Consumer complaint received 2018-12-13
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: TX
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
I went on XXXX XXXX XXXX after I was notified of my first payment being due after a 1 year forbearance period from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. I filled out the questionnaire online and was instructed to mail in my financial information in order to be approved for the repayment and/or renewed forbearance program. On XX/XX/XXXX, I mailed the attached income information but never received anything saying I needed to submit more information. 


I assumed the payments were deferred. In XX/XX/XXXX, I checked my credit reporting and noticed they were marking my credit payment for both my student loans as 30, 60, 90, and 120+ days late. I went back onto the website and there were no personal letters to me specifying what I sent was not correct but only formal & generic ones in my email account. None of them mentioned receiving my information or status update for my questionnaire and financial submission. I refiled another request for forbearance and it was immediately accepted online without any additional paperwork needing to be mailed necessary. 

As of XX/XX/XXXX, I noticed the federal loan servicing   company allowed for the forbearance to be backdated to XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX and changed the payment status for XXXX, XXXX and XXXX payments as part of the forbearance program but still marked me late for payments due in XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. The first week of XX/XX/XXXX, I called into their customer service # and the lady said that it should show that there were no payments that were late because I was in forbearance and the fact that no payments are due during the period, they shouldn't be marked as late. She said she would mail me a letter stating that the loan was current with no late payments in XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX because it was the same situation. I then received a very generic letter. Please see attached as well. 

I called into customer service on XX/XX/XXXX and talked to a lady with ID # XXXX and XXXX with ID # XXXX. They instructed that they would mail be the forbearance letter stating that no payments were due from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, but they're going to continue informing the credit bureaus that I had late payments in XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX even though forbearance doesn't require payments during that time. 

While I understand, " TheFair Credit ReportingAct ( FCRA ) is a federal law that regulatescredit reportingagencies and compels them to insure the information they gather and distribute is afairand accurate summary of a consumer'scredithistory. ... The law is intended to protect consumers from misinformation being used against them ''. The fact that I had already submitted my financial information and filled out the questionnaire in XX/XX/XXXX, as soon as I checked back into the loan after being notified by the credit bureaus of past due payments and saw there was negative reporting, I applied again and qualified for the program which I should've already been approved for in XX/XX/XXXX. 

They've already deleted their reporting of the " 3 missed payments '' in XXXX, XXXX and XXXX I feel continuing to report XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX & XXXX missed payments is unfair reporting to the credit bureaus due to miscommunication on their part and poor instructions on their website during my application process in XX/XX/XXXX. My intention was not to miss or neglect my payments or responsibility for this loan from the get go and am saddened that the programs are placed by the government so that to help consumers repay the government loans that do not ever go away but do it successfully and more efficiently with their help. I need the 4 payments between the 2 loans to  show as O ( see attached report ) on my report instead of reporting negative missed payments so I may be approved for other financial opportunities which will only better my repayment qualifications sooner rather than later : (

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation