Consumer complaint received 2023-11-21
Company: MOHELA
State: NC
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Private student loan
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Keep getting calls about your loan

Complaint:
I had my student loans on auto payment from XXXX until XXXX. I took it off because I could not pay my medical bills and living expenses because of the amount I expected to pay monthly. The amount that would be taken out was {$1100.00} a month. I make {$1200.00} twice a month. I called XXXX and Mohela ( both are in charge of my loan ), to talk to them about my options. When I spoke to representatives from both companies, I was given conflicting answers. I first spoke to Mohela, the representative said that I had to get a forbearance and/or have my amount changed monthly from XXXX. I then called XXXX, and their representative said that I could only get a forbearance from Mohela and that the only way I could get my monthly amount changed was through refinancing, but that they don't recommend that because the interest rates were higher and then my monthly amount would increase. I told both representatives that I could not pay {$1100.00} monthly and that I hadn't been paying my medical bills for months because of this high amount. 

They both said that everything would be fine as long as I was putting money towards my balance. However, they had already taken out my amount automatically for XXXX, so I canceled my auto-pay so that I could pay off my medical bills in XXXX. I did not have money to put into my balance at all in XXXX as I was putting that money into medical bills, prescriptions, and necessities. I paid {$100.00} in XXXX as I had missed work quite a few days because I was sick for most of XXXX. This month I put {$1000.00} to my balance because a man claiming to work for XXXX had called my father threatening a lawsuit if I did not pay {$33000.00} that I owe in back pay. This was a lie. I owed {$3300.00} the day that this man threatened my father, XX/XX/2023. I paid {$1000.00} to calm down my father. I now have a medical bill that I am unable to pay until my next paycheck. 

At the same time, between XXXX and XXXX, I was trying to get forbearance, so that I could keep the back pay from increasing. However, I would wait a long time on hold and when I finally got through, the representative on the line would say that they were unable to help me with this, even though I had picked the option for a forbearance representative. I would ask if they could transfer me to someone who could. As this occurred multiple times, I would get these excuses : the person to speak to has already left for the day and I will have to wait for them to call me back tomorrow, or they were told that I would be called back by the correct authority. I never received any callback. When I refused to hang up and wait for a callback, the representatives would hang up on me. I was eventually able to get a representative to help me at the beginning of XXXX to apply for forbearance. I did so and was denied. 

Just last week my father was once again threatened by the man saying that he worked for XXXX. After a while, I finally was able to get a representative to give me contact information to someone supposedly in charge of my account. They only had her email. I emailed her XXXX days ago and went over everything that I have already written here. All she sent back was " Looking at your account you have a past due amount of XXXX. Your next payment XXXX is XXXX. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. '' She did not answer whether this man actually worked for the company or if she would be willing to tell this man to quit threatening my father. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I was sent a demand letter from a law firm claiming to be representing the man who worked for XXXX, demanding that I pay {$3300.00} by XX/XX/XXXX and that I had to get in contact with this man. As stated previously, I paid {$1000.00} on XX/XX/XXXX to quell my parents ' fears. I do not owe {$3300.00}. According to my online statement, I owe {$2300.00}. I was also told by the woman who I was told was in charge of my account at XXXX that I only owe {$65.00} in back pay. Also, no one has confirmed with me that this man actually works for XXXX. I have asked both the woman supposedly in charge of my account and multiple representatives and no one will answer the question. 

I don't know what else to do at this point. I have been trying for months to get this sorted and instead, I have a man calling my father to threaten him, giving the wrong amount that I owe he doesn't even know my name, has no help from any representatives, and this man now having a law firm getting involved. I don't trust this man like I said, he doesn't know my name, doesn't know my actual amount, and keeps calling my father instead of me. Also, no one will tell me if he even works for the company.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation