AES-PHEAA

2019-09-16

Arvada, CO

False statements or representation

Debt collection: Federal student loan debt

Impersonated attorney, law enforcement, or government official
Complaint: Some time around XXXX of 2018 I was sent a letter in the mail from a company called XXXX stating that I could qualify for student loan forgiveness. Being how paying off my loans has been a huge struggle for me ( as I do not make as much money in my career and have a lot of necessary bills ), I called the number on the letter just to get more information about it and see if it was something I should look into. I called and spoke to a man named XXXX XXXX. He stated that he would calculate all of my monthly payments and see if he can get my payments down to XXXX/month. I was told my loans would be consolidated and then transferred to a different company ( from XXXX XXXX to Fedloan ). I then gave him all of my monthly payments in which he calculated them. Afterward, he ensured several times repeatedly that my monthly payments would be XXXX and that I qualified based off of my monthly bill calculations. I was told I will have these XXXX dollar payments for 20 years but still have the loan debt on my record, then my loans would be forgiven and wiped away after the 20 years as long as I reapplied on time each year. I do recall him seeming pushy and wanting to sign me up right away. I told him this is something I needed to think about, do some research and discuss with my boyfriend. He then stated there was a deadline and I would need to sign up for it now/asap or I will not have that opportunity anymore. I did hang up without committing to anything just yet and over the next month I asked as many further questions as I could through e-mail, a few more phone calls to XXXX and through discussion with my boyfriend. I remember asking how this would affect my credit, and also asked if I had any other opportunities come my way if I would be able to make a change or if this was a definite commitment ( I remember him kind of laughing and then I was then told " I will never receive an opportunity as good as a XXXX dollar monthly payment '' ). Everything then looked and sounded legit so I decided to sign up for it. I made a " one-time '' payment via credit card of XXXX in which I have proof of on XX/XX/18. I also do have saved e-mails for documentation with him and a few other members of the party : XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX. When I went to reapply this year I put in all of my honest information regarding my family size, etc.. and thought it was odd when it said it did not match up with what I put in previously. I then received a XXXX/mo increase from XXXX for my payment with Fedloan and suspected there was a mistake. I then called Fedloan to look into it and fight the pay increase ( given what I was told previously ) just to find out that I was lied to from the beginning, had money stolen from me and that my information was falsely entered by the XXXX company against my knowledge just so that I can see the XXXX dollar payment. I was then given the FTC website to file complaint and receive refund.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-16

Elizabeth, NJ

Incorrect information on your report

Student loan: Private student loan

Account status incorrect
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-16

Galena, OH

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: I have always paid my student loans on time. In XX/XX/XXXX I paid my loan and rounded it up to {$110.00}, the next month the lender said I owed {$110.00}, which I paid. My regular payment was {$110.00} a difference of {$.00}. The same thing in XXXX of XXXX I rounded my payment to {$180.00} the next month I paid what I was told to pay which was {$180.00}. My payment amount was {$180.00} a difference of {$.00}. Now I am being told my payments made in XXXX of XXXX and XXXX of XXXX will not count towards my loan forgiveness because they were not a full payments. They are saying I am on a paid ahead program which was part of my promissory note. No one ever said that this status would result in payments not counting towards my PSLF. I had not even signed up for the program then, although I was a XXXX employee. I was told by FedLoan Servicing the law was changed regarding the way a payment is made if you are part of PSLF, but my payments were prior to the law change so they will not count. They also said Pay Ahead is any extra payments made prior to 30 days from the due date. My due date is the XXXX of each month and the extra {$.00} was effective on XX/XX/XXXX-less than 30 days from the XX/XX/XXXX due date and the extra {$.00} was made on XX/XX/XXXX also less than 30 days from the XX/XX/XXXX due date. For 6 years I have followed all the rules and paid my loan with-in 15 days of the due date. My loan payments have gone up to {$380.00} per month when they started at {$110.00} a month. I am a mother with XXXX children, XXXX in college now. I have struggled to pay my loan payments, but am responsible when it comes to my debt. I do not feel I should be penalized for paying what I was told to pay. I don't feel I should now have to pay an additional 2 months at the almost {$400.00} payment when the 2 lower payments were made, on time, and should count. I also asked for a copy of my signed Promissory Note and was told I could access it at the the Dept of Education Website. I have been on the site and I am not able to locate a copy.
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-09-16

Jonestown, TX

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Received bad information about your loan
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-16

CO

Struggling to repay your loan

Student loan: Private student loan

Can't temporarily delay making payments
Complaint: This complaint is centered around multiple attempts to defer payments on my private student loans. In short, the loan servicer, American Education Services has provided inaccurate information resulting in 1 ) forbearance being denied and 2 ) severe delinquency of the account. In XX/XX/XXXX, after confirming my eligibility, I submitted a request to put all my loans in forbearance as I was working toward a professional license and while caring for my XXXX small children. I did not receive income during this time. My request was approved however I was notified in XX/XX/XXXX that I had a payment due. Confused, I submitted another general forbearance request online. After another notification I was approved but yet I still has a balance due, I called and learned that private student loan forbearance required a separate request- An MRU Forbearance Request. An AES employee emailed me the private forbearance request form on XX/XX/XXXX and I completed them and sent them in via U.S. Postal service per the instructions. I also made a payment on the account in XX/XX/XXXX to demonstrate I was striving for resolution. This payment was very difficult for my family. After several weeks and yet another payment accrued, I received a letter ( dated XX/XX/XXXX ) indicating that my forbearance request was denied. I called AES to find out why the request was denied and learned from an employee that I signed the form XXXX XXXX XXXX and the request was denied because I signed my married name ( which is my legal name ). Interestingly, my payments to AES have come out of my banking account with the name XXXX for the past five years but that discrepancy raised no flags. In any event, I found out that I needed to change the name on my account so I furnished AES with the necessary documentation to do so. I was told by AES that I should submit another MRU Forbearance Request which I submitted on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, AES notified me that my name change was accepted but still not word on the MRU Forbearance request. On XX/XX/XXXX I was notified my MRU Forbearance request was denied because now I owed too much on my loans to be eligible for forbearance. So I call again and learn that if I payed {$370.00} on the account, I would then be eligible for the forbearance. So, again, I made a very difficult to make payment that day, XX/XX/XXXX and submitted a third Forbearance Request. The third request was denied because the AES employee who told me to pay XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX was, " mistaken '' and needed to pay another {$370.00}. I did not have the funds to do so and was told that I should just consolidate my loans with another company. At this point, I no longer have faith that I can resolve this with AES. The reasons for the initial denial and subsequent denials now seem intentionally obstructionist. I have made a small payment on the account for the past few months to show some effort until I am able to get back to work and resume payments.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-16

Johnston, RI

Struggling to repay your loan

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-16

Brkn Arw, OK

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Problem with customer service
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-15

Burlington, WI

Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-15

New Bedford, MA

Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem

Student loan: Private student loan

Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-14

New Bern, NC

Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-14

East Troy, WI

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Received bad information about your loan
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-14

Chicago, IL

Incorrect information on your report

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Account status incorrect
Complaint: I am a XXXX university XXXX in my second year, recently, I was curious about my current credit score, So I decided to check, and to my surprise, some of my student loan debt was listed as unpaid. My questions is, if i'm still a current student an have not finished school, how or why would my student loan be due, it has not been 80 days from one term to another. how is this possible? What steps can I take to remedy this, the purpose of going to school is to be a more productive member of society and contribute overall to the gross national product, when I'm in so much debt from my student loans debt before I even start to work. this appear to be a very scruples action, perhaps inadvertently, I'm not sure. please help!!
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-14

Wesley Chapel, FL

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Problem with customer service
Complaint: I called XXXX on Wednesday ( XX/XX/2019 @ XXXX ) to get guidance on the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The customer service person answered with a strong XXXX accent and without asking what I needed, requested my name and social security number. It felt weird. I mentioned this fact, but he told me he needed the information to see if I " pre-qualify '' for the program. I gave him my social. Then he asked for my birth-date. I asked if he could see anything about my loans ( to verify he was actually getting information ). He responded he saw I had two loans that may qualify, but he needed to know my birth-date to verify it was me. The number seems legit, and I was referred to them by XXXX. He told me I had loans from " XXXX '' ... which was incorrect ... but it was too late cause he had all my information. He then CLUMSILY guided me through the website to download a form. His services didn't have anything to do with the actual process. My Problem : This is the age of identity theft. The number and info still come ups as being legit..but I feel like it was a scam. It had ALL the telltale signs ... but I feel helpless in telling the difference between something legit and something wrong ... and there is something definitely wrong with how this played out. I think they are violating what they should/should not request from their customers. There has to be laws to help protect us from just handing out information like this. Please help.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-13

Beverly Hills, CA

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-09-13

CT

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX, I received this message from Fedloan about my income-driven repayment plan : Hello XXXX, You need to recertify your Income-Driven Repayment ( IDR ) plan today! Consequences If You Don't Recertify Your monthly installment amount will most likely increase Your interest may be added to your principal balance Your payments may not count towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness. You currently repay your loans on an IDR plan. Since your payment is based on your income and family size, it is required that you recertify annually. You must have your completed application and any supporting documents to us by. Its fast and convenient to recertify your IDR plan online! Because I did not want to lose my income-driven repayment status, I immediately re-certified for it. Contrary to what FedLoan had promised in the message, I temporarily lost my income-driven repayment anyway. They approved the income-driven plan for {$130.00} a month, but said it started in XX/XX/XXXX and I had to pay a much higher amount in XX/XX/XXXX ( {$540.00} ), an amount that I could not afford. This info can be found in IDR sequence 57. FedLoan explained that because my loans had different recertify dates, recertifying was ealy for some of them, which knocked me out of income-driven repayment on those loans. This is contrary to what was promised. In other words, it was THEIR mistake, but now I was going to pay for it. Knowing that I should have been kept on income-driven repayment, I paid the {$130.00} income-driven amount for XX/XX/XXXXinstead of the {$540.00}. I only did this on the advice of FedLoan workers who helped me over the phone. They admitted FedLoans error and said everything should be cleared up by XXXX, through an override request. I am unwilling to wait that long for something that may not be rectified. I spoke to XXXX ( employee # XXXX ), XXXX ( employee # XXXX ),, XXXX ( employee # XXXX ) and XXXX ( employee # XXXX ). All were gracious and helpful, but the fact remains that FedLoan messed up and I am the one paying the price for their error. Meanwhile, FedLoan is sending me text messages, acting like I missed my XX/XX/XXXX bill. I did not miss that bill. I paid the approved income-driven payment of {$130.00}. I did not pay the {$540.00} in erroneous charges that they are billing me for. What I want is simple and fair. I want FedLoan to override my erroneous XX/XX/XXXX payment and give me credit for my on-time payment of {$130.00}. I also want full credit for that payment towards my Public Service Loan Forgiveness. I re-certified on time. And yet I am being punished as if I did not. This is unacceptable behavior on the part of my loan servicer.
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-09-13

Jacksonville, FL

Incorrect information on your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Account information incorrect
Complaint: XXXX is reporting false information on my report. Even though the company has rectified the issue. The XXXX XXXX is not my account.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-13

MA

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Problem with customer service
Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX I called PHEAA/FedLoan Servicing to inquire about how many qualifying payments I have made toward the loan forgiveness program as I have three different repayment end dates. I have four loans that qualify for the program, I started repayment on these loans at the same time since I only receive on bill through FedLoan and it is always paid in full, and sometimes even additional payments are made. On XX/XX/XXXX I spoke with XXXX ID # XXXX who informed me that she would put my loans in for review. When asked how long that would take she told me 6 months. While I thought that seemed excessive, I said ok. It was not until Saturday, XX/XX/XXXX XXXX one year and five months later ) that I received a letter from FedLoan servicing with a " breakdown '' of qualifying payments. This breakdown still did not tell my why I have different repayment periods so on Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX I called FedLoan again to ask for a reason why the repayment periods were different. I first spoke with a woman I believe by the name XXXX but her ID # is XXXX. She was unable to help me so I was transferred to XXXX ID # XXXX. XXXX began counting the payments made on each loan, and when the numbers did not match what I had I questioned it. XXXX told me " let him finish and this call will end faster. '' I told him no, I am going to follow along with him and question why they do not add up. In one instance, XXXX said that there was " no bill for XX/XX/XXXX and you only paid {$39.00} of the $ 40-something dollars due. '' I pulled up my payments for that loan for XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I paid {$46.00} and on XX/XX/XXXX I paid {$51.00}. XXXX could not answer as why there was a discrepancy and just kept saying he would put it in for review. I asked him how long that would take since I waited a year and a half for this response. He told me " case reviews take a long time and there is no time frame for when FedLoan will get back to me. '' I have had trouble getting responses from FedLoan on various issues since 2017 and for that reason I document every phone call. It should not take over one year just to get a response to a question.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-13

Brooklyn, NY

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Need information about your loan balance or loan terms
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-09-12

Cherry Brook, MA

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Received bad information about your loan
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-12

Acton, MA

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-12

Atl, GA

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Received bad information about your loan
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-12

Avondale Goodyear, AZ

Incorrect information on your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Account information incorrect
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-12

East Troy, WI

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Received bad information about your loan
Complaint: XX/XX/2015 I filed a chapter XXXX fed loan service gave the trustee an amount of XXXX on paper the amount was paid the bankruptcy was dismissed by the court fed loan service refuses to acknowledge this they have created a bill that no longer exists they are charging me late fees on a loan that isnow paid and is over 31 years old over 16.000 has been paid on an XXXX loan I have paper work to prove the amount they gave the truster
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-12

PA

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Received bad information about your loan
Complaint: Fed Loan Servicing added loans to my account for years I did not have a loan. I did not receive ANY loans while attending the University of XXXX from XXXX XXXX. Lastly I started the school at the end of the year which makes them look even more guilty cause XXXX loans would not be possible. Secondly I only used a loan for XXXX XXXX because I used my GI Bill and XXXX veterans benefits during XXXX. Please make them remove these 2 fraudulent loans from my account. They did this because they thought Trump would pay for them because I am a XXXX veteran. Those 2 probably belong to an employee in XXXX or someone accepting bribes. Please have them remove those fake fraudulent XXXX loans from my account
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-09-12

Boston, MA

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Need information about your loan balance or loan terms
Complaint: My issues are with the financial department at the college. I am supposedly receiving money from a Fedloan, but I am still receiving statements stating that I still owe thousands of dollars to the school. I have requested of several administrators in the financial department to please meet with me, to help me understand where and how the funds are being allocated and have been totally ignored. The school seems to be getting its ' payments from the Fedloan, but there isn't enough funds afterwards for me to purchase or rent the required text books etcetera required for the courses. I can't afford to continue going to school as I can't afford to buy or rent the books and other incidentals required.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response