Consumer complaint received 2017-11-10
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: MI
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:
My student loans were managed and housed with XXXX and I was placed on an Income Based Repayment Plan after I graduated college with payments of XXXX  $ based on my income. This went on for two years. My loans came up for recertification of my IBR plan in XX/XX/XXXXwith XXXX at which time I was given my IBR payment amount of XXXX . I made my first payment to XXXX in the amount of XXXX $ as I was instructed to do. I had been in contact with XXXX XXXX XXXX working through the application for PSLF as I am a XXXX XXXX XXXX employee and had spent the previous 5-6 years employed at qualifying non profit organizations. I spoke with 5 or 6 different XXXX XXXX employees during this period of time asking a million questions as I was constantly getting different answers from the employees. I would be told that I ca n't pay a penny more than my IBR payment amount, I can pay any amount over that I want, all of my loans would qualify, the two loans I have that do n't qualify would n't be a problem I could leave them out of the program and just work towards the PSLF of my other qualifying loans without having to consolidate the loans. That is exactly what I chose to do as it was only two small loans that would n't be in the system. I verified this information several times with XXXX XXXX and was continuously reassured that all of my previous payments would qualify and the consolidation was not necessary to be apart of the program. Never was I instructed that if I did n't consolidate then none of my loans would qualify until I do or I would have taken out a private loan and paid off the two non qualifying loans prior to applying and transferring my loans to XXXX XXXX. Back to XXXX, my payment for XXXX was applied only to one loan instead of to all of them which made the rest of my loans show as past due. I spoke with XXXX about this and they were reissuing the XX/XX/XXXX payment as it was made in error and not my fault. The loans were transferred to XX/XX/XXXXduring this process and this is where things went crazy. I have spent one night every two weeks for no less than an hour on the phone with XXXX XXXX trying to resolve this " past due '' issue since Beginning of XXXX XXXX. I of course got a different employee of XXXX XXXX XXXX every time I called in and was given a different reason as to why this was going on and how to fix it. I was told by a XXXX XXXXXXXX employee that I had to pay an extra XXXX $ to make up some difference in payment that would fix the past due issue, allow XXXX XXXX to reissue all of my payments since I had been with them and make all payments qualify. That 's exactly what I did. Another 4 months of this goes by with me jumping through countless hoops and given numerous deadlines for when it would be fixed. I sent them my bank statements showing all payments made for the exact amount I was instructed to pay, I sent them letters from XXXX saying I had no payment inXX/XX/XXXX, a letter showing I had a payment dueXX/XX/XXXX from XXXX, I sent them the IBR letter from XXXX detailing what my payment would be based on my income. It is now XXXX and the past due issue has finally been resolved, or so I thought. Last night XX/XX/XXXX I received an e-mail from a XXXX at XXXX XXXX XXXX informing me that I have made no qualifying payments at all as I did not consolidate my loans with XXXX XXXX. This is something I had spoken with XXXX XXXX about atleast a 1/2 dozen times. I was also informed that my last 6 payments sinceXX/XX/XXXX would not be qualifying payments either as I am no in " paid ahead '' status. I have made one payment every month since XX/XX/XXXXwith exception of the extra XXXX $ I was instructed to pay by XXXX XXXXXXXX in XXXX I believe to resolve the issue. I have been mislead every step of the way, passed off to worker after worker, I can never speak with a manager as if they do n't exist and I never receive call backs or letters in the mail other than past due notices. I have asked 4 or 5 times for a copy of my case comment log to be mailed to me for my records in proving that this has been an ongoing 6 month issue and I am constantly told they will get that mailed out to me yet it never arrives. I have done everything I was instructed to do by XXXX XXXX to be enrolled in the PSLF program as I am a qualifying government employee and have been for quite some time. I want my qualifying payments to be counted, I do not want the non consolidation to penalize the 29 months of qualifying payments that I have already made to count against me, I do not understand how I can be " paid ahead '' when I am simply doing what I 'm instructed to do by XXXX XXXX employees themselves. This is not how business is handled and I am fed up with wasting my personal time getting the run around from this XXXX XXXX processor. They are swindling millions of dollars and ruining countless lives in this malpractice. They have breached the terms and conditions of the agreement I signed with them, falsely represented themselves and it is not legal to hold me accountable for misrepresentation, false information and there incompetence. I have made every effort to rectify this directly with XXXX XXXX and I am now seeking legal representation in the matter to file suit against XXXX XXXX XXXX and there parent company Pennsylvania Higher Education. Any help in this matter would greatly be appreciated. I can provide phone logs showing the countless hours I have spent on the phone with XXXX XXXX, I can provide my bank statements detailing my exact payments and dates made, the IBR repayment schedule, and any other documentation that may assist you in rectifying this matter. Thank you.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation