Consumer complaint received 2017-10-05
Company: Equitable Acceptance Corp
State: MD
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: I do not know
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged

Complaint:
First : I missed a couple of e-mails from XXXX student Loan servicer on warnings such companies after they were aware of debt relief companies that were contacting students, charging fees to file for students consolidation, or applying for an income-drive qualifying for forgiveness programs, and/or getting out of debt default ... 
Thus, this company known as XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) called me at work ( not sure how they got my name and work phone number or how they even knew I owe student loans ) ; this happened sometimes in XX/XX/XXXX. The person introduced themselves, his company and that they work with students to help consolidation and help apply for Federal student forgiveness, he went on and on and on indicating how I will pay less or may have no payment based on income and other factors and be done within a short period ( i.e., 10 years or so ) or be forgiven all together. He sounded legit. He needed my information so he can apply on line right away. He convened me to sign e-signatures on the application where my signature was needed. According to him ( I can not recall the amount that I would be paying, but it was a small amount ... less than what I was currently paying monthly ( {$180.00} ). He stated that I would be paying for 10 years than the rest of the loan will be forgiveness, but that once the application is confirmed, will receive this in mail then I would pay them {$49.00} per month for 36 months for they service. 
Sometimes in XX/XX/XXXX I got a call from Federal student office informing me that my application submitted in XX/XX/XXXX was incomplete and something to done with number of dependents. I had even forgotten about this application, since I had not gotten anything to this regard in the mail. I asked what was missing and dependents issue. I then recalled that XXXX person had pushed on the definition of dependents, thus he came up with 8 dependents. I had to inform Student loan staff who called me that this apply was submitted through a third party. I had to tell the full story, since this now sounded like fraud. I even gave her the company 's name ( not sure what she did with that information ). She advised of such companies and that the Federal Loan office was aware of these companies. She suggested to me to re-apply and forward a copy of my paystub and have employment verification form done. So I did re-apply and submitted this in XX/XX/XXXX. 
Meanwhile in sometimes either late XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX, I started getting calls from ( Equitable Acceptance ( XXXX ) or ( XXXX ) I guess the partner company to the XXXX XXXX about my payments of the {$49.00} that I need to be paying them for their service. I informed the person who called me after they identified who they were and why they were contacting me that the application never got processed, since they lied on the application and I had to re-apply all over again. I further explained to them that my student payments are pretty high now. I informed this person that I was not going to pay for a service that never happened. They continued to call me on my work phone and on my cell phone. I got contacted so many a times by varies individuals over and over again by text, calling my work place, through e-mails threatening and harassing me constantly ( will attached an email and my response to the e-mail which bounced back ... they e-mail but I could not e-mail back ). I also have texts correspondence back and forth with threats and how they plan to report me to credit bureaus, how they will start some legal process of some kind, etc. I also got the application copy they submitted in XX/XX/XXXX showing the 8 dependents and I have my application that I re-applied in XX/XX/XXXX. These copies I requested from XXXX who were my loan servicer at the time.

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