Consumer complaint received 2019-02-19
Company: Performant Financial Corporation
State: CO
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Private student loan
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Trouble with how payments are being handled

Complaint:
I have been making payments to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX since they purchased my college loan debt in XX/XX/XXXX. The 6 smaller loans are all owned by XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX added over {$7000.00} in collection fees to my loan when it went into default. 

Making the only payment I could afford of {$75.00} a month, the balance owed still grew from {$37000.00} on XX/XX/XXXX to {$38000.00} on XX/XX/XXXX. During this time I was not late on a payment or miss a payment. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX approached me by phone on XX/XX/XXXX as well as by mail, requesting additional financial information from me and my family members. Because I was in a current payment plan this confused me and I declined to provide this information. I agreed to a higher payment amount of {$200.00} a month on XX/XX/XXXX. I was assured that this would cover interest and fees, with about {$25.00} going toward the principal balance, bringing my account to a XXXX balance on 108 months. 

XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX I made the {$200.00} payments on time. 

Yet my balance went from {$38000.00} to {$38000.00} in those 4 months. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I called XXXX XXXX, XXXX about this discrepancy in the balance and payments. Though the statements always indicate that my payments are received, the balance fluctuates greatly. The XXXX statement balance was {$38000.00}. The XXXX statement balance was {$38000.00}. {$300.00} increase that makes no sense. 

After 50 minutes on the phone with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX manager XXXX XXXX, I was told they could not explain the discrepancy, only XXXX XXXX could and they would contact them for an itemized list of payments. I was told that they could not call me back to clarify the reason for the balance increase at all, or email me. I was told the itemized list was all they could request over and over. 

I have also noted that in the one-year period I have made payments to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX my collection costs have not been decreasing on the statements. On XX/XX/XXXX the collection costs for all six loans totalled {$7000.00}. In my XX/XX/XXXX statement the collection costs for all six loans total {$7500.00}. All those payments have not been going towards fees at all, though I was told they did. I was also told collection fees were a one-time thing, yet mine have actually increased just under {$500.00} in one year alone. 

This experience has led me to file a complaint, as I have no doubt that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and/or XXXX XXXX XXXX are breaking the law. 

I am asking that the collection fees be entirely removed from my account permanently, and that my balance be corrected to reflect each and every {$200.00} payment, showing a decrease in balance due of roughly {$25.00} a month, as I was assured it would sine the first {$200.00} payment in XX/XX/XXXX. The current balance should be about {$38000.00}. Less collection fees of {$7500.00} it should be {$30000.00} or in that neighborhood. 

I have every intention to pay this student loan debt off. I have made an honest effort to do so. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX have been deceptive and dishonest. This is theft. It should never happen. I am likely not alone in this experience.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation