Consumer complaint received 2018-09-23
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC.
State: IL
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Received bad information about your loan

Complaint:
I have been on an on Income Driven repayment plan through Navient since 2013. I am not sure the excact start of IDR plan because I was in default before that. Each year since the I started the IDR plan, I have submitted a re-certification of my income for the IDR repayment plan. and each year it was approved and I continued making payments without any default. I have had to go on forbearance a few times to get my re-certification paperwork in order. Each time I went on forbearance, I asked Navient 's customer service agent if it would effect my chances at loan forgiveness through the public loan forgiveness program, since I work for a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX institution. Each time the navient costumer service agent said the forbearance would not effect my loans being forgiven. Each time I inquired about this, I would ask more questions like to do I need to fill out any more paperwork for PSLF ( forgiveness ). The Navient agents would tell me that I " didn't need to '', but if I wanted to know the amount of payments I would still need to make in the IDR plan to be forgiven under the PSLF then I could submit Public Service Forgiveness : Employment Certification Form on XXXX 's website. I put off submitting this form because I was told numerous times that as long as I qualified, which I was told by Navient agents that I did qualify for the PSLF program, that there was no need to submit now. I was told the same thing over the years when I had called XXXX. 

Recently with all the lawsuits regarding Navient in the news it had me concerned. I started to fill out the Public Service Forgiveness : Employment Certification Form and I had questions. I called a contact number on XXXX XXXX site to ask questions. The XXXX representative said they could not find me in there system. I was confused what that meant and they transferred me to another office. I was told again that they had no record of me having a Direct Consolidated loans ( subsidized or unsubsidized ). This really confused me. I told them I had been paying my loans through Navient for years with the knowledge that my loans were consolidated ( which Navient 's site says they are ). When I look on my Navient account both subsidized and unsubsidized loans state they are consolidated. When I fill out my re-certification for IDR plan it lists loans that are " DIRECT Loan Subsidized and Unsubsidized ". XXXX said I need to re-consolidate now if I wanted to to be in the PSLF program. I am afraid to do anything right now because I have been following Navient 's direction for years. In the past XXXX even told me everything looked good, but I could fill out the form if I wanted to know how many more payments I had to make but wasn't necessary at that time. In the past when I have called XXXX, I was never told that I did not have Direct Loans that were consolidated. 

This is very alarming and I would not have stayed employed at a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  institution for so long and making IDR payments for so long if I didn't qualify for the PSLF program. I am not sure what my next steps are. I am very frustrated and scared. I started looking in to class action lawsuits because this sets me back years in interest and payments on a program that I thought would help myself and my family. I am not sure what my next steps should be.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation