Consumer complaint received 2019-05-19
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: AL
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:
In addition to my TEACH Grants being wrongfully converted to loans in XXXX of XXXX, my loans have now been turned over to the US Department of Education for default. I am NOT in default. According to the most recent escalated rep that I spoke with on XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, my loans were put in default on XX/XX/XXXX as a result of an error on their behalf. As XXXX, an escalated rep in the XXXX XXXX explained, the method by which they refunded money to me for payments made to grants, threw my loans into default. As she explained on XX/XX/XXXX, this is " A big mess '', and it is by no fault of yours. '' I understand that the loans now must go to the " XXXX XXXX '' and there is no timeline for the " mess '' to be corrected. Meanwhile, my credit is trashed, and there is no estimated timeline that can be provided to me for the correction to occur. 
The numerous reps that I have spoken with since XXXX regarding my grants, Income-driven payment request, and public loan forgiveness program, have all given me contradictory information, and I have no faith in anyone I speak with there regarding my status on any of the above listed processes. For example, in XXXX, I had an escalated rep guide me through the Income-driven repayment application, wait on the phone until I completed the application, and uploaded to my online account. The next time I spoke with them regarding my expected refund for grant payments, I was told that the refund would not be issued, and that the payments would be credited to the overall loan amount. Yet, I was told in XXXX that I would be receiving a check by XX/XX/XXXX. During that same conversation, I took the opportunity to explain how I was exhausted from having to make numerous calls that usually exceeded 40 minutes, only to have to start over explaining the issues and repeating what I had been told on the previous conversation. Consistently, I was told that I was given incorrect information by previous rep. If it were not the truth, and if it did not cause stress, it would be comical - like a XXXX XXXX XXXX skit. Every rep provided different information regarding the same topic, even among escalated reps ( that I demanded to deal with every call since XXXX ). I complained about how it took 45 minutes and an escalated rep to teach me how to complete my IDR request so that I was not overcharged, and how upset I was that I had paid excessive payments for years because the application did not allow for me to correctly document my financial situation. In other words, I told the rep that the application " baits '' you in to documenting income and spouse information that is not correct, but you are scared not to document it like that because of the liability you are subject to for filing false information. I told him how thankful I was that 5 years in to filing IDRs and making payments, someone was competent enough, and cared enough, to guide me through the application to get payment lowered where it should be. When I described that situation, the representative said that my IDR request provided " false '' information, and that it could get me in trouble! I explained again that an escalated rep walked me through it, and waited on the phone for me to upload it and it be received. He said he can see where that happened, but unfortunately the rep gave me incorrect information. He said I could keep the payment where it is for now, but that I would have to file it differently if my husband and I file taxes jointly. 
There are many more occasions in which I have been provided false information and guidance, including information regarding the XXXX program. Obviously, Fed Loan Servicing reps have no accountability, and/or competence regarding protocols in any department. I have managed to get through, and have coped with the undue stress and excessive time and aggravation involved in managing my student loans, but default, I can not deal with! This is unbearable, and is negatively affecting my health. I am seeking legal advice. Thankfully, I have documented my calls since XXXX, with employee ID numbers. 
I am a XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have worked at the same school, in the same position for 10 years. I pay my bills and am a law abiding citizen. Please advise.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief