Consumer complaint received 2022-03-17
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC.
State: TX
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Private student loan
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Received bad information about your loan

Complaint:
To Navient, Representative, Supervisors, Agents, Assigns, I lost my job in XX/XX/XXXX XXXX contacted you about my options You told me no option for direct consolidation You told me just deferment, forbearance, etc. 

I contacted you again in XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX I specifically asked you about consolidating my student loans back to Federal Loans ( instead of the current Private Loans ) You specifically told me that this option was not available to me because of the type of loans that I have You told me just deferment, forbearance, etc. 

I contacted you again in XX/XX/XXXX to finalize yet another deferment/forbearance request/application ( or any another form to postpone payment ) I once again asked about consolidating my loans to Federal Loans, options to lower my very high interest rate, and following the elections results, I also asked you about the future opportunity to have any portion of my loans forgiven ( {$10000.00} and up to {$50000.00} ) via a Future Executive Order or an Act of Congress. 
You once again insisted that my only option was just deferment, forbearance, etc. 
You also insisted that the interest rate could not be changed unless I refinance using private financial institution You also insisted that I could NOT Consolidate back to the Federal Loan Program Further, you also stated that I would NOT be eligible for any Loan Forgiveness Opportunities in the future should they exist via an Executive Order or via an Act of Congress.

Following the Events of the Pandemic and the ensuing Executive Order halting student loans repayments, waiving interest, and allowing the skip of payment without penalty or interest, and allowing for non-payment without counting towards maximum deferment or XXXX, IN XXXX OF XXXX, I was told that I don't qualify because my loans are PRIVATE Loans and are NOT FEDERAL Loans. I specifically asked you what can I do to qualify for these favorable treatment regarding interest and for the hopes and future opportunity to have XXXX XXXXXXXX and up to $ 50K of the loans forgiven, and you again told me that these options do not apply to the types of loans that I have and that I could not take advantage of any such opportunities. 

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN XXXX OF XXXX, I contacted you and I VERY VERY VERY Specifically AND Unequivocally asked about converting, transferring, or refinancing options to convert/ consolidate my student loans to a FEDERAL Student Loan under the Department of Education and I was told that this was not an available option for me and that I do NOT qualify for this type of conversion from PRIVATE to FEDERAL. 

I repeat that during this call, I asked you about the possibility of re-financing to lower the interest rate. I also VERY VERY VERY SSPECIFICALLY asked you about consolidating and converting my Private Loans back to a Federal Loan Program under the Department of Education. You reiterated that I did not qualify and that this option was NOT available to me. 

I contacted you again in XXXX of XXXX and yet again in XX/XX/XXXX explaining that other " friends '' and " acquaintances '' and fellow borrowers that I HAVE SPOKEN TO who TOLD ME that the actually DID CONSOLIDATE AND CONVERT their PRIVATE LOANS to FEDERAL LOAN Status through some type of conversion, refinancing, or consolidation back to Federal Loan Status. I also pointed out to you that these borrowers are NO LONGER ACCRUING INTEREST on their loans and that they were told that if in the future there was an opportunity for a loan forgiveness via an Executive Order or through and Act of Congress that they WOULD indeed be eligible for this forgiveness. I again asked and begged on how I COULD DO THE SAME. 

I also ONCE AGAIN begged for information on how to possibly take advantage of the opportunity to have {$10000.00} or even up to {$50000.00} FORGIVEN should the opportunity become available because of election results and the proposed Executive Order that was very urgent at that time. I also once again continued to ask and beg that you tell me how to stop the interest from continuing to accrue on my current loans and you once again told me that I do not qualify to consolidate and convert my existing loans to a Federal Loan and that all these options were not available for a Private Loan. Partially true but you once again kept denying that I had that option to Consolidate. My pleading with you was my repeated calls for any and all available options to stop interest accrual and to take advantage or any future opportunity to have any portion of my loans forgiven via a Presidential Executive Order or through an Act of Congress. 

You sought to re-start my payments in XXXX. I once again applied to defer repayment as I was STILL UNEMPLOYED. 

WHILE I WAS IN TEARS, I also ASKED YOU AND BEGGED AND PLEADED WITH YOU on how to reduce the interest rate on my current student loans from 5.125 % when the fact was that the current Interest Rate ( MONEY MARKET rates ) were near zero.

I ALSO once again asked YOU how I may STOP the interest accrual on my student loans knowing that everyone else had NO INTEREST ACCRUAL EFFECT on their pay off balance because they were not accruing interest because of the EXISTING Executive Order in Effect at that time. These were my friends and acquaintances that told me that they were NOT accruing interest on their existing Student Loans. 

At this time, I had been UNEMPLOYED for almost TWO YEARS. I WAS IN TEARS and HOPELESS and LOOKING FOR HELP, FOR YOUR GUIDANCE AND FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE. 

You told me once again that I did not qualify because my loans were not Federal but rather Private.

I asked yet again as to how would it be possible to consolidate and convert my loans to a Federal Loan. You told me that was not possible. Just as you did in the past, you then SPECIFICALLY told me that I could convert from Federal to Private but NOT the other way around from Private to Federal. 

You also added that Once you Convert to Private, you loose all the benefits of any Federal Student Loan Benefits that may exist or be available in the future. 

You then AFFIRMED to me during this call ( through 3 of your representatives/supervisors ) that because I had private loans that I did not qualify for Waiver of Interest and FURTHER that I could NOT consolidate and convert back to FEDERAL STUDENT LOANS. 

You then referred me to a couple of PRIVATE Groups ( AND to search online ) to attempt to refinance my Student Loans with hopes to lower my interest rate. I diligently contacted all the parties that I was able to find contact information for. NONE OF THEM would re-finance my Student Loans without my being employed and having an income. These PRIVATE Companies did not offer any option of Consolidating my Loans BACK to the Federal Loan Program ; they simply referred me to YOU to try and work things out and see what my options were WITH YOU. 

I contacted you again in XXXX and yet again in XX/XX/XXXX as the political chatter was high to forgive {$10000.00} and up to {$50000.00} in student loan debt. At the time, the RENEWAL and CONTINUATION of the WAIVER of Interest Accruals on Federal Student Loans was just renewed and took effect. 
I once again asked and asked you and begged and pleaded withy you ( I WAS IN TEARS ). I even asked to speak to supervisors on 3 of my 5 calls during that period of less than one month. The answer you gave me was exactly the same ( summarized as follows ) : I signed Loan Documents that are legally binding and I am committed to these PRIVATE Loans that I must pay back or re-qualify for deferment/forbearance when this period expired. 
You further affirmed that I could NOT consolidate / convert my loans back to the FEDERAL LOAN Status under the Department of Education and that ONCE they are converted from FEDERAL to PRIVATE, that they could NOT be converted BACK TO FEDERAL. 
You further affirmed that I was NOT eligible for the existing interest waiver ( through the current Executive Order ) You ALSO affirmed that I would NOT be eligible for any DEBT FORGIVNESS of {$10000.00} - {$50000.00} should this opportunity ever be available in the future. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted as many as FIVE ( 5 ) Financial Institutions and THREE ( 3 ) Student Loan SERVICERS ( YOUR COMPETITORS ) asking them for HELP and any options and opportunities that they could provide for me to take advantage of the ONGOING PAUSE / WAIVER OF INTEREST and the possibility of DEBT FORGIVNESS ( $ 10K - $ 50K ) should it ever be available in the future. 

I was VERY CLEARLY TOLD by YOUR competitors that I could EASILY CONSOLIDATE AND CONVERT my student loans from the PRIVATE Institution to the FEDERAL LOAN Program under the Department of Education and I COULD AUTOMATICALL THEN PAUSE and WAIVE ALL interest accruals on my Student Loan Debt. Additionally, should the opportunity present itself in the future, I WOULD ALSO BE ELIGIBLE for any future LOAN FORGIVNESS ACTIONS ( $ 10K - $ 50K ) via Executive Orders or via Congress! 

I contacted you back again in XXXX of XXXX and explained to your THREE Different Customer Service ( Disservice ) Representatives of YOURS that these options were indeed available to me JUST AS THEY ARE AVAIABLE TO OTHERS similarly situated to me. I explained that I have contacted your COMPETITORS and that this opportunity and process was explained to me but that I HAVE to first contact you regarding the impending expiration of deferment and that I could begin the process of consolidation at the same time. 

After your SECOND call transfer, I finally spoke to a THIRD person who was compassionately human, who had a heart, and who sympathetically and compassionately CONFIRMED that I do INDEED have that right and have that option to CONSOLIDATE and CONVERT my Student Loans BACK to the Federal Program under the Department of Education via consolidation. She apologized for my past hardships of being unable to get this accomplished and she empathetically wished me well in this process that could take up to 30 days. 

Subsequently, I immediately applied for the Loan Consolidation that was processed, approved and completed. They PRIVATE Student Loans serviced by Navient were FINALLY paid off and a NEW Consolidated Loan was created under the Federal Student Loan umbrella via the Department of Education. 

To Navient, its employees, representatives, agents and all associates, I am at a loss for words for what YOU have put me through since XX/XX/XXXX. 

It is UNCONSIONABLE that I called you and spend over FORTY THREE ( 43 ) HOURS ( in just the past 2 years and more from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX ) on the phone with you. It is inhumane to have me beg you and plea with you for help and answers and opportunities and yet you did nothing other than LIE and DECEIVE me into thinking that I had no options. You continued your willful and intentional deceit and continued to provide me with the false information to my detriment. All that you were interested in was to keeping the loans with you so that you could continue to service them and collect your fees. 

You have deprived me of my right and the opportunity to consolidate my Private Loans into Federal Student Loans for almost THREE ( 3 ) YEARS. During this time, I have watched my loan balance BALOON when it should have been static with NO ADDITIONAL INTEREST ACCRUALS. In the process, you ADDED and cost me THOUSANDS ( 1000s ) of dollars in interest rate accruals that I could have avoided had I was given the HONEST ANSWERS AND THE EXPLANATION on HOW to effectuate the consolidation and conversion process. 

EVEN THOUGH I, on countless occasions over this three year period, ASKED FOR OPPORTUNITY AND INQUIRED INTO THE INTRICACY AND THE PROCESS OF HOW TO DO IT, YOU WILLFULLY AND FRAUDULENTLY DECEIVED ME INTO KEEPING MY PRIVATE LOANS WITH YOU. You willfully and deceptively lied to me and told me that I do NOT qualify and that the option was NOT available to me and that I do NOT qualify. 

Well, this was possible all along. I just got it completed and accomplished and finalized. 

Your lies, deceit, AND fraud on their face have cost me $ 1000s of dollars in accrued interest payments that should not have accrued. These interest accruals should have stopped back in XXXX following the FIRST Presidential Executive Order to STOP Student Loans Interest Payment Accruals. I should have been ENLIGHTENED, EDUCATED, and GIVEN that opportunity to Convert and Transfer my Loans BACK to the Federal Program under the Department of Education even if had not been asking you! But I asked you and begged you and pleaded with your for almost three years and urgently so since the start of the pandemic and even more urgently so following that FIRST Executive Order that halted interest accrual on Federal Student Loans. My Private Loans SHOULD HAVE LONG BEEN UNDER THE FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION UMBREALLA FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS AND YOU FRAUDULENTLY DECEIVED ME AND PREVENTED ME FOR BEING UNDER THAT UMBRELLA. 

I hereby submit this formal written request as a complaint to you for now. I also am looking at my options to further submit this complaint to other federal and state entities as a means to let the correct protection agencies SEE and UNDERSTAND how you treated me and to hopefully protect others like me from your deceptive, fraudulent, and unethical practices. 

Further, I hereby submit this written request TO YOU for RESTITUTION of all my accrued interest payments since the very first Presidential Executive Order that directed the Waiver of Student Loan INTEREST Payments. 

Please re-calculate my student loans principle and interest accruals accordingly and please submit a PAYMENT OR CREDIT to REDUCE my Current Outstanding FEDERAL Student Loan Total Outstanding Balance. If you wish for me to perform such calculation for the amount of accrued interest, I will have my personal banker ( and friend ) assist me but I would prefer that you do it and I wish to have an actual document from YOU showing the REVISED Payment Schedule that reflects the CORRECTED TOTAL OUTSTANDING BALLANCE. I would need that statement for my records for legal, tax and any other purposes in the future.

I am demanding a response from you and resolution within 10 business days from this writing.

Further, I am demanding a restitution and repayment ( or credit ) for the interest accrual amount no later than the end of 30 calendar days from today 's date, XX/XX/XXXX. 

Should you have any questions or should you require any additional information, please let me know. 

Thank You

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation