Consumer complaint received 2018-09-16
Company: GREAT LAKES
State: FL
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan
Sub-issue: Can't temporarily delay making payments

Complaint:
******This is the first email I received from them confirming my deferment because I had processed it at the end of the semester. I informed them I would graduate in XXXX. ****** Tue, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Re : Stafford Loan Account with U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ( XXXX ) Dear XXXX : We've updated our records to show that you've been continuously enrolled and plan on being in school at least half-time through XX/XX/XXXX. 

Once you are no longer enrolled at least half-time, you will enter a 6-month grace period. We will send you a payment schedule that details your repayment terms before your first payment is due. If you've already received a payment schedule for this account, you may disregard it. 

Finally, please be sure to keep your contact information up to date so we can stay in touch with you regarding your student loan account. 

Sincerely, Great Lakes Borrower Services *******I then receive this email months after my deferment had been processed and I had already registered full-time for the fall semester. ******** Tue, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Re : Stafford Loan Account with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) Hi XXXX, Payments on your student loans are now due. This is a good time to review your payment schedule, which provides monthly payment amounts, due dates, and other important information about your loans. 

Here 's what you need to do. 

Access your payment schedule. Each of your student loan accounts has a payment schedule you can view at any time on mygreatlakes.org. 

Make sure you're ready to pay back your loans. Making on-time payments helps you build good credit, which is important when looking for a job, securing housing, or buying a car. 

Options are available if you need them. 

Unable to make full payments? Log into mygreatlakes.org to find the best repayment option for you. A plan with a lower monthly payment may cost you a little more in the long run, but you'll have a payment you can afford. 

Having financial difficulties? You can also explore postponing your payments with deferment or forbearance. 

We'll send you a billing statement soon. Whatever path you take to repay your loan, we're here to help. Contact us if you can't make a payment or have questions about your loans. 

Sincerely, Great Lakes Borrower Services ********I sent a request of contact directly from their website in regards to my loan and as to why I was getting billed after getting a deferment approved in XXXX -- This is the email they or their automated response system, responded with. ********** Thu, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX RE : School and financial aid : I'm currently in school or going back to school, and I want to know why I'm getting billed << XXXX XXXX XXXX >> Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. 



I appreciate you informing us that you will be returning to school in the near future. Students who are attending classes at least half-time may be eligible for an in-school deferment. 

To determine whether or not you will need to complete an In-School Deferment Request form, or if your school will send enrollment information to Great Lakes, please reply with the following information : The full name of the school you are or will be attending. 
The date you did or will begin classes ( month/day/year ). 
Whether you are or will be a full-time or half-time student. ( we can not accept part-time ). 
When you will complete your program ( month/year ). 
You are responsible for the monthly payments as scheduled until you are notified that your deferment request has been approved. 

If you are unable to make payments until you are approved for an in-school deferment you have a variety of options available on our website at mygreatlakes.org, including : Temporarily postponing your payments with a deferment or forbearance. 
Lowering your monthly payment by selecting a different payment plan. 
Weve created Options for Managing Repayment which you can review. It provides an overview of each option and important considerations.

When you log into your account at our website, you will find detailed information and tools that can help you determine if one of these options will work for you. 



If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. 




Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

********To which I responded with my schedule and answered every question they asked. ******* Thu, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX PM XXXX College XX/XX/XXXX Full-Time XX/XX/XXXX will complete my AA image1.jpeg Sent from my XXXX *******I then get a call a few days later from a representative from Great Lakes and they tell me that they need an invoice of payment for my classes and that it will all be corrected and my deferment reinstated before the due date. I was told to send it to the same email******** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Please confirm that this will defer my student loan payments. 

Thank you image1.png ********They respond with this email which makes the situation worse by warning me that I would now get charged interest on a forbearance request. All stemming from their incompetence and lack of proper communication. ******** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. 



We can not update your enrollment status with a school bill receipt. 



Students who are attending classes at least half-time may be eligible for an in-school deferment. If you are attending at least half-time, your school, XXXX College, automatically sends us electronic updates. Please note that this may take up to two months after your first day of classes. 


Upon receipt of the electronic enrollment verification, your request for deferment will be evaluated, and you will be advised of the status of your account. You are responsible for the monthly payments as scheduled until you are notified that your deferment request has been approved. 



If you are not eligible for an in-school deferment or are unable to make payments until the deferment is approved, you have a variety of options available on our website at mygreatlakes.org, including : Temporarily postponing your payments with a deferment or forbearance. 
Lowering your monthly payment by selecting a different repayment plan. 
Applying for loan discharge, where in certain situations your loan may be forgiven Weve created Options for Managing Repayment which you can review. It provides an overview of each option and important considerations.

When you log into your account at our website, you will find detailed information and tools that can help you determine if one of these options will work for you.

If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. 




Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

******I then respond with this email****** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX I was called by one of your reps a few days back. They asked me to send paid invoice to this email. They told me that, that would be everything I would have to do. Ive been going back and forth now with this and getting different information. I was told it would be updated and I would not need to pay on the XXXX if I sent the information. 

Im in school and I registered months back and I informed you guys months back that I was still in school. 

I need this taken care of because I will not be making those payments on the XXXX of this month. 

Thank you Sent from my XXXX ********To which they respond with this***** Wed, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. 



I apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced.

If you are having difficulty making your payments while you are waiting for your enrollment verification to be sent from your school, you may qualify for a forbearance. Please keep in mind that during forbearance, you wont be required to make payments, but youre still responsible for any interest that accrues and capitalizes. This means that you could end up paying more interest over the life of your loan. 



To apply and to have your request processed immediately, you may have the option to request a forbearance at our website, mygreatlakes.org. If you are unable to access it online, please call us at the number provided below.

If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. 




Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

********I respond infuriated at this point, no one can seem to give me clear information and it's all a useless back and forth, all while I should be focused on my studies and not wasting hours trying to solve this issue. I work full-time and go to school full-time. ***** Mon, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX No, I need this taken care of correctly. This abuse, Im still in school and informed your department months back that I was still enrolled. 

I need this to be corrected immediately. 

I am in school and should not have to worry about this at the moment. 

Please take care of this ASAP. I refuse to pay this month and I refuse to request forbearance. I need a deferment to be processed in a timely manner. 


X X Sent from my XXXX *******They then respond with this information ONE day before my " due date '' ***** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX Hi XXXX, Thank you for your recent email. 


We have not received current enrollment information from your school. If you are attending classes at least half time, you may be eligible for a deferment. 



In order for us to place an in-school deferment on your account, we either need a completed In-School Deferment Request form or an enrollment history from your school.

You may download an In-School Deferment Request form from our website. You will need to : Log in to your account at mygreatlakes.org.

Click Forms under the Resources list at the bottom of the page.

Click Deferment.

Expand the list of forms by clicking Already know what form you need? Find it here. Please note that Section 4 of the In-School Deferment Request form will need to be completed by an authorized official from your school. 




The completed forms may be returned to Great Lakes by any of the following methods : Fax : ( XXXX ) XXXX Email : XXXX Mail : Great Lakes XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX, WI XXXX The option is also available at our website to upload documents to your file for processing. 



Log in. 
Click on the Magnifying Glass on the right hand side of the Navigation Bar.

Click Upload Documents.

Select Submit Forms and Support Files Tab.

Select Document Name from the drop down list.

Click on Browse to attach your document.

Select Submit File ( s ).

Please remember that you are still responsible for any scheduled payments until you are notified that your deferment request has been approved.

If you have any outstanding questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. 




Sincerely, XXXX Borrower Services Department XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 


******I have now received this email stating I missed a payment and that it may affect my credit. I am now going to get affected on my credit report and have additional interest on my account because of their massive incompetence and lack of proper communication and abusive efforts. ******** XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX   Oops. 

Re : Stafford Loan Account with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) We haven't yet received your student loan payment. We realize you're new to paying back your loans and there are lots of reasons why it may be late. We want to make sure you have all the information you need to successfully pay back your loans, including three helpful tips to get you started. 

Sign up for account access on mygreatlakes.org. It's the easiest and fastest way to manage your loans. 
Make payments using Auto Pay and you may be eligible for an interest rate reduction. Enrollment is free and convenient.

Change your repayment option to one that's more affordable.

If you recently made a payment, please log in to mygreatlakes.org or call us for automated account information to confirm we've received it.

Make On-Time Payments to Build Good Credit Missing your first payment can quickly snowball into a past due account and damaged credit. Poor credit can be a factor when looking for a job, securing housing, buying a car, or applying for additional financial aid if you're headed back to school. Making on-time payments helps build good credit.

Contact us for help in figuring out an affordable solution.

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