Consumer complaint received 2017-12-29
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC.
State: NH
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Trouble with how payments are being handled

Complaint:
I was making regular monthly payments on my schools loans until XXXX when my husband lost his job of 32 years and we were forced into a XXXX XXXX bankruptcy to save our home. I was in a forbearance on my school loans for the 5 years I was in the bankruptcy. I was unable to access my account online and CS would not speak to me about my account during this time. The bankruptcy was dissolved in XXXX XXXX. I never received any statements from Navient. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX I receive an email stating that I was severely delinquent on my account. They were demanding over {$600.00} from me to be current. I called right away ... XXXX/XXXX/XXXX to discuss that this was the first notification I ever received from their company. The customer service rep insisted that they have been sending me numerous emails and they must have gone to my spam mail. However, I seem to be getting their numerous emails now. She also insisted that I demanded my statements through email, which I have never requested with this company. Most of my dealings were with XXXX XXXX. I never set up an account with Navient until XXXX/XXXX/XXXX when I received their email. Before the bankruptcy I received a paper statement in the mail every month. I explained to the CS rep that I lost my husband unexpectedly on XXXX XXXX, XXXX of this year and was left with no life insurance policy and my home is in the middle of foreclosure. I have been forced to find a place to rent and there was no way I can pay what they claim is my late charges and I can not afford the {$220.00} a month they expect as my monthly payments. Before the bankruptcy I was paying {$55.00} a month and I am not sure why it is so much now. She did explain that I could complete an application for an Income Driven Repayment plan and is sending me that in the mail. In the mean time she told me that she would put my loan in forbearance eliminating the past due amounts and my payments would be {$110.00} month starting in XXXX XXXX. However, my account on their site says something totally different and I have numerous emails now coming to me with different payment amounts. The latest one this morning stated that my monthly payment was {$190.00} due on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX. No one at this company seems to know what they are doing. You get a different answer every time you speak to someone and the amount you owe and the payments required changes constantly. They are unorganized and not very helpful. I just think this company should have better control over the services for their customers and be more accommodating to their individual needs and life circumstances and this would help them get the money that is owed. I am not looking to ignore my obligation. I am looking for someone to work with me to find a monthly amount I can afford and update my account on their website correctly so I can manage this and send me the emails that I need confirming the amount that I am obligated to pay each month and follow this up in writing and mailed to my home address. Although the representative I spoke with yesterday did soften once I told her my life situation, she was not very knowledgeable and did not update anything on my account. I also do not feel this company is very truthful. They never sent me any emails, nor did they ever notify me that my forbearance was now over and I needed to start paying on my loan. I got nothing except for the horrible email yesterday stating that I was delinquent. My husband and I had wonderful credit until 5 years ago when we fell on hard times. Instead of doing what the rest of America did and walk away from our mortgage, we stayed, filed the chapter XXXX and paid our mortgage every month ... only for me to lose my husband and now I will lose my house anyway. I am willing to pay my obligation to this company and believe in paying my debts ... I just need them to be truthful, upfront and helpful in getting a payment I can afford and updating their information correctly for people to manage their accounts effectively. I also feel that a follow up letter should always come through the mail if they feel someone is delinquent in their payments. They should not be relying on email. Thank you XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation