Consumer complaint received 2019-01-22
Company: Social Finance, Inc.
State: MI
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Private student loan
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan
Sub-issue: Can't temporarily delay making payments

Complaint:
I started at University of XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX for a XXXX  in XXXX XXXX and successfully put my loan into deferment for three months ( the maximum amount allowed ). Around the time that the three months were up, I submitted another deferment request, because I was still in school. 
On XX/XX/XXXX the deferment request was denied because it was not within 30 days of the end date of the original deferment. I received the notification on XX/XX/XXXX. 
I then submitted another request 1 day before the 30 days started because I figured processing with my school would take at least a day. It was denied on XX/XX/XXXX because there were missing dates of enrollment, however, the national student clearinghouse sent the correct forms with the application. I received this notification XX/XX/XXXX. 
I submitted another deferment request again after the 30 days began and it was denied on XX/XX/XXXX because it was not within the 30 days of the end date of the other deferment. I had submitted it after the 30 days but since it was signed and dated for the day before the 30 days, they denied the request. I received this notice on XX/XX/XXXX. 
I then submitted the deferment request for the FOURTH TIME. It was denied on XX/XX/XXXX again due to it not providing a program of study. I received this notification on XX/XX/XXXX. By this point it was so close to XXXX so I was unable to get anything done with my school since everyone was gone on break so I had to wait until after office personnel came back at University of XXXX. By this time it was XX/XX/XXXX. 
At this point, I was in direct contact with one person from the registrars office and she sent the deferment request 4-5 times to Sofi/XXXX by fax and by e-mail. The only record that Sofi/XXXX  has of this is XX/XX/XXXX which they took no action and XX/XX/XXXX which they also took no action. I finally got frustrated and asked the registrar lady to just send me the forms directly so I could up load them onto my account homepage. This was against their protocol but she agreed because, I assume, she understood how much trouble this had been for me. 
I submitted the deferment request again for the FIFTH TIME on XX/XX/XXXX through the Sofi/XXXX  website and I made sure to contact Sofi/XXXX  when I submitted it to make sure everything was filled out correctly. They assured me that it would and that I would not be penalized for this since my account has been past due since I have been waiting for this deferment to go through. 
On XX/XX/XXXX they contacted me because my account was past due and that was when they informed me that the dates were not filled out correctly AGAIN. I was forced to pay a month of my loan which I really cant afford right now and now I have to submit this deferment request again. Also, apparently I was given the incorrect information by the previous two Sofi/XXXX personnel who told me that if my deferment request was approved it would retroactively be applied through the month of XXXX. That was not true, thus the reason I had to pay for a month of student loans that I truly can not afford. 
I am submitting this complaint because Sofi/XXXX have failed to acknowledge my in-school deferment requests. They have created such a burden on me and my school by denying my requests over and over again knowing full well that I am currently in school. I have been prompt with every one of my filings and deferment requests but because of their incompetence, my account is now 37 days past due. I have done everything in my power to get them to accept my deferment requests, but they have utterly failed to perform even the most basic of tasks.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation