GREAT LAKES

2017-12-25

Urbandale, IA

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Received bad information about your loan
Complaint: For years - seven to be exact - I have tried to resolve this issue with this loan company. I never attended the school they charged me loan money for, as I unenrolled after the first class once I realized I could not pass the health requirements to be certified as a XXXX. I did everything I was supposed to do but was told I was responsible for the loan - even though I never received the education! I was constantly called and harassed. Then they started offering deferments and at first I took one because they said I HAD to and then I stopped completely after the phone calls and emails would leave me in tears about threats of garnishments and they even went as far as to threaten to take my tax refunds but yet they never did either and just kept deferring the loans and even recorded a payment that I didnt make to restart the clock on the loan! Its for less than {$2800.00} total but they have destroyed my credit with over 90 late payments before they finally decided to send it to a collection agency with all the inaccurate information included - 6 months before it was scheduled to fall off my credit report and now something that would of fallen off my credit in XX/XX/XXXX - is reset to another 7 years - and on my credit report until XX/XX/XXXX! This is very small loan amount that I am not even repsonsible for and it costs me thousands in higher interest rates and denial of credit and they are like robots who investigate nothing and always come back with the same story - even though I never attended the school! I know they have broken FCRA laws and the only one who suffers is me! Please obtain whatever documentation you can - as Ive never gotten anything other than a email full of deferments that I never authorized and an auto pay they claim I agreed to but didnt - I was forced to give up my bank account information when the rep threatened me with a garnishment and they used it to make two unauthorized payments instead - that were returned and cost me {$33.00} each! Yet, they recorded a payment - and, thru out all of this - they DONT care I never attended the school and they should be going after the school who accepted the payments and not me - I wasnt there! I have asked to have these deleted from my credit report and they continue to provide the credit reporting with fradualent information - cause as I was told - I owe them regardless of not receiving the education because I was signed up for school and even though I knew that information they have relayed to me was false but Ive been helpless to fight it. They flat out dont care how this affects my life and I just want the bad reporting removed - it should not be on my credit report but now they resold it - and, its all the harassment all over again! Why sell a old loan - over six years old - when its set to expire and I had one customer service lady tell me they should of sold it years ago but because they kept deferring it without my consent - the loan sat with them until now. I feel like the reps must get some credit or make money for deferrals because why would such a small loan keep making the rounds and not get sent to collections until now? I even got a response back and they said they dont know why the credit companies are reporting my loan as OK and paid and then over 120 days late the next month and then OK and then 120 late again. Even the credit bureaus are confided! I need your help please to finally get this resolved - as I wish to be a homeowner and I can not - not with a payment history that they made up!! They can not validate anything but yet wont fix anything and the credit agencies dont investigate either - they just accept the misinformation without providing any documentation either. This is ruining my credit and affecting my and my childrens lives! I am scared to even attend any higher education to better myself because of this single experience over {$2800.00}! I need help!
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-25

Imboden, AR

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

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

Was not notified of investigation status or results
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-24

Cheverly, MD

Credit monitoring or identity theft protection services

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

Problem with product or service terms changing
Complaint: XXXX XXXX XXXX va for XXXX XXXX was offered to get there student loans forgiven because the lack of jobs XXXX promise is wasnt true we suffered from lack of employment and now theses loans are missing with me bettering myself with XXXX kids in my life and its not fair for me to struggle after I went to a school with broken promises and graduated on the deans list
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-23

Reeds, MO

Incorrect information on your report

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

Information belongs to someone else
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-22

IN

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Private student loan

Don't agree with the fees charged
Complaint: In efforts to have made payments on my student loans and having a degree that I can not use, I would like to petition my student loan debt. Having attempted several different times to take care of the student loan debt I incurred to obtain a degree I can not use, I am petitioning to have my student loans cancelled, forgiven, and or discharged. It is my understanding that XXXX has been under investigation for several issued and I believe that XXXX not only failed to provide proper counselling to me on the student loan debt I incurred but that they also contributed to the amount I owe by charging loans to me that I did not authorize. I am seeking relief from this debt as I have been unable to pay due to the many factors I explained above. The reason it has taken me so long to reach out for more help is my father XXXX XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX and at the age of XXXX, I no longer had a home and moved back to my home state to try and survive and as a young adult I had no idea where to turn on this matter. My aunt has now helped me do research and try to see what we can do to resolve this situation. I received grants, scholarship money and educational assistance money that was paid to me from the Department of Veteran Affairs and I paid to the school. As you see my XXXX contract it states the most my XXXX degree would be was {$46000.00} and this amount was before my grants, scholarship loans and educational access money from the Department of Veteran Affairs. When I graduated XXXX sent me a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX that I had approximately {$15000.00} in Subsidized Loans and {$24000.00} in Unsubsidized Loans with a total being {$39000.00}. It appears that loans was taken out when I did not need them and that none of my money was applied. My loans was supposed to be consolidated but yet I still get bills from multiple places and the total is over {$100000.00}. I have read many articles that XXXX would take out loans under the students names to pay the schools debt. The school is closed so I am not able to get any of my records besides the ones I have included. Your assistance and help resolving this matter will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-22

Sm, KS

Incorrect information on your report

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

Account status incorrect
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-21

Los Indios, TX

Struggling to repay your loan

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Can't temporarily delay making payments
Complaint: I am currently going through economic hardship, I am struggling to repay my student loan. I have already reached out to my student loan lender ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ). Since XXXX 2017 they have been unable to cooperate with building a repayment plan with me. However recently after many months, I have finally come to an agreement with XXXX XXXX XXXX with am income-driven repayment plan. However, this does not include my negative effects on my credit score ( payment history ). This is negatively affecting my chances dramatically of acquiring a financially stable employment status which requires a credit check from all sectors within my XXXX XXXX XXXX. In other words, I cant successfully acquire a job with my degree because it requires a credit check.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-21

Shulerville, SC

Struggling to repay your loan

Student loan: Private student loan

Problem lowering your monthly payments
Complaint: My XXXX children attended College of XXXX for one year. We took out a loan with Great Lakes this was our only option to pay for the school. Our other option was for them not to attend. We took out a loan for about {$12000.00} for each child. At the end of two years we still owed over {$12000.00}. We were paying back the loan each month and the fees, interest rate killed us. We could not get ahead on this loan. We finally took out a line of credit loan at the bank and paid off Great Lakes. We had a % 6.00 interest rate at Great Lakes. Since taking out the LOC at % 3.00 with the bank I 'm over 1/4 of the way paying it off. Not only did I pay the loan off with Great Lakes they took an extra payment and took a month to refund it. This was the only option available at the time to finance with the College of XXXX. We paid for two years with cash at XXXX XXXX College for both our children. They both got an associates and when deciding to further their education they chose College of XXXX, and we financed it thru Great Lakes. I believe Great Lakes scammed me out of money by not applying the payments to my interest while we had the loan. The loan went down by {$400.00} in two years!
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-20

City Industry, CA

Incorrect information on your report

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

Account status incorrect
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-19

Baxter Estates, NY

Incorrect information on your report

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Account status incorrect
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-19

Hamilton, NJ

Incorrect information on your report

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

Account information incorrect
Complaint: I 've back and forth with these credit reporting bureaus, and they are just abusing and violating the FTC Act. They are not verifying and account that a submitted to them. For the pass 5years I have not been able to achieve or get any promotion due to the false report of my credit files.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-18

Charlotte, NC

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: I have XXXX dollars to repay the US debt Ed I never got I call from this goverment institution saying this. I found out that i had to pay this is because I went into my email account to figure out why my credit was so low. On XXXX XXXX, 2014 this debt was applied to my credit and for so long I havnt got a call from anyone.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-16

Barboursville, WV

False statements or representation

Debt collection: Federal student loan debt

Attempted to collect wrong amount
Company Response: Company believes complaint is the result of an isolated error Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-16

Hamburg, MN

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: I applied for the XXXX XXXX XXXX program. I sent in the application after working at XXXX XXXX XXXX for 5 years as a highly qualified full-time XXXX XXXX for XXXX XXXX XXXX. In section two of the application, I marked that I XXXX at an eligible XXXX XXXX then below that it says to check all that apply so I checked the box that says that I was a highly qualified full-time XXXX XXXX for XXXX XXXX XXXX with a forgiveness amount of up to {$17000.00}. Then I also checked the box below that because it also applied to me since being a XXXX XXXX I am also considers a full-time XXXX XXXX XXXX with a forgiveness amount of {$5000.00}. When I got the letter back from the loan service that said my application was accepted in XX/XX/XXXX2017, they only forgave {$5000.00} when it should have been {$17000.00} since I am a full time XXXX XXXX. So when I called about this I got many different messages, some people sent me to other places when later I found out that they do all of the paperwork and accepting in house. Then one person told me since I checked the second box they are required to only forgive me the lowest amount. Then I had to have my XXXX send in a letter on district letterhead that said I was a full time XXXX XXXX for those years. This is not necessary and they are making me jump through hoops that I should not need to jump through since I followed the instructions on the application form.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-16

Cheyenne Wells, CO

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: My loan servicer is the problem. Not the school. The loan servicer is Great Lakes the website is greatlakes.org. I choose the 25 year repayment plan. Every time I make an additional payment during the month they keep it and call it " money paid ahead '' they are not applying my extra money to the principal like I choose two years ago. The company wants me to pay {$90000.00} back over 25 years and not apply my extra money to the principal. Today I had XXXX of money paid ahead, now I do not see that. I want a reciept of which loan they applied the XXXX dollars too. The websit and contracting papers, state that if I put an excess payment on my account they can keep it for whatever reason and apply however they want, it also states that they can apply excess money to the principal. I recently paid two payments and they added it to my amount paid ahead rather than apply the payment to principal. Can you all help me?
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-14

Grosse Ile, MI

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Private student loan

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: I have been paying on a roughly {$7000.00} loan for approx. 6 years ( XX/XX/XXXX/XX/XX/XXXX ) Over HALF of my money has gone to only interest! My bill is still almost $ 5,000- after 6 YEARS!!! Not only that, XXXX XXXX XXXX has n't sent me paper bills or anything via mail in MULTIPLE years until just last month ( XX/XX/XXXX ) I find this extremely suspicious. The employees offer absolutely no support. They never requested ANY information updates regarding name change or email/address change. They have over 100 complaints online about accounts being mishandled and overcharged. I never received any actual information from this company regarding the loan when it originated.This is extremely unsettling. No way should half of the money be towards interest only. How is anyone supposed to get ahead in life with rotten set ups such as this.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-14

Palmyra, MI

Incorrect information on your report

Student loan: Private student loan

Account information incorrect
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-14

Mission Viejo, CA

Written notification about debt

Debt collection: Federal student loan debt

Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-13

Berthoud, CO

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Problem with customer service
Complaint: I have been continually harassed by Great Lakes since XXXX XXXX. At first I was being harassed on the phone ( a business phone ) during business hours which I had requested not happen, regarding a loan repayment plan and then about in-school deferment. Calls needed to be for emergencies only. After several phone conversations, my number was finally removed from the system so that I would not receive harassing phone calls during business hours. Now, I get threatening emails because I do n't have a phone number on file. There does not seem to be a solution. I do n't have a personal phone number because it truly is n't affordable or a priority, I have internet and that covers everything I need.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-13

Mem, TN

Incorrect information on your report

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

Information belongs to someone else
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-12

Brooklyn, NY

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Private student loan

Received bad information about your loan
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-12

Jurupa Valley, CA

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: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-12

Rome, NY

Written notification about debt

Debt collection: Private student loan debt

Notification didn't disclose it was an attempt to collect a debt
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-11

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Received bad information about your loan
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2017-12-11

Saint Clair, MO

Dealing with your lender or servicer

Student loan: Federal student loan servicing

Trouble with how payments are being handled
Complaint: My husband 's student loan was sold to Great Lakes in XX/XX/XXXX. They stopped sending us paper bills and when we missed a payment, would then send us threatening notifications of our negligence. Once I received a paper bill ( after 2 requests for one ), I promptly paid it. A few days later, I received a threatening letter in the mail stating due to my negligence, my credit could potentially be harmed as I had not paid my bill. I promptly called on XX/XX/XXXX and spoke with XXXX who said my payment was processed, then returned. He was not able to tell me why the payment was accepted, processed, then rejected. He suspected the address of the payee was changed ( unknown to me ) recently and this may be causing the issue. XXXX said he would look into this further and would get back with me within 3-5 business days. 2 weeks later, I had not heard from him so I called Great Lakes again. This time ( XX/XX/XXXX ) I spoke with a supervisor named XXXX. By this time I had received another bill, adding a {$9.00} late fee to my balance due. XXXX claimed that due to my error or my bank 's error, the payment was sent to an address in XXXX ( which she claimed was the DOE ). Here, she said the DOE attempted to figure out which loan vendor I was trying to pay but could not and sent the payment back. I questioned her as to why the payment would then show as initially credited on my husband 's account if they could not determine who I was trying to pay. I assured her I manually entered the address for payment as it appeared on my statement. I asked for a guarantee my payments would be properly credited moving forward and to reverse the late fee. She refused so I ended the call and contacted my bank, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. There, I spoke with a woman named XXXX who said there was never an XXXX address on my account and indicated the payment was made in a purely electronic manner, eliminating the need for a physical address. On XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke with my bank again, who assisted me in phoning Great Lakes. This time we spoke with XXXX, who identified himself as an account manager. After XXXX ( my banking representative ) described to him the error code, and electronic payment mode, he continued to argue with her and state it was mailed to a physical address in XXXX. He stated he was not sure why XXXX and XXXX responded the way they did on the initial calls. He stated he was going to " email them '' ( I am not sure who at this point ) to figure out the problem. Repeatedly, XXXX and I asked what we could do to make sure future payments would be processed correctly ( we double checked the account number and address, which XXXX said were correct ). XXXX was not able to tell us how to proceed. I asked XXXX to have this issue resolved, I would need to know my future payments would be credited properly and I would need the late fee reversed as this has been proven multiple times not to be my fault. He replied he can not do those things at this point and has guaranteed a call back today. I asked him his suggestion on next steps if he fails to call me back, like XXXX had and he again assured me he will call me back today. Regardless of the outcome I am certain I am not the only person who has had issues with fraudulent documentation by this company. I hope you are able to investigate them. I can be reached at XXXX and XXXX.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law Closed with explanation

Timely Response