Consumer complaint received 2023-11-14
Company: Maximus Education, LLC dba Aidvantage
State: MO
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan
Sub-issue: Problem with your payment plan

Complaint:
My first XXXX attempts to contact Aidvantage on different days, I was in queue for XXXX hour each during working hours and had to hand up. ON my third attempt, a week later I was waiting XXXX mins when I got an answer ( XX/XX/XXXX ). I explained I had XXXX issues XXXX that my XXXX interest for being on the save plan had not been removed. this was at least 10 days after my payment. and my second issue was that I was charged interest for XXXX that had not been removed and my XXXX payment had been listed as {$0.00}. The rep explained that my payment for my total account was higher than the interest for my total account so I would not be getting the additional interest on my low XXXX covered by the XXXX XXXX. I confirmed they had notice of my being on the XXXX plan and they advised me to make a higher payment to deal with the interest and that since I had not made a payment in XXXX, I would have to pay that interest as well. I advised that the student aid side said per loan and not per account so my interest would be covered and that since payments where not to start until XXXX as per government order. then they could not require a payment form me in XXXX and that they listed my payment as {$0.00} which would qualify for interest forgiveness under the XXXX plan. The rep was kind but was only able to repeat the same corporate speech back about it not qualifying and that my total payment was higher than my total interest so any interest would remain. I again said the student gov site says the purpose for the XXXX XXXX  is that the balance does not grow over time and that because of the XXXX interest on that loan and the XXXX interest my account balance would if fact continue to grow. I asked for a supervisor. The rep had a tough time getting a supervisor and at least XXXX of them advised she explain the same thing I had been hearing. back and it took over XXXX minutes to get a supervisor on the phone. I re explained that they never told me I had to make a payment to qualify and that they listed my payments {$0.00} but was again told I had to have made the payment I did not know about and that my payment was higher than the total account interest. I advised that I was also on Auto pay and that I graduated during the pandemic so this was my first payment so if I was required to pay it should have been auto drafted. The solution they produced to get my off the phone as I was very frustrated at this point was that it would take the next month 's payment to see the first month 's interest removed and that they would ask the leadership as to if the XXXX interest should be removed do to {$0.00} payment. It has been a week and I have not received a call back and do to having a job in order to afford student loan payments I am unable to continue to wait an hour + to try to get through on the phone just to have an additional hour + conversation about it that is only available during working hours.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation