Product: Student loan

In XXXX of XXXX, I contacted Navient to discuss options for repayment on my student loans, as I had recently graduated and exited their post-graduation grace period. When I received my first bill from Navient, it was far above what I was expecting as a monthly payment and I informed Navient that this was above what I was able to pay based on my income at the time. After talking to Navient representatives, I was informed that my cosigner 's income was included in the considerations for how much I would be able to pay under the income-based repayment plan that I was placed into. I discussed that my cosigner would not be assisting in making payments, and they suggested that I enter a cosigner release program in order to remove my cosigner and have subsequent payments adjusted to reflect my financial abilities as an individual signer. I asked about how this worked and was informed that, in order to qualify, I would have to make 12 consecutive on-time full principal and interest payments and would then be eligible to release my cosigner ( my grandmother ). I asked if this would qualify me for cosigner release and was lead to believe that it would. I weighed the options and decided to opt into the program so that I could relieve both myself and my grandmother. I got a second job, worked overtime, and lived in a house with multiple roommates so that I would be able to afford the heightened payments over the next year. I proceeded to make consistent payments for the following eleven months in the amounts of {$720.00} for the months of XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX of XXXX, {$720.00} in XXXX, {$720.00} in XXXX, XXXX and XXXX, {$720.00} in XXXX, {$700.00} in XXXX, and {$700.00} in XXXX. During the month of XXXX, I knew that I would soon be eligible for the cosigner release, so I called to discuss how I would continue with this process. When I called, I was informed that I was never placed into the cosigner release program upon my request, and that all of my previous payments would not count toward my qualification. Additionally, I was informed that because of the nature of my loans, I would not be eligible for cosigner release at any point, regardless of if I qualified through consistent monthly payments. This was not what I had discussed previously, and the misinformation created profound hardship for me during these times. I was unable to purchase a vehicle or make consistent payments on my credit card, which forced that account into collections and greatly impacted my credit score up until this last year, when I was finally able to rectify the account. This created profound stress for my grandmother as well, who stalled on selling her home, purchasing a vehicle, and other necessities in the hopes of having more credit opportunities following the removal of the account from her name. After receiving this information, I attempted to enter my account into a rate-reduction program, but I was informed that in order to do so, I would need to have past-due payments recorded on my account to qualify. I was advised by Navient to allow my account to enter forbearance briefly in order to qualify for the program to receive payment options that were more reasonable for my income level ( I made {$28000.00} before taxes annually at the time ). I proceeded to do so and was assessed late fees and further negative impact to my credit that still affects my ability to apply for refinancing options to this day. Additionally, despite all of the payments that I made with principal and interest, the principal on my loans has gone down a total of {$300.00} since I began making payments in XXXX, including all of the payments that my parents made on the loan while I was still attending college. I have made consistent payments throughout my time with Navient, and they still have not given me any options for reducing my interest, adjusting my cosigner terms, or qualifying for assistance of any kind to aid with the massive impact that student loan interest has had on my entire adult life. Any time that I have reached out to Navient to address these concerns, I am met with conflicting responses from various representatives, and I am continually misled or misinformed about various processes for managing my student loans. I know that I am not alone in this experience with Navient, and I am looking for options to rectify the situation as it continues to impact my ability to restructure my financial life in my best interest.