Consumer complaint received 2021-07-13
Company: Nelnet, Inc.
State: NY
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Federal student loan debt
Issue: Threatened to contact someone or share information improperly
Sub-issue: Talked to a third-party about your debt

Complaint:
I think they sold my private information to quick cash lenders. 
Horrible and cruel customer service/management Lack of Communication Unfortunately, the prompts before this didn't quite explain my situation. I had just found out that my loans had defaulted and been with XXXX XXXX XXXX ( under XXXX ) for a while. I was looking to get back into school to finish my XXXX  and begin my XXXX XXXX to, in part, pay back that student loan debt. It wasn't until a bunch of phone calls when my financial aid was blocked that I even knew this company ( evidently in the midst of a pending lawsuit for harmful business practices XXXX was to collect my debt at all. So, there's one complaint right there.

Now, I reached out to them on Thursday, the XXXX  of XX/XX/2021 to discuss my options since I would like to get back into school. Their first suggestion? Ask your parents and your friends for money. That is just a cold and cruel request that they know is entirely realistic and they might as well have called me a XXXX XXXX. Next, they offered the long term repayment plan that seems to be the one that they are being sued for. They offered a quick robo call type explainer on it and I was informed I could ask any questions I had about it. Well, it was a ton of information. I wouldn't even had known where to begin as far as questions go. Felt like a scam to me if I am being entirely honest. And turns out, based on other complaints, it was for many other people. 

I decided to consider my options and hung up the phone. 3 business days later, on Monday the XXXX of XXXXXXXX XXXX I got something in the mail I had not seen in years ; A letter for a quick cash loan offer from XXXX XXXX XXXX At first I thought nothing of it, but then I considered my situation. How odd is it that I have this conversation just three business days earlier and suddenly, out of nowhere, I am now beginning to get these types of letters again for the first time in years. 

So I called them again today Tuesday the XXXX of XX/XX/2021 to find out what other businesses they might have communications or affiliations with. As you might imagine, it was mostly useless and kept being passed on to the next person. Eventually, I got on the call with a manager at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX named XXXX XXXX. He consistently walked around my questions, opting to just say over and over again that they communicate back and forth with the government. Eventually though, he mentioned that XXXX has communications and affiliation with all sorts of companies. 
The entire time, he was very cold. When I asked about the lawsuit, his response was that it was just people who didn't want to pay back their loans taking advantage of the system. 

After the advice and cruel nature of their management and business practices, I do not trust for a second that they are not selling our information to people in an attempt to make money during a time that I am certain they are absolutely hemorrhaging financially. I'm now wondering if this has happened to other people.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation