Consumer complaint received 2023-09-19
Company: Nelnet, Inc.
State: NC
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Trouble with how payments are being handled

Complaint:
Nelnet is the student load servicer I am writing you about. 

New student loan repayment plan SAVE has been made available and I applied for it on XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  via studentaid.gov. I was approved for it, with monthly payment of around {$45.00}. My information was transferred form studentaid.gov to Nelnet. Nelnet has requested our ( and of my spouse ) income information for years XXXX. I submitted all this information on XX/XX/XXXX. Needless to say, all this information was already pulled into studentaid.gov via previous tax returns, and was redundant, yet we summitted this information. 

I was just informed that they have reviewed my submissions and me a bill due XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  in amount of around {$450.00} - 10 times of the calculated on studentaid.gov. 

They have not placed me under SAVE plan, as I have requested, instead Nelnet website shows an obscure " Income-Based Repayment ''. 

Moreover, they have already charged me interest of around {$150.00}, and I see this amount added to my total student loan. The student loan payment have not started yet, yet interest is already being added, and the whole point of me applying to SAVE plan was to stop interest from being accrued. 

The company has no way to communicate with them in writing via my account. I am able to send an email, and call them, however call wait times are hours and emails are not tied directly to my account. 

XXXX. The student loan provider should not take a month to process my request to switch to SAVE plan. 
XXXX. The student loan provider should switch me to SAVE plan and if not explain why not, instead of what is happening now - no communication. 
XXXX. I should not accrue interest, while they take months to process my request. 
4. Communication is lacking, web interface does not explain what is the status of my accounts and under which repayment plans my accounts are, only says ( Income based repayment ). Should say PAYE/REPAYE/SAVE instead... 
XXXX. I shouldn't sit on a phone for hours waiting for customer support. I should have a way to communicate with the service provider via my direct account. 
XXXX. I have submitted all tax information to studentaid.gov via IRS, there is no reason NELNET should hassle me for REDUNDANT income information for XXXX ( which I did promptly provide ). 
XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I have received an email stating that my account was put on administrative forbearance, 3 days later later I received an email stating that payment is due XXXX, XXXX the amount of what studentaid.gov approved and processed me for. 
XXXX. The behavior Nelnet is exhibiting to me appears criminal. They are delaying and misprocessing the applications, charging interest, where they should not and have no direct means of communicating with them, while obfuscating information that should be readily available. 
In previous many years my student load provider was Great lakes, I have never experienced anything like this. This is unacceptable, I feel I am being scammed.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation