on payments in the FAQ section of the AES website. Finding no information on payment limits, I set up several payments. After seven were set up a pop up box appeared on the payment screen stating that I only had one more payment available to me for this month, as the limit is eight. Upon seeing this I immediately called and spoke with a representative ( I can provide name and employee ID if requested ) who I explained my situation to. She was confused, having never heard of this eight payments per month limitation. I was placed on hold as she conferred with someone else. I advised that if they needed to confirm the policy with people who had already left for the day ( the call occurred at approx. XXXX ) that I would be willing to have a call back. The representative advised me that while there was an eight payment limit on electronic payments, that I could make as many payments as I wished over the phone. I therefore set up daily payments from XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX. Those five payments were set up via phone that evening. At that time I already had set up two payments on the AES website, one was a payoff for the smallest of my loans, the other was my regular payment for the month of XXXX. The daily payments were to begin the day after. Let me be very clear here, I would not have set up those five payments over the phone if the representative had made the eight payment per month policy known to me during that conversation. My husband and I went away this past weekend. This morning I sat down to call AES and schedule my next round of daily payments. I called and spoke with a representative ( their name and employee ID can be provided if needed ) and explained that I wished to set up seven payments beginning with today, XX/XX/XXXX and ending with XX/XX/XXXX. After setting up the first payment the representative received a notice that I had reached the limit of eight payments per calendar month. I explained to the representative what the previous representative had told me. Over the next 30-40 minutes he and I went back and forth on trying to figure out what the payment limit policy of AES was. During one of the longer holds, I was able to find a policy stating that you can only make eight payments in a 60 day period. At one point the representative tried to use the pop up that states I have reached my limit of payments for this month as the policy for me to refer to, despite my having never seen the pop-up in the approximately eight years in which I have been using the AES website to make payments on my private student loans. In the course of my conversation with the representative I was given multiple possibilities as to what the policy is : 1 ) 8 electronic payments per calendar month, 2 ) 8 electronic payments per 30 days, 3 ) 8 payments in a 60 day period. He assured me that I would be able to make a payment on XX/XX/XXXX, 30 days from today, though I could try making another before then and the system MAY take it. I pointed out that this would be five days AFTER my XXXX payment would be due, thus acquiring a late fee and more interest. He assured me that AES would not charge me a late fee or report the late payment to the credit bureaus. After asking the representative how I was to trust his assertion that I would be able to make another payment on XX/XX/XXXX he offered to pass me along to someone above him to confirm his story. I thanked him for his attempts to help me with this situation and apologized if I was testy with him due to my stress about the situation and asked to be transferred on. Then began my long, thoroughly stressful conversation with a supervisor ( their name and employee ID can be provided if needed ) who confirmed that she did not know the details of my situation and only knew that I was looking for information on making payments. I reviewed my situation with her, stressing that I am looking to find out what the official AES policy on making payments is and needing to know when I can make payments again. Through the course of this conversation she avoided answering several of my questions, was vague in her responses, and ultimately unable to confirm what the payment limit policy was. She offered to send my case to a financial department to review my case so as to determine exactly when I would be able to make another payment. Multiple times I attempted to get a straight answer as to what the policy is and where it can be located. Towards the end of the conversation she admitted to me that she could not find anything on the website about the payment limit except on this page : https : //www.aessuccess.org/manage/repaying_your_loan/ways_to_pay/index.shtml ( go to Advance Payments at the far right ) I would like to point out and stress that this page is not accessible once a consumer is logged into their AES profile XXXX It can be reached on the main AES Success page before a consumer logs in. If it is possible to access after logging in then it is extremely well hidden as I have spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how I even found this page in the first place. It must have happened when I timed out of my profile while waiting on hold. Over the course of my conversation with the supervisor, she, like the representative before her, was unable to provide me a location of the accurate, up to date payment limit policy for electronic payments. She directed me towards the above site, stating that that is the only policy she was able to find on the site. I pointed out to her that the policy on that page does not match what she is telling me the policy is. I bluntly said something to the effect of You cant provide me with a policy, can you?. She advised that she can have someone send me a written copy but was unable to provide me with a location on the website that states the policy she was asking me to accept. She was unable to confirm that the policy she maintained as the true policy ( 8 payments in a calendar month ) is actually the correct policy, as her solution of sending my case to be reviewed by another department indicates that she was not 100 % confident in her answer. In all honesty, by this point in the conversation my stress did result in a harsh tone with the representative, who I felt was attempting to distract, cajole, and avoid my questions in an effort to dismiss me and get me to go away. I did hang up on her after voicing my dissatisfaction with AES as a company. I am submitting this complaint to you because I need to know what AES 's policy is. The ignorance of their employees on their companys policies has resulted in a situation that could have been easily avoided if the information had been made available. The policy that was available on their website does not match what I was told by AES representatives on two separate phone calls from three separate representatives. My goal is simple, to pay back the money I borrowed in order to obtain my education. I am willing to abide by whatever AESs official policy is on the number of payments that I can make. However, I can not do that until I am aware of what that policy is.
Company Response:
State: PA
Zip: 15701
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-02-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-02-18
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: I have received confusing and contradictory information regarding my repayment options. I tried to resolve this on multiple occasions without success ( lack of communication from my servicer, FedLoan Servicing ). My bill then increased by over 100 % ( approximately 3,000/month ), still without any communication. I have been in the IDR plan for many years. My income increased this year, and when I went to recertify, I was told that my application was on hold. Here is a timeline of events : XX/XX/2019 I received an email notice that I need to recertify my IDR XX/XX/2019 I received email confirmation that my IDR request was received. I was informed it was on hold, and that I would receive additional information after XX/XX/2019 when my final payment posted. I never received this email. I logged into my account in XXXX and the progress of my request said " denied. '' This message was present : " We were not able to process your recertification request for your IDR plan. A letter will be sent detailing the reasons that we could not approve your request and next steps if you think this information is incorrect. This letter never arrived. I never received this letter. XX/XX/2019 I sent an email communication asking for more information. A day later, I received a letter stating that I would remain in the IBR plan, and that my payments would be ~ $ XXXX/month. At the same time, the next balance statement for me stated I would owe ~ $ XXXX. I did not receive a reply to my email inquiry about this. The bill stayed at XXXX despite my email request for more information, and I was charged XXXX ( approximately 50 % of my current monthly take-home pay, and about 25 % of my household income ). On top of that my outstanding interest was capitalized, presumably because I was changed into a new plan? I completed my paperwork ahead of time, and tried on multiple occasions to figure out the problem. I received no direct communication despite my attempts at email, and as a result of the inability to resolve the problem had a massive jump in my monthly payment as well as a capitalization of my interest. A second complaint, though more minor is equally frustrating. A loan repayment assistance program to which I replied requested a " total payoff balance '' statement from my servicer. I sent 5 emails over two weeks requesting this, and never received a single response. The deadline from the assistance program has now passed, and it may affected my eligibility for assistance.
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 90041
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-02-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-02-17
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: at XXXX. on XX/XX/XXXX I had a major concern about my student loan through MyFedLoan. What raised an issue was when I checked my credit score and there was a HUGE drop and explained to me that my student loan was the cause of it due to a possible pass payment. So that's when I looked online on MyFedLoan and seen where I had a message about my IDR plan that I had already submitted when they sent out a notification stating I needed to resubmit the application. The letter I had received from them stated " We recalculated your monthly payment for your Income-Contingent Repayment ( ICR ) plan. We used your income documentation and family size to determine your monthly payment of {$300.00} which is first due on XX/XX/XXXX. '' Now I assumed since I didn't receive anything about my IDR plan that nothing changed so I continued to pay my payment like I been doing. So to get things cleared up I called the toll free number. A lady that was super unhelpful basically told me the reason for the balance I had to pay for the {$300.00} was because I basically never resubmitted my IDR plan ( which I did I even have proof ) So she said that I needed to pay that for my IDR plan to basically get it back ( like a downpayment ) Then she as well stated that I didn't have to pay on my loans until XX/XX/XXXX XXXX possible graduation date ) due to the fact that I am back in school and my loans when into deferment ; however! I've been back in school since XXXX! I have no clue why it took them so long to process that and as well said when my loans go into deferment that they will have a huge impact on my credit score. So I still have questions about my IDR plan that I've summited before the due date, and she just keeps on telling me that I don't have to worry about any payments sine I am in deferment and KEPT on trying to explain to me what deferment meant, which already knew but she just wasn't answering anything I had an issue for. So I told her well I would like to still pay for my loans even though I am in school still that's when she sent me an email for the IDR plan to apply for which I ALREADY DID! The payment they wanted me to pay was not in my budget and I am honestly still confused and lost over the letter they had sent me about the repayment plan, plus I don't understand if my load was already in deferment then why did they send that out to me? I just have so many unanswered questions I felt like we were just going in circles with asking her things. Student loans already can be tricky and they don't make it any better
Company Response:
State: IN
Zip: 46241
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-02-17
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-02-17
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: In XX/XX/2003, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency ( PHEAA ) received a ( product of identity theft ) Federal Family Education Loan Program ( FFELP ) application and Master Promissory note. The Master Promissory Note states that the lender is XXXX XXXX and the guarantor is American Education Services ( PHEAA ). The educational program is XXXX XXXX College. This appears to be a successful scheme to defraud the borrowers. The application was NOT sent to XXXX XXXX but directly to PHEAA 's XXXX PA address. According to PHEAA, the loans were provided by American Education Services ( PHEAA ) as a private loan and were later directly consolidated by PHEAA 's private trust. Since the private student loan is NOT a Federal Student Loan and did not involve XXXX XXXX as the lender, the borrowers were not aware that the protection of a Federal Student Loan program were denied them in this process. PHEAA then implements fees, costs and penalties outside the Federal Student loan protections and without consent or knowledge of the borrower. I have requested a copy of the agreement between XXXX XXXX ( and any subsequent SEC filings for the agreement ) through the Pennsylvania XXXX office and PHEAA has denied the request. PHEAA then utilizes the fraudulent Federal PLUS loan Master Promissory Note to obtain Department of Education tax offsets and wage garnishments from the borrower for private loans in violation of Department of Education rules. I was told by a Department of Education Loan Analyst that this is a " handshake '' deal with PHEAA. The scheme is initiated by the alleged agreement between XXXX XXXX and PHEAA to defraud borrowers.
Company Response:
State: OH
Zip: 454XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-02-17
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-02-16
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Don't agree with the fees charged
Consumer Complaint: Throughout the years, I have struggled to pay down my student loans when the interest is preventing me to do so. I am making payments over my minimum payment and the balance continues to grow - because the interest is so overwhelming. I can not get anywhere near the principal loan - and with the thousands I've paid over the years, my loan balance has increased by thousands as well. I'm up to {$65000.00} in student debt, even though I have been paying for years, to no avail. I am a teacher - I took out loans to advance my degree in order to get a better teaching job - but now, I'm barely able to make ends meet with trying to pay my student loans, which keeps increasing. I have reached out to Fedloan Servicing - the response has been deplorable. There is no relief from the company and they are not able to help when it comes to the amount of interest being placed DAILY on the accounts. The interest rate is criminal - and the company is making money off the backs of students who are trying to get an education to better their lives. There must be something done for those who are loyal payers to their student loans - but are unable to break through the interest to actually pay down the principal. My disgust for this company and the federal government allowing loan servicer to take advantage of students is ever growing. The debt is crippling and being a teacher, there will be no way for me to ever pay this off as long as the company continues to be allowed to put interest on the accounts daily. Something has to be done - these companies need to be held accountable - even if it means their CEO 's have to take a break from their luxury vacations on the backs of hard-working people.
Company Response:
State: GA
Zip: 300XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-02-16
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-02-15
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: I need help with my Federal Student Loan Servicer. They are not correctly applying my payments towards my PSLF. I've been in repayment since 2015 on IBR and REPAYE and working for a non-profit educational institution. I sent them two PSLF documents verifying my employment, and they are claiming I only made 15 payments over a 5 year history. It's been so frustrating they I've resorted to unprofessional means of sending multiple emails a day, angry in tone and admittedly with foul language. I also submitted a request for a legal last name change that they never responded to or updated my account. I'm ready to just default at this point. What is the use of working in public service and watching your debt just grow and grow and grow. It's almost as though they are intentionally NOT processing these applications. I have done everything asked of me.
Company Response:
State: MN
Zip: 55025
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-02-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2020-02-15
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Subissue: Account status incorrect
Consumer Complaint: To whom it may concern, I am filing this complaint after failed attempts to reach FedLoan Servicing via phone on XX/XX/XXXX and via email sent on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, all of my credit bureaus showed that FedLoan Servicing reported I had missed three monthly payments and I was in a delinquency status. This did not make sense because I was in school in XXXX and my student loans should be in deferment or forbearance state. I was taking two classes from XX/XX/XXXX until XX/XX/XXXX. I did not attend school from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX and should have been granted a grace period of 6 months ; however, on XX/XX/XXXX, my loan went into repayment instead. Unfortunately, no letter was mailed to me to state this nor did I have access to my old email account at that time, so I did not receive this notice and believed my student loan was in grace period, based on the loan details in the promissory note for repayment terms ( students dropping below half time or out of school ). The payment due date first began on XX/XX/XXXX and on XX/XX/XXXX, I signed into FedLoan Services website and realized my loan was NOT in grace and I immediately updated my status to in-school and provided my start date of XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX. FedLoan Services updated my status and provided the message that no further action was needed from me and that XXXX would provide them further information. I believed this meant that FedLoan Servicing would contact XXXX on my behalf and confirmed that my account updated to {$0.00} payment due before signing out. On XX/XX/XXXX, I began taking classes as a full-time student, with the hopes of finally completing my degree, while working full-time to fund my education. I also worked to increase my credit score to get approval for an educational private loan to pay for continuing education, and apply for a lower interest personal loan to consolidate my larger debts into affordable payments so that my family and I can have a better financial standing. I am now unable to do this. The FedLoan Servicing sent 15+ reports of 90 days missed payments to all 3 credit bureaus, which lowered my score nearly 190 points. I have worked so hard for the past 6 years to build my credit only to have it destroyed because the FedLoan company did not properly apply the deferment/forbearance status accurately to my account. I have attached documentation for their failure to do this. The first document is the approved forbearance period that shows my loans were deferred until XX/XX/XXXX. The second documentation shows another approved forbearance period after they FINALLY updated my school status on XX/XX/XXXX that shows my deferment started from XX/XX/XXXX until XX/XX/XXXX. Given this evidence, my account should NOT have gone into a 90-day delinquency and FedLoan Services should never have sent a delinquent status to my credit bureaus for their failure to update my account.
Company Response:
State: MI
Zip: 48310
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2020-02-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A