Consumer complaint received 2021-05-06
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: WI
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Problem with customer service

Complaint:
Hello, I am writing in regards to the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX option through FedLoan Servicing. I have reached out to them and the Ombudsman group many, many times regarding my application status. I submitted my FOIA request for all my payment history, and I uploaded all my bank statements ( with the loan payments highlighted ) in XX/XX/XXXX. I have made XXXX payments on loans 1 and 2 and 122 payments on loans 3 and 4 as of the end of XXXX. I applied for XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX for loans 1 and 2, and again in XX/XX/XXXX for loans 3 and 4. FedLoan continues to provide me with conflicting information every time I call. No one will tell me the status of my application. I would like to know why my application has not been process and why my loans have not been forgiven. Borrowers who applied after me have already had their loans forgiven, which can be verified in the XXXX  group that is mentioned below. 

Here is the text of the last email I sent to FedLoan and XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX : Hi, My name is XXXX XXXX, and I am writing ( again ) in regards to my communication with FedLoan and my XXXX applications. 

I have four loans total. Loans 1 and 2 were eligible for forgiveness in XX/XX/XXXX when they reached 120 payments. I submitted an updated XXXX/app that month, but nothing progressed with FedLoan. I experienced the same thing with Loans 3 and 4 in XX/XX/XXXX. I am still waiting to hear anything more than my account is " under review. '' I submitted all my bank statements and FOIA request results for my payment history in summer XXXX because FedLoan didn't have record of many of my payments from previous lenders. FedLoan did nothing with that info, even though I asked them to update all my payments that were under a manual review. At that point, I had an Ombudsman rep working on my case with FedLoan. After she was involved, my payments in FedLoan were updated and everything seemed correct. With that in mind, and with all the info being updated and corrected, it seems like my forgiveness process should be more efficient and timely, but it's not. FedLoan has all the necessary payment history and proof in my bank statements and FOIA results, but it doesn't seem to speed up the process at all. 

I belong to this group : https : XXXX? ref=share Members who receive their forgiveness often post photos of when they received letters or info from FedLoan, and they often share their timelines in their application process, and the proof is in the photos. There have been many people who submitted their XXXX applications after me and have already had their loans forgiven with a zero balance in their FedLoan account. I am extremely frustrated that my situation is not progressing like theirs. 

When I call FedLoan every week to get an update, I am told different things by each rep. Nothing is consistent. Then, what the reps type in as notes doesn't usually match what they actually told me over the phone. This could be verified by listening to the recorded calls. I feel like I am constantly being given inaccurate information. Reps also say they will look into my account and call me back, but they don't follow through. Today when I called, the escalated rep basically told me there is nothing FedLoan can do and that I just need to wait because there are people in front of me in the process. I did not receive that well after I saw more people in the XXXX  group show photos of their account and FedLoan letters when their loans were already forgiven before mine even though they submitted their app after I did. I don't understand why what is happening with my loans and my accounts is not being shared with me. Why can't FedLoan explain what my status is or where I am in the process? Why can't they be open and honest about things? 

It's now been 4 months since I submitted my app for loans 1 and 2. It's been 1 month for loans 3 and 4. I don't want to find out months from now that I missed something on the app or that there was an issue with anything. I want to know now if everything is as it should be, so I don't end up with another delay down the road. I want to be kept in the loop along the way so I don't end up more frustrated than I already am. 

I would appreciate any factual info I can get regarding my loans and my status in the XXXX  process. I am extremely unhappy with the service I've received at FedLoan. 

Thank you, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, WI XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief