Consumer complaint received 2019-02-14
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC.
State: OR
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:
Dear CFPB, I am extremely frustrated with my student loan servicer, Navient. I graduated with a XXXX in XXXX and a lot of debt. I went into repayment in XXXX with Sallie Mae. In XXXX, I received the option to consolidate my loans when I received a letter announcing that Navient would be buying out my loans. At that time, I had been working XXXX years ( full-time ) for a XXXX XXXX  organization and I had just learned about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. I called Sallie Mae and specifically asked if the consolidation would impact my eligibility for PSLF. I was told by Sallie Mae that I would still be eligible but to wait until after split between Sallie Mae and Navient took place to apply. 

In the summer of XXXX, I took a new job with a different XXXX organization that also meets the requirements for an employer in Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. I sent in the required documents to Navient in late XXXX and was told I did not qualify. I asked " why? '' and that I had spoken to Sallie Mae and they had indicated otherwise. The representative said I would have to increase my payments to an " astronomical level '' and that " the loan repayment plan I was currently on '' did not qualify for PSLF. This phone call left me deeply shaken as I was already paying XXXX a month and could not begin to think what an " astronomical level '' would be. 

I have now accumulated 10 years of employment in a qualifying non-profit or government institutions and have made 10 years of monthly student loan payments via automatic payments ( auto-pay ) tied to my bank account. I have been in repayment for a total of 15 years. Navient shows that I am only 36 % of the way to my repayment date of XXXX/XXXX/XXXX. I will be XXXX years old. 

I feel 100 % cheated. As a first generation college student and XXXX student, I was repeatedly counseled that student loan debt was " good debt. '' While I am grateful to have received the loans to aid my scholarship money, my XXXX XXXX  tuition waivers and part-time jobs, I am deeply disappointed and frankly, angry, that I can not get on top of this debt despite years of faithful repayment and being told I could qualify for PSLF. 

I recently read in XXXX and in other sources that I am far from alone in this predicament. Instead of feeling any consolation, I feel enraged. 2 % of applicants actually qualify for PSLF? Please. I am surrounded by XXXX professionals who make far more income than I do who were also deeply in student loan debt, but their loans are being forgiven by other loan servicers who actually help up their end of the deal. 

Having my Federally guaranteed loans bought out by Navient was not my choice. But now I have no choice but to deal with a company that seems not to care one bit about what student loan debt is doing to people who are trying to contribute to a cause larger than themselves. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX ( formerly, XXXX XXXX )

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation