AES-PHEAA
Consumer Complaints
There are over 9925 complaints on file for AES-PHEAA. Dated between 2019-12-11 and 2012-03-07.
Complaints Page 45
2019-05-22
Murray, UT
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Received bad information about your loan
Complaint: Details of Complaint : INCORRECT INFORMATION ABOUT ELIGIBILITY AND PSLF PROGRAM In XX/XX/XXXX I began repaying my student loans accrued from my XXXX and XXXX degrees through Fed Loan, the student loan servicer for Federal Student Aid in the U.S. Department of Education.
( I have a list of payments made through Fed Loan ) In XX/XX/XXXX I was accepted into the Fed Loan Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) program. I was notified that I had 40 Qualifying Payments towards my 120 payments required for forgiveness.
( Available documents : Application for Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, Information Regarding Your Eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness ) In XX/XX/XXXX I contacted Fed Loan to get clarification on my payment amount. During this conversation ( Fed Loan has verified this conversation was recorded ) I was told by the Fed Loan representative that three of my student loans were unsubsidized and not eligible for PSLF. The representative told me to consolidate the loans and pick a new payment plan.
The information was not clear to me that I was to only consolidate the three loans and begin with two separate payments for each consolidation ( the first consolidation I completed when I began my payments in XX/XX/XXXX, and the new consolidation of the three other loans ). I assumed this meant to consolidate all of my loans together as I had done when I began my payments with Fed Loan.
( Available : Consolidation documents ) On XX/XX/XXXX I received a letter in the mail from Fed Loan that said, " We are writing to inform you that if you consolidate your loans as requested, you will be disqualified from your payments made towards your 120 payments for the loan forgiveness program. '' There was no note on the letter that said a timeline for when I had to respond.
( Available document : Letter from Fed Loan dated XX/XX/XXXX ) On XX/XX/XXXX ( a Saturday ) a different agency within Fed Loan sent me an e-letter to my Fed Loan inbox with the same subject line as the letter sent to my home. I did not read this letter, as I assumed it was the same information they sent me physically in the mail. However, this letter had additional information, a note saying " To cancel your consolidation application, visit MyFedLoan.org and sign into Account Access, your online account management tool. You have 10 business days from the date of this letter to cancel your application. After the consolidation process is complete, we are not able to " unconsolidate '' your new Direct Consolidation Loan. '' ( Available document : E-Letter from Fed Loan ) On XX/XX/XXXX I called Fed Loan to cancel my consolidation per the letter I received in the mail. I asked two representatives ( Fed Loan has verified these conversations are recorded ) if I had a consolidation pending. I told them repeatedly I wanted to make sure the consolidation didnt go through because I didnt want to lose the payments I had made towards my PSLF. Both representatives assured me there was no consolidation and I had nothing to worry about.
The representatives then clarified the correct consolidation needed to qualify my unsubsidized loans for PSLF. Their instructions for me at that time was to first go request a new payment plan ( this would be the second time since XX/XX/XXXX I had done so from their instructions during this phone call and during the XX/XX/XXXX conversation ). They said once I get my new payment amount look into consolidating just the three unsubsidized loans.
So, on XX/XX/XXXX I did as the representatives had instructed. I resubmitted a new payment plan.
I was under the assumption that doing so, and per their instructions, the previous incorrect consolidation had been cancelled and I was not going to be disqualified from the PSLF program.
On XX/XX/XXXX I got a letter in my Fed Loan e-inbox that read " Congratulations, your loans have been consolidated '' and then an additional letter that explained my new payment plan.
On the morning of XX/XX/XXXX after opening these e-letters, I immediately called Fed Loan and asked why I had received a letter about my consolidation when I had called previously and was told there was not one pending and had followed their instructions to properly qualify my unsubsidized loans for PSLF program.
The first supervisor from Fed Loan understood my confusion and the error and requested an Override Appeal within Fed Loan under the grounds that the letter was sent to me so quickly.
Thirty minutes after he submitted this appeal, I received a call from Fed Loan informing me the request was denied.
The second supervisor I spoke to on this day reviewed all of my recorded phone calls, all of the communication I had received and told me, " Because we sent you that e-letter in your Fed Loan inbox, there is nothing we could do. The consolidation has gone through and you are back to 0 of 120 payments towards loan forgiveness ( paraphrased ). '' I asked this supervisor after she had listened to my recordings of conversations with other representatives if when I called on XX/XX/XXXX and was told " there was no consolidation processing '' if they were giving me misinformation. The supervisor replied, " Yes, that was misinformation and I apologize about that. '' I also asked the supervisor why they would send me two letters ( digital and print ), one day apart that said different things ( Attachment E & F ) The supervisor told me because they came from " different areas '' of Fed Loan.
As a consumer I feel as though I was misled through this process by Fed Loan, they took advantage of me as a consumer by sending information inconsistently, as their internal departments are not coordinating the information they are sending to lenders, and giving unclear and misleading information during all of my conversations on the phone.
As of today, I am at only 6 of 120 payments towards my public service loan forgiveness. Had I not been misled to incorrectly consolidate I would be at 55 of 120 payments. On average my payments have been {$500.00} per month. This means I have lost approximately {$26000.00} payments I will need to make up to get my loans forgiven.
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief
2019-05-21
N Andover, MA
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Don't agree with the fees charged
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-21
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Received bad information about your loan
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-21
Lafayette Hl, PA
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
2019-05-21
Blairstown, IA
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Received bad information about your loan
Complaint: I have federal student loans with FedLoan and they have had my loans since XX/XX/XXXX. I was in deferment until XX/XX/XXXX when I entered payments on an income based plan, My first and only position has been working for a 501 ( c ) 3 company and therefore have been participating in PSLF program. I have submitted employment verification to cover this entire time period and have tried to stay within qualifying payment plans. However, I have had many issues with this program, starting this multiple payments made the " do not qualify '' for various reasons. I have specifically contacted the representatives with each request of payment plan change and was reassured each time that any full payments would qualify. Specifically, I confirmed in XX/XX/XXXX prior to changing payment plans that all payments would be qualifying payments expect while in deferment. I have counted 66-69 qualifying payments but my account only reports 42 qualifying payments.
To further complicate things, it has taken FedLoan over a year to review my previous requests for payment reviews ( made XX/XX/XXXX speaking with " XXXX '' ). I contacted them again today and spoke with " XXXX '' ID # XXXX about the situation and was informed not only is there no time estimate for reviews but that I had additional payments that were marked as " not qualifying '' that I was not informed of previously. These payments did not qualify because I was temporarily placed on a non-qualifying plan while I " Transitioned '' from one income base payment plan to the next despite specifically inquiring about this possibility and being reassured that it would not occur prior to making the request to change. I had to submit a separate request for review that might also take an " extended period '' to complete. At this rate, I will have completed my 120 payments and still not have confirmation that I am appropriately participating in this program despite multiple attempts to confirm such.
Lastly, each time I recertify my income as required yearly to maintain a payment plan in REPAYE or other income based plan, my interest is capitalized.
I have paid {$130000.00} since XXXX and still have {$200000.00}. Therefore, after over 5 years of payments, I still owe more than I original borrowed despite paying nearly 2/3 of the original debt.
Thank you.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-21
Arsenal, PA
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
2019-05-21
Ladies Island, SC
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 explanation
2019-05-21
Seattle, WA
False statements or representation
Debt collection: Federal student loan debt
Attempted to collect wrong amount
Complaint: I submitted a review XX/XX/2017 for my PSLF through FedLoan Servicing that has yet to be resolved and which no timetable for resolution has been given ( despite repeated calls and messages ) up to this day. The issue began when XXXX student loans were automatically transferred from XXXX to FedLoan, which was not of my choosing. Despite applying for REPAYE on time ( and being approved ), I was charged a full month 's non-REPAYE amount which is completely untenable to pay back on a XXXX 's salary. I opened the review to appeal to override this $ 2000+ amount, called at least ten times regarding the matter also without conclusion. Though the monthly amount was finally changed to the correct REPAYE amount, since this time there has been a wide discrepancy in the number of PSLF qualified payments between different loan accounts. For example, loan # 6 only shows 3 qualifying payments while loan # 8 shows 14 qualifying payments ; I have not taken out new loans since XXXX began and there should be no reason for this difference. As I complete XXXX, it's essential to know where I stand in terms of PSLF progress as I chart out financially how to pay back > {$300000.00}. The fact that a review has not been completed after almost 1.5 years without any indication of when this will occur is absolutely unacceptable.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-21
Worcester, MA
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: Hi there I have been paying on this student loan ( it was taken out for my daughter ) .Original amount was {$91000.00} in 07, and now, I '' m owing more than the original loan amount ( {$94000.00} ). I have been paying on a consistent basis, but there were times it was in forbearance. It says that principle paid is {$54000.00}, but it doesn't seem like that since my balance is still XXXX. I called and spoke to a person, who after looking at the account said " that's what you owe ''. I don't understand how at this point it can be more than what the original balance was - I would like someone to look into this.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-20
Lawrenceville, GA
Incorrect information on your report
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Account information incorrect
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-20
Randolph, MN
Struggling to repay your loan
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Problem lowering your monthly payments
Complaint: To whom it may concern, I graduated from college in XXXX. It is now XXXX and my loan has gone from XXXX to XXXX.
I consolidated my loan to help me get all my loans in one place, this averaged my interest rate and actually make my debt load more.
I spoke with someone recently at XXXX XXXX XXXX and inquired about lowering my payment. The problem is lowering my payment on a income based repayment plan isnt helping because its the interest that continues to accrue and then balance that continues To go up not down.
The woman I spoke to explained to me that my interest at 6.38 % is {$13.00} a day, which is XXXX a month. My {$290.00} monthly payment doesnt even get to the principal balance. If I choose to defer my loan when I have trouble paying the interest is capitalized onto the principal balance and again my loan goes up not down.
I have a XXXX XXXX that I owe XXXX dollars on and have paid on for 7 years. The more money I make the more I need to pay so I can never get ahead. I cant find a job with my degree and cant go back to school because more loans.
I am writing to try to get somewhere. Ive asked to lower my interest rate to refinance to potentially change companies ( although this companys customer service has answered my questions ) I do feel like I am being taken advantage of and really in a place of desperation as I have children and work as hard as I can and will soon need to retire myself.
I dont understand how this company can basically add so much interest that the loan has more of a balance than when I started paying. XXXX more and it will keep growing not shrinking. She said if I defer to keep up on interest. I can not pay XXXX a month in interest when I cant afford my $ XXXX monthly payment.
Both my parents are deceased. I am the first one in my family to attend college. I would like to help my children with college. Is this the America Dream to die from student loan debt?
I am a XXXX female. I am educated. This feels unfair. I wanted to be a XXXX. I wanted a career. I had a dream of helping children. I cant go back to get a XXXX certificate because my student loan debt is to high.
I feel sorry for our future generations of this is what they have to look forward to. Why cant student loan companies charge a reasonable amount of interest and not try to punish you when you struggle to pay or cant afford the maximum payment? Can something be done to make XXXX XXXX more fair to its borrowers? Isnt this company with the Department of Education? Why are they trying to make so much money off of us? What can be done?
Thank you for your time.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-20
Pasadena, CA
Incorrect information on your report
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting
Information belongs to someone else
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-20
Pawtucket, RI
Struggling to repay your loan
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Can't temporarily delay making payments
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-20
Cadwell, GA
Incorrect information on your report
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting
Information belongs to someone else
Complaint: XXXX XXXX XXXX is fraudulent. I've never attended college. I have tried to resolve this multiple times but XXXX XXXX XXXX will not help me. They have intentionally destroyed my credit.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-19
AL
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Received bad information about your loan
Complaint: In addition to my TEACH Grants being wrongfully converted to loans in XXXX of XXXX, my loans have now been turned over to the US Department of Education for default. I am NOT in default. According to the most recent escalated rep that I spoke with on XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, my loans were put in default on XX/XX/XXXX as a result of an error on their behalf. As XXXX, an escalated rep in the XXXX XXXX explained, the method by which they refunded money to me for payments made to grants, threw my loans into default. As she explained on XX/XX/XXXX, this is " A big mess '', and it is by no fault of yours. '' I understand that the loans now must go to the " XXXX XXXX '' and there is no timeline for the " mess '' to be corrected. Meanwhile, my credit is trashed, and there is no estimated timeline that can be provided to me for the correction to occur.
The numerous reps that I have spoken with since XXXX regarding my grants, Income-driven payment request, and public loan forgiveness program, have all given me contradictory information, and I have no faith in anyone I speak with there regarding my status on any of the above listed processes. For example, in XXXX, I had an escalated rep guide me through the Income-driven repayment application, wait on the phone until I completed the application, and uploaded to my online account. The next time I spoke with them regarding my expected refund for grant payments, I was told that the refund would not be issued, and that the payments would be credited to the overall loan amount. Yet, I was told in XXXX that I would be receiving a check by XX/XX/XXXX. During that same conversation, I took the opportunity to explain how I was exhausted from having to make numerous calls that usually exceeded 40 minutes, only to have to start over explaining the issues and repeating what I had been told on the previous conversation. Consistently, I was told that I was given incorrect information by previous rep. If it were not the truth, and if it did not cause stress, it would be comical - like a XXXX XXXX XXXX skit. Every rep provided different information regarding the same topic, even among escalated reps ( that I demanded to deal with every call since XXXX ). I complained about how it took 45 minutes and an escalated rep to teach me how to complete my IDR request so that I was not overcharged, and how upset I was that I had paid excessive payments for years because the application did not allow for me to correctly document my financial situation. In other words, I told the rep that the application " baits '' you in to documenting income and spouse information that is not correct, but you are scared not to document it like that because of the liability you are subject to for filing false information. I told him how thankful I was that 5 years in to filing IDRs and making payments, someone was competent enough, and cared enough, to guide me through the application to get payment lowered where it should be. When I described that situation, the representative said that my IDR request provided " false '' information, and that it could get me in trouble! I explained again that an escalated rep walked me through it, and waited on the phone for me to upload it and it be received. He said he can see where that happened, but unfortunately the rep gave me incorrect information. He said I could keep the payment where it is for now, but that I would have to file it differently if my husband and I file taxes jointly.
There are many more occasions in which I have been provided false information and guidance, including information regarding the XXXX program. Obviously, Fed Loan Servicing reps have no accountability, and/or competence regarding protocols in any department. I have managed to get through, and have coped with the undue stress and excessive time and aggravation involved in managing my student loans, but default, I can not deal with! This is unbearable, and is negatively affecting my health. I am seeking legal advice. Thankfully, I have documented my calls since XXXX, with employee ID numbers.
I am a XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have worked at the same school, in the same position for 10 years. I pay my bills and am a law abiding citizen. Please advise.
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief
2019-05-19
VA
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: I been making payments consistently on fedloans and they are not processing my payments and now my credit score went down 90 points so I cant even get a car and its because of them Ive been making my payments and its completely unfair
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-19
Colo Spgs, CO
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Received bad information about your loan
Complaint: I am an XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX member with a student loan account with FedLoan Servicing.
I am enrolled in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and currently on track to have loans forgiven in XX/XX/XXXX. I file for employment certification every year. My last accurate count of qualifying payments was on XX/XX/XXXX. In XX/XX/XXXX, I was notified FedLoan servicing had a computer glitch that erased 25 payments I made from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX. I was told that they would need to manually recount and it would be done promptly.
Here it is almost 10 months later and they have yet to fix this error. I am still missing 25 payments due to THEIR computer glitch. I have provided them documentation to show FedLoan previously certified those payments and I provided them records that I was making all those payments under an income-based plan.
I have called over a dozen times and I get different information every time about the timeline and what they are actually doing with this review. This company has been derelict in its duties and I am running out of patience. I dont trust anyone that I talk to there ( in fact, one person I talked to last week said my concern about trusted advice is valid ).
I have waited 10 months for a resolution - to get these past 25 payments certified a second time. I have done my part, and this company has not.
This is urgent as I am only several payments away from completing this program.
Thank you.
XXXX XXXX XXXX
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief
2019-05-19
Bloomington, MN
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Received bad information about your loan
Complaint: I have a student loan that was consolidated in 2007, I shopped the loan to different lenders.The best quoted interest rate was 2.2 percent so I told that person I would do that loan. I was supposed to get loan documents to sign and send back, I never received any. Instead I received a payment book. So I paid on this loan with electronic payment for 11 years till last year when I received an offer to lower my student loan from the better than 7 percent interest I was being charged. I talked to AES and they told me that was the percentage rate. I have informed them that I did not sign the promissory note and that they really needed to honor the quoted rate as they did not have legal documents to secure the loan. They then sent me an incomplete promissory note with an interest rate of 7.1 percent. Of course there is no signature, my social security number, my employer at that time, the company offering the loan, my drivers license, my email. So the loan documents they provided to me are pretty much legally useless from there perspective. I would have never ever even considered consolidating at an interest rate much higher than I was paying at that time. This loan was consolidated at 7.1 percent interest without my approval or signature and the loan documents provided by AES are not legally binding. They do however illegally report it to the credit bureau which requires that the loan is legally held, and knowing this they still report it thereby committing fraud.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-18
Clarksville, MO
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: I have my student loans through " XXXX XXXX XXXX '' and two times now they have moved me into forbearance / deferment status without my approval. The first time I was in deferment for at least 6 months before I noticed. For years I was paying my bill electronically out of an account I do not pay much attention to. One day I happened to notice that my student loans stopped coming out. When I inquired about it they would not respond with a reasoning. They can not tell me why i was in deferment. However, in that time i did accrue interest and my balance only increased.
This morning I received an email ( something I did not last year when it first happened ), and this email said I was approved again for forbearance / deferment. Again, i never asked for it and they just put me in there with no explanation.
I am trying to pay down my student loans, but when this company puts me in deferment with no explanation, no reasoning, no advanced notice - I can not get out of debt. This is a scam, they are wanting me to defer so i increase the interest I owe and i extend my payoff period. I need them to stop putting me in deferment. But more importantly, this must be investigated to find out how many other people they are doing this too. Surely they are not just picking on me - but rather this is a practice they employ.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-18
Seattle, WA
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Need information about your loan balance or loan terms
Complaint: I have ask XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/2019 via email to provide me with the estimated value of my loan in 25 years when it will be forgiven. No response see was provided until XX/XX/2019, which stated that it is impossible to calculate. I gave them an average payment I make per month and the interest rate and asked them to calculate that on XX/XX/2019. No response was given until XX/XX/2019 stated it was impossible to calculate. The problem that they refuse to acknowledge is that I have a right to know the approximate value of my loan at the end of the term. I owe {$180000.00} at this point. I have paid {$26000.00} in 6 years on the loans and only {$1000.00} has gone towards principal. I have no way of getting ahead on these loans without information. They refuse to provide that. It is criminal how little of my payments have been used to cover principal and I am also complaining about this. I have called in multiple times in the past to find out if there are better programs available to me and none are given. At this point, i can only guess that I will owe over {>= $1,000,000} at this rate putting me owing an amount of taxes I will never be able to afford. I need help to figure this out because I am in financial ruin over this and will most definitely be bankrupt at the end of the term and need to figure out my options. I can't do so without an somewhat accurate idea of what my financial situation will be which is based in this loan and some sort of payment plan that doesn't have me giving tens of thousands of dollars to a government agency via a ridiculous amount of interest they charge that can not even be applied to hiring staff educated enough to answer a simple question. I have paid {$26000.00} for 1 simple question to be answered and I would like a response.
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-18
San Diego, CA
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: What school were you attending when you got the loan?
This question was posed earlier in the form but it only allows you to input one school. I pulled out loans while I was attending the following two schools : -XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX , CA ) -XXXX COLLEGE ( XXXX, MI ) Issue : I started employment at a XXXX organization ( XXXX XXXX ) on XX/XX/XXXX. This non-profit qualified for the PSLF Program. However, not all of my payments have been attributed to PSLF Program while working at the non-profit. XXXX XXXX acknowledged the error and provided two reasons why this happened : Reason 1 ) Some of her payments were not categorized as PSLF because they were overpayments, and if they are overpayments, they are disqualified as PSLF payments. Payments must be the exact amount due. Two things to fix problem.
1 ) Turned off notification that disqualifies her payment if it's an overpayment - DONE.
2 ) Request put into accounting to do an audit. Go back through all of the payments made from XX/XX/XXXX ( The XX/XX/XXXX payment will not count because she started working at XXXX XXXX after she made payment for that month ). Identify payments that were overpayments, remove the disqualification status and then marking the payment as PSLF. Case # XXXX. This will take 2-3 months. ( XX/XX/XXXX will mark 6 months from today ) Once its completed, XXXX will send letter in mail.
Reason 2 ) Not all loans at the time XXXX began employment with XXXX XXXX qualified for PSLF. It was not until they were consolidated in XX/XX/XXXX that they qualified for PSLF. This is subject to debate because XXXX previously gave XXXX the impression/verbal that all her loans did qualify for PSLF. This may have been a consolidation error.
We checked on the status of this issue on the following five dates but the phone representatives did have any additional information : XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX As of XX/XX/XXXX, we are still awaiting resolution to this issue. Details may be found in the attached XXXX XXXX Event Log. Please note there are two tabs in the spreadsheet.
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief
2019-05-18
Beaver Creek, OH
Incorrect information on your report
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Old information reappears or never goes away
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-17
Dr Martin Luther King Jr, FL
Dealing with your lender or servicer
Student loan: Federal student loan servicing
Received bad information about your loan
Company Response: Closed with explanation
2019-05-17
Sylvester, GA
Incorrect information on your report
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting
Account status incorrect
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief
2019-05-17
Durham, OR
Incorrect information on your report
Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting
Information belongs to someone else
Company Response: Closed with explanation