Consumer complaint received 2017-03-22
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC.
State: CA
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Non-federal student loan
Issue: Can't repay my loan
Sub-issue: Can't temporarily postpone payments

Complaint:
In late XXXX XXXX I went down to part-time in my master 's program as I was done with classes, but had n't finished my thesis. Within two weeks of this change I had a bill from Navient somewhere between $ 500- {$700.00} - I ca n't recall the actual amount. I called Navient to let them know I could n't make that payment as I was working a XXXX making only {$15.00} an hour, but could afford {$50.00} a month. They said all they could do for me was put me in forbearance for a month if I paid $ 150- {$170.00} ( again, I ca n't recall the actual amount ). I told them I did n't have that kind of money and if that 's all they could do my only option would be to simply not pay. And since they would n't work with me I did n't pay from XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX until I landed a salaried full-time job at a non-profit. 

Now that I had a better paying job, I could start paying my student loans. When I called Navient to set up a payment plan they would n't go lower than {$500.00} a month. This is a hardship for me given I work at a non-profit where my salary does not go very far, especially since I was working and living in the XXXX XXXX where the cost of living was high. Their reasoning for why they would n't low it was because I could have paid my student loans with a credit card between XXXX and XXXX. That blew my mind! Why would I pay my student loans on a credit card? That does n't make any financial or common sense. 

So fast forward a year and a half later. My credit is ruined from those four months of not paying, but I 've been paying Navient {$510.00} a month for my student loans and have never missed a payment. During that time my dog had broke his neck and I had to put $ XXXX in vet bills on high interest rate credit cards. I 've cut corners to where I spend less than {$40.00} a week on groceries and even moved 70 miles away so I could work at a different office where the cost of living was lower just so I can pay down those credit cards. I also take side jobs where I sometimes end up working 80 hours a week, but it 's not enough. I recently called Navient to see if I could suspend payments from about nine months just so I can get a handle on these high interest rate credit cards. 

I called Navient today, XXXX XXXX, XXXX at XXXX XXXX, to make this request. I was told my only option was one month of forbearance since that is all I had left. When I asked them to work with me since they would n't work with me a year ago and are the only reason my credit tanked, the manager cut me off and said very rudely, " We are n't responsible for your life choices. '' When I asked if I should have let my dog die to avoid the vet bills, he still said it was n't their fault I made poor life choices. 

I am beyond frustrated with this company and feel like they took advantage of me. I was willing to make a payment over a year and a half ago, but they would n't take it and it has had serious repercussions on my financial health, as well as my mental health.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation