Consumer complaint received 2019-01-19
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC.
State: VA
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Received bad information about your loan

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX, Navient took over my student loans from XXXX. I am a XXXX XXXX XXXX in Virginia and I've been teaching since XXXX in mostly XXXX XXXX schools. My XXXX 's loans were managed via XXXX and I repaid them in full. I took out a loan for my XXXX XXXX XXXX because, at that time, Virginia was claiming they intended to replace all XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX who had no XXXX XXXX XXXX with XXXX who did possess a degree. I completed my XXXX XXXX XXXX online through the University of XXXX. One of the loans tied to this degree is a Stafford subsidized and the other is Stafford unsubsidized. XXXX was the servicer until the date noted above. I requested, in writing, that XXXX keep my loan because I'd paid off the previous set of loans to XXXX in full. I'm not a deviant or irresponsible loan borrower and I knew Navient was already being sued for mismanaging student loans. In XX/XX/XXXX, I paid my monthly installment at Navient 's website. I proceeded to review their different repayment plans. There was no way to see what the new repayment installments or length of repayment times would be without completing an application. Nowhere on the website or application did Navient state that filling out an application was a binding contract to a new repayment plan ; if it had stated this, I would never have applied! I thought and still believe, based on the information provided, that I was simply applying for a potential new plan just like I'd apply to see what type of mortgage I might qualify for. After I filled out this application, I received an email link to a document stating I was now bound to this new repayment plan. I called Navient to discuss this but nobody seemed to be able to explain how an application became a binding contract. A supervisor named XXXX, ID number XXXX, came on the line and confirmed that Navient did not disclose the terms of completing an application. I've reported Navient to the XXXX   several times. I've received letters from two different 'consumer advocates ' relative to my complaints. The most recent letter stated that I was correct -- -Navient did NOT disclose the terms of this application and the supervisor on the call did confirm that ; however, the 'advocate ' did not offer a resolution that would allow me to return to the previous plan. The new plan will extend the length of my loan and I will be paying more in the long run, which was not what I was trying to do when I applied. I wanted to see if a different repayment plan would be a more financially affordable option than the one I was previously using. All Navient has offered is to redo my plan again on their terms, which would continue to lengthen the life of the loan and cost more money for me. I will gladly forward or share the communications from Navient if needed as well as the XXXX   complaint numbers. Navient is preying upon people like myself who are middle class citizens in careers such as public education and have student loans equating to a mountain of debt. I've already paid back more than half of what I originally borrowed for the XXXX XXXX XXXX and because Navient ( and XXXX, for that matter ) never contacted me about the status of the loans relative to Public Service Forgiveness, I did not realize I have the 'wrong ' kind of loans to even apply for it. I've been paying on this loan set for 8 years and was on track to have the balance forgiven in XX/XX/XXXX but now, thanks to Navient 's dishonest and predatory activities, I'll be unable to apply for forgiveness and I'm bound into a repayment plan that is not financially what is best for me.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation