Consumer complaint received 2018-01-27
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: CA
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Trouble with how payments are being handled

Complaint:
Loan servicing company ( XXXX XXXX  ) is not counting 13 payments that I have made as

qualified Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) payments.

Type of Loan : Direct Consolidated Loan Qualified Employment Begin Date : XX/XX/XXXX [ did not submit PSLF employment certification form until XX/XX/XXXX, however ] Original Loan Servicer : XXXX I applied for income-driven repayment plan, specifically Income-Based repayment ( Original IBR ) plan in late XX/XX/XXXX and in XX/XX/XXXX received the start date and payment amount. Start date : XX/XX/XXXX ; Amount {$170.00} ( Exhibit 1 ) Received first bill on XX/XX/XXXX. I made continuous monthly payments beginning XX/XX/XXXX of {$170.00} until XX/XX/XXXX. ( 11 qualifying payments ) ( Exhibit 2 ) In late XX/XX/XXXX, my IBR plan was recertified. My new monthly payment dropped to {$110.00} and first payment was due XX/XX/XXXX. ( Exhibit 3 ) I made continuous monthly payments of {$110.00} to XXXX until XX/XX/XXXX. ( 10 qualifying payments ) ( Exhibit 4 ) However, in between that time, I received a letter, dated XX/XX/XXXX from XXXX, stating that a deferment on my loan had been granted ( starting XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX ). ( Exhibit 5 ) I never requested a deferment to XXXX and the deferment was being backdated. I called XXXX and told them that I never requested a deferment. XXXX told me that it was an in-school deferment, but I told them that I was never a full-time student and I just took a class in XXXX college, I was fully employed with a qualifying PSLF employer and never requested an in-school deferment. XXXX said it would take me off deferment and correct the record. Believing the issue had been resolved, I paid my XXXX bill, dated XX/XX/XXXX, to pay {$110.00} by XX/XX/XXXX. I then received a bill for a {$110.00}, dated XX/XX/XXXX to pay by XX/XX/XXXX and continued to make payments of {$110.00} to XXXX until XX/XX/XXXX as stated above. ( Exhibit 6 ) On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from XXXX stating they were transferring my loan account to XXXX XXXX. ( Exhibit 7 ) On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a letter from XXXX XXXX stating XXXX was handling my loan servicing because I had recently submitted a PSLF employment certification and that I was in an IBR Plan with my first payment of {$110.00} due on XX/XX/XXXX, which I paid. ( 1 qualifying payment ) ( Exhibit 8 ) In late XX/XX/XXXX my IBR plan was up for recertification again, I requested to repay under a different plan, Revised Pay As You Earn ( REPAYE ) plan. My loan was placed on administrative forbearance during the process of my repayment plan change. ( Exhibit 9 ) I didnt make another qualifying PSLF payment to XXXX until XX/XX/XXXX in the amount of {$170.00}. I have continued to make monthly payments for XX/XX/XXXX. and XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. and XX/XX/XXXX to XXXX. ( 5 qualifying payments ) ( Exhibit 10 ) XXXX sent me a letter, dated XX/XX/XXXX, tracking the number of qualifying payments made for qualifying employment beginning on XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX. The letter listed 19 qualifying payments. ( Exhibit 11 ) I checked my records and determined that number was correct for that time period. However, when I received my XXXX XX/XX/XXXX bill, dated XX/XX/XXXX, it listed only 8 qualifying PSLF payments. ( Exhibit 12 ) XXXX had abruptly discontinued counting 11 payments I had made. I still paid the XX/XX/XXXX and the XX/XX/XXXX monthly bill of {$170.00} on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. ( 1 more qualifying payment before XX/XX/XXXX ) ( Exhibit 13 ) Then in a XXXX letter, dated XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX responded to a recently submitted PSLF employment certification Form. For qualifying employment beginning on XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, the XXXX letter stated that I had only 7 qualifying payments ( in addition to the 8 other payments for the period between XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX ). ( Exhibit 14 ) For this period, XXXX had failed to count 2 payments I made during this period to XXXX ( on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX of {$110.00} each ). ( Exhibit 15 ) I have tried to resolve this issue for the past year but to no avail. I called many times and they told me that I was in school deferment between XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, even though they acknowledge that it was backed dated in XX/XX/XXXX. Then they told me to sign a waiver to remove the deferment in the hopes of counting those payments, which I did, but then I received XXXX letter, dated XX/XX/XXXX, showing that the in-school deferment had been replaced with Administrative forbearance status on that time period. ( Exhibit 16 ) XXXX agents would tell me that my account was under review but I never got any help. 
Finally, I submitted a complaint with the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman for help. I received an email on XX/XX/XXXX, advising me that my complaint had a case number : XXXX and that a pending review had been requested on XX/XX/XXXX and to allow until mid-XX/XX/XXXX for the review to be completed. ( Exhibit 17 ) I have not received update again. Ive tried to the contact the Ombudsman again, but I havent received any reply for several weeks. XXXX agents tell me to refer the Ombudsman. 
I have list [ as shown below ] of payments Ive made to XXXX and XXXX XXXX since the beginning : They are two certification periods that XXXX XXXX  recognized 1 ) XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX and 2 ) XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX 28 payments in total 1 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) 2 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) 3 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) 4 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 5 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 6 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 7 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 8 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 9 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX  ) not counted 10 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 11 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 12 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 13 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 14 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 15 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 16 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) 17 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) 18 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) 19 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) 20 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XXXX ) not counted 21 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX DEPT EDUCATION ( XX/XX/XXXX ) not counted 22 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX  XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX n/a XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX n/a 23 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX  24 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX 25 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX 26 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX 27 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX  28 XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX I need this issue to be resolved. Can you help?

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief