Date Received: 2019-04-16
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan
Subissue: Can't temporarily delay making payments
Consumer Complaint: I have been paying on a student loan since XX/XX/2005! It was originally through Sallie Mae, then sold to Navient. The original amount was {$29000.00}. I now owe over {$15000.00}. I have been repeatedly coerced into deferment after deferment because I couldn't pay the full amount, even when a partial payment was ready. They call me and my mother up to a dozen times a day. I was strong-armed into thinking I needed a co-signer when my credit score was over 700 at the time, which let 's face it is common practice in the student loan industry because it's harder to settle or discharge a debt when you have two people on the hook for it. They have chosen to harass my mother ( co-signer ) much more than me as she seems like an easier target. But they are relentlessly harassing a XXXX-year-old woman, who also does not have the means to pay off the debt. In fact, I don't receive any of the threatening mail ( turning over to collections, etc. ), that she receives. None. They have unfairly targeted her because she seems like a quicker cash grab. This is even though they have my information and my name is listed as the primary borrower on the loan. They have all my current information yet they choose to harass her instead. Here is a brief list of their illegal loan practices that I have experienced first hand : 1. Being told forbearance was the one and only option available, even when I had a partial payment. They would only accept that or payment in full. 2. Being lied to about the process of releasing the cosigner. In fact, it took several years before I was even aware this was an option as they kept it from me. 3. Being denied even the opportunity to apply for an income-driven repayment plan, which from the looks of it, is probably for the best since that hasn't seemed to turn out well for others filing complaints. 4. Obscuring details I needed to obtain a lower payment. In fact, again, flat out telling me there were no options. There are always options with a debtor, Navient chooses not to negotiate and they are unwilling to negotiate. 5. Offering absolutely no help or even suggestions when I was out of work. Again, refusing to work with me on any level. 6. Changing the amount owed daily to keep the balance current, once 3 times in 10 days. I was instructed I could stave off collections if I paid a minimum amount of XXXX by the end of the month. I attempted to pay by website, as per their instruction, and the minimum amount had doubled to XXXX, and they would not accept the XXXX like I was told. A few days later that had risen to XXXX. Huge increase in 10 days. 7. I almost never receive the same answer when I call customer service, which I have done dozens of times over the years. It took me years to find out about removing the cosigner. I get different answers to the same question. For example, I called twice in one day and got two different answers from two separate people. The first agent did not mention the option of making the minimum payment online, while the second one did. Unfortunately, as detailed above, that turned out to be a goose chase costing me more money and time. It's been well over a decade, and I'm not much better off in terms of the debt I " owe. '' However, I am worse off in many other aspects, many as a direct result of their consistent manipulation, using scare tactics, and their constant harassment. I have paid well over the original amount due, with interest, since XX/XX/2005. What disgusts me the most, and believe me it was hard to narrow it down, is that they repeatedly lied to me and my XXXX-year-old mother over the phone to deliberately confuse us, all so they could " earn '' their commission. For example, telling me she could call and answer a few questions to consider being removed. She called and they told her I had to do that. It is immoral, unconscionable, and several elements of their loaning practices and collection methods are illegal. That's why 6 different states ' Attorney Generals are currently suing Navient, and that's just as of today. I expect more to follow suit.
Company Response:
State: SC
Zip: 29072
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-04-16
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-04-15
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: I originally took my loan out with Salle Mae back in XXXX. A few years ago, Navient acquired the student loans from Salle Mae. From day 1 they have been a predatory lender : the only give you half the information you need, and only AFTER you need it. I have spoken with their representatives over the phone on multiple occasions and each and every time I get different information. A year ago I found myself delinquent on my loan. I was a current student and upon receipt of the email notifying me that my loan was coming due, I responded that I was a current student ( like I have every semester ) and that the loan should be in an " in school deferment '' status. No response was ever received back ( I never received one in the past ) so I assumed that things were proceeding like they had every other time. Only after my loan was past due by 3 months did I start receiving phone calls from Navient. ( up to this point, no notification was received about the past due status : not by mail, not by email and no statements ) I was advised that my in school forbearance had run out and that was the reason my loan was now delinquent. ( Keep in mind that I received NO notification that there was a limit to this type of forbearance, or that I had exhausted it ) After several negotiations and speaking with multiple representatives, they finally agreed to put my on a payment plan ( something that I had previously been told I did not qualify for ). As the payment plan came to an end, I once again called Navient to find out what my regular payment amounts would be. I was advised t hey could not give that to me until the last payment of the program had been made. I called back when that payment had been made, and I was told that they could not give me the payment amount until the account had cycled. I called back on the date that I was advised the account would cycle and I was told I had to wait until the first day of the next month otherwise I would have to make 2 payments in the current month. XX/XX/XXXX I called Navient to find out what my current loan payment would be. Between my wife and I we work 3 jobs and we live on a budget - so this information was crucial for us to have. I spoke with a representative who offered a payment program that lowered my payment. It is still higher than really works with our budget, but I was told that there were " no other options '' to bring the payment lower. I agreed to the program, AGREED TO AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS, and was advised multiple times that I needed to check my account every 3 months to ensure that my automatic payments were covering the full payment amount because it could go up at anytime. ( If I'm on automatic payments, shouldn't they also adjust with the loan payment?!?!?!?!?!? ) So imagine my surprise today when I received a statement from Navient indicating that my loan was PAST DUE and that on XX/XX/XXXX I owed a payment of approximately {$16000.00}! When I called I was advised that this is how this payment program works, and for the next 3 months my loan will be considered past due/delinquent and there was NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO TO change/prevent that. This is predatory lending in every way shape and form - they give you part truths and withhold critical information during the decision making process in order to trick consumers into going into a delinquent status so they can collect additional interest/late fees. Additionally, because my loan is now in a " delinquent status '' I CAN NOT refinance it with another more trustworthy company.
Company Response:
State: UT
Zip: 84128
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-04-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-04-15
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan
Subissue: Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan
Consumer Complaint: I submitted all my documents for the Income driven payment plan and got a letter saying that my information that I was approved for XXXX dollars a month for my loan. This letter was sent on the XX/XX/XXXX. I called on XX/XX/2019 to make sure everything was good to go and to start my automatic payment. The representative tells me that i have two different payments due on XX/XX/2019. I told her that it is impossible and that am looking at my inbox and I never got a letter stating that I had two payments. I asked the young lady why do i have two payments and why was the second letter not sent to me. The young lady said she submitted a request for review. So I asked her, so I will be paying the XXXX and that they need to figure on their end why I have two payments and not 1 payment monthly. She suggested forbearance on the second payment. I told her that, this was not an option. Please help me. I have the letters and everything sent to me.
Company Response:
State: MD
Zip: 20878
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-04-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-04-15
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Subissue: Account information incorrect
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX to resolve a debt that they acquired from XXXX University. I told the associate ( XXXX ) that I did not want to settle for a lower amount, but instead pay the balance in full with the terms and agreement that the debt would be deleted/removed/ from my credit report. Having my final payment scheduled for the first of XXXX, I contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX today ( XX/XX/19 ) to request that they fax the deletion letter on the XXXX of XXXX. Upon doing so, I was told by both the associate and her manager ( XXXX ) that they wouldn't do that, and could instead only notate the account on my credit report as " paid in full '' and that the only solution they had on their end was to handle their own issues internally with XXXX ... ... a solution that does not help me at all. To date, I have paid {$3700.00} of the {$4900.00} owed, in a matter of 4 months. A deed that was both very financially and mentally burdening to me, but at the same time done to uphold an agreement that was made in XXXX ; an agreement that is apparently not being held up by the company that told me they would. I feel as if I was lied to and misled in order to pay the full balance due, with no real quick outcome in helping my credit, which was the goal of the initial agreement. I would NOT have agreed to pay {$5000.00} in a matter of 4 months without the terms being what were agreed upon initially, and I honestly would have settled for a much lower amount.
Company Response:
State: MI
Zip: 483XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-04-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-04-15
Issue: Threatened to contact someone or share information improperly
Subissue: Contacted you after you asked them to stop
Consumer Complaint: Navient Solutions LLC has continued to contact myself, my family, neighbors, and acquaintances after I sent a cease and desist letter on XX/XX/2019 disregarding federal debt collection laws.
Company Response:
State: OH
Zip: 449XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-04-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-04-15
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: Dear CFPB representative Hope this email finds you well. I am having an issue with Navient private student loans. I have being making double the minimum payment and instruct Navient during everypayment that overpayment be allocated to principal. Navient does not allocate the additional payment, but continues to charge it towards interest. I called email navient in reference to this practices and they replied but stated that I should allocate extrapayments as directed which I do. I never being delinquent. I spoke with a representative on XX/XX/2019 her name is XXXX ID # XXXX for 45 minutes in which the whole time she tried to change and denied improper payment allocation. She stated " Interest capitalization must be paid first until it zeros out interest than overpayment goes to principal, '' I challeged her on this because another loan does not have a zero out interest and the payments go to principal, which she replied that it did, only to retract that comment and say that its not zero out but that change of terms of the loans change daily. I have health issues, I am working seven days a week to pay my loans, and this is affecting me physically and mentally.
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 10022
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-04-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-04-15
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: This is the 3rd time it has happened and this is the 3rd time I am submitting a complaint on CFPB for the same fraud attempt by Navient ... ... .. Navient has again, wrongly applied my federal student Loan payments, ( Cashiers check # XXXX, cashed on XX/XX/2019 ) for loan ID ; XXXX, XXXX and XXXX, to loan ID : XXXX. I had both written the instruction on the check and sent in a separate letter with written instructions, as they instructed, but for some reasons, they again decided to apply the payment incorrectly. I am starting to believe that this is an attempt from them to fraudulently apply the amount on a loan without any authorization!
Company Response:
State: TX
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-04-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-04-15
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: I have several loans with Navient. All but one are defaulted. The defaulted ones have been sent to a collection agency, who bought them from Navient. I am working with the collection agency, XXXX XXXX, on those loans. The one loan that I have open with Navient, I send a check for every Saturday. The loan number for the open loan is in the check memo. Navient continually applies this payment to the loans that are closed that they have sold to the collection agency. Every three months this ruins my credit report by showing missed payments on the open loan. This is happening even though I was {$1300.00} paid ahead on the open loan when I started making the weekly payments. I am pretty sure it is illegal to apply payments to closed accounts that you no longer own. These payments that are being applied to the closed loans are also not being reported to the collection agency and lowering the balances on their end, so in reality, it is just theft on Navients part. This has been ruining my credit for over a year now and every three months I have to call them and fight with them to correct it. However, the second they receive another payment, they continue to do this.
Company Response:
State: NV
Zip: 89509
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-04-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-04-15
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan
Subissue: Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan
Consumer Complaint: I agreed to pay XXXX XXXX of XXXX to complete my documentation for student loan forgiveness. They agreed to prepare the necessary documentation and continue to prepare the documentation for 3 years. The cost would be about {$1300.00} with {$50.00} per month payments. Apparently, they use a third party finance company called XXXX XXXX, which I thought were the same company but turns out they just buy the note from XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX is no longer in business and have not completed my paperwork for the loan forgiveness program. XXXX XXXX wants me to continue paying them for a service I am no longer receiving. This is a scam and they are defrauding people.
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 93720
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-04-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-04-15
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: From XXXX through XXXX I have had multiple late fees charged to my account. During that time I was informed ( via phone conversation ) I could schedule automatic payments regardless of the due date, and was informed that it would not affect my account. Within the past 6 months I have requested a copy of my phone records and was denied them ; Navient indicating that they do not provide those. I was attempting to find out who I spoke to regarding the automatic payments. Through the life of my loans I have had nothing but misleading information.
Company Response:
State: IL
Zip: 61103
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-04-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A