Consumer complaint received 2023-01-13
Company: Maximus Education, LLC dba Aidvantage
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Problem with customer service

Complaint:
So many things have happened, but the most important to me now is : 1 ) I called XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX to initiate a refund of payments made since the payment pause. The call itself was pleasant and professional. I was told it would be 8-10 weeks. I also asked about my PSLF documents that were now gone from their portal and that I could not download or retrieve them or see how many qualifying payments I had made ( I was considering applying for the temporary forgiveness offered as I was close to meeting the required number ). Unfortunately, the agent did not know where I could find them. 

XXXX ) In XXXX, I called to check on the status of the refunds of payment made request because the refund never made it into my account, and they told me it has been taking an additional 12 weeks and just to keep watching my account. 
XXXX ) Skeptical of the latest advice given, in late XXXX, when I want to make a followup call, I see my loan has been transferred to Aidvantage XXXX XXXX XXXX  ( formerly Navient, formerly my prior servicer, also was my servicer as XXXX which incorrectly told me not to do an income driven repayment plan to qualify for PSLF back in 2013 when I consolidated my loans because I worked for a public university because " you would have to pay taxes on the amount forgiven and with your income and the payment size, it would be hard for you to make that huge payment of tax also that one year '' ) ... .... 
XXXX ) Now, I called XX/XX/XXXX to see if I could track down any information. And AidAdvantage was not able to see my payment history but has to request it. I was told that would take 10 days, so I should call back on the XXXX and request my refund then, but that I should keep in mind that the refund is estimated to take 20 weeks.

20 Weeks, really? What other financial transaction takes 20 weeks to complete? 

I am a single parent and I had hoped taking the refund of payments and putting them into a savings account to earn some interest for a few months until the payment pause ended at the least, or enjoy forgiveness in giving my family some breathing room at the most, but instead these companies/agencies have carefully timed it so that the week that I MIGHT get my refund, if things go smoothly now, will be only one week before the payment pause is ended.

It is absurd that this lack of transparency can happen in the current context where my documents for PSLF are " missing '' and that the prior request for a refund in XXXX is " missing '' and " irrelevant '' and now I am financially harmed by the inaction and lack of coordination in the transfers and handling of my loans. I was also given incorrect information regarding the appropriate payment plan for my PSLF progress.

What is the point of offering ANY of these potential aspects of relief if even when we try to do the things in compliance, we can never gain any of the relief. It is cruel.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation