Consumer complaint received 2018-07-06
Company: GREAT LAKES
State: MD
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Don't agree with the fees charged

Complaint:
Beginning, I have very few dates to include because I am having difficulty getting responses from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. They did not initially hold my guaranteed Federal Student Loan from  XXXX. Yes, this is a case that old but problems did not start until Great Lakes took over and I lost my job. In XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke to Great Lakes about getting out of default which I had been in due to divorce and then I lost my job and was on unemployment. I asked to receive information regarding various plans and plans based on income. In XX/XX/XXXX I was sent a bill of $ 300.00+ dollars for a plan I didn't agree to be in. I called them and explained I didn't agree to this and wouldn't because of being a single mother and how I couldn't afford that much anyway. They stated I agreed to this and I was enrolled and I was required to pay it. I still objected, couldn't pay it and I was charged a huge fee on my account. I already was disputing how much I owed, which was approx {$25000.00}. I have been fighting with this company since then. After a year, they started to garnish my wages after I got a new job even though they never provided full invoices of my account, fees and offer a program I could afford. They also never spoke about loan forgiveness, even though I am a teacher. In XXXX, I left the job I was in, all while they were taking what they could from wage garnishment, and switched jobs. This year, in XXXX, I receive a call from a debt collector stating that the company was collecting on a now $ 57,000.00+ loan that I have not received any information on since XXXX. In that year, in XXXX, I found the Obudsman Group of the Dept of Ed and asked for their assistance in getting a copy of my account with ALL fees and how it had grown so large. It had grown a great deal even within a year. I explained what I needed and when the group got involved, I still could not get the company to provide me with any statements. All I got was a record of payments. I did not ask for that. I specifically told the Group and Great Lakes I wanted an accounting of my account and all fees. I never got that. Now this year, after speaking to a debt collection agency, I asked for that information again. I was then also told in XXXX of this year my wages were going to be garnished. I stated I was not notified. I was told a letter was sent to me in XXXX. They told me they sent a letter to XXXX. I live and work in XXXX. The company knows that. The last address they have for me from XXXX is XXXX. I have not lived in XXXX for 18 years. They knew where I worked because they contacted them. I was not provided the opportunity to even ask for a hearing for this garnishment because I am told, of course, after the 30 day window has passed for a hearing request, that this garnishment is going through. So, in XXXX again, I called Dept of Ed, the Obudsman Group and asked for same account information, and also what I do because this company fraudulently was going to garnish my wages. They recommended I call the company. I did try and call the debt collector and they argued they could go through with the garnishment. It's obvious I will never get anywhere fighting this big company. So the garnishment has started and I called the Group again. I just want to know how I can call this company on fraud and collecting money for being fraudulent and why I can't even get a statement of my account with all fees which I have been trying to do for over 4 years. And being placed in a program I didn't agree to and then having them charge fees. 
I know Great Lakes has been sued and that they are known for fraudulent fees placed on student loans. I would love to get out of default and even be in loan forgiveness program because I am in one of those careers, but I won't allow the US Govt to forgive a fraudulent loan amount. My bill has gone from {$25000.00} to now {$57000.00}. And {$7000.00} has been added in the past year and I haven't even been fined with anything that they have told me about. This company is ridiculous. I need to know how to fight them. Please tell me. Again, there is no documentation first because anything before XXXX, has been lost due to unforseen reasons, and second I have not received anything from this company since XXXX XXXX.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation