Consumer complaint received 2021-01-30
Company: Ascendium Education Group
State: SC
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Federal student loan debt
Issue: Threatened to contact someone or share information improperly
Sub-issue: Contacted your employer

Complaint:
I received a letter dated XXXX XXXX, 2021, stating that my Federal loan debt ( approximately 130k ) was taken over by another company after the initial company, XXXX/Ascendium in conjunction with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, conducted a financial review/administrative hearing to determine if and what I could pay on the past loans. I never received any resolution from XXXX but the next time I heard anything about my loans was when I was contacted with a letter from the new company, XXXX, or XXXX XXXX XXXX. Again, I did not receive a determination letter or a conclusion to this initial review but rather, was contacted by a new collector named, XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ). I contacted ( via phone call XXXX XXXX ) XXXX and was routed to a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ). According to the letter his department sent me and XXXX XXXX admissions on the first phone call, I had three options one of which was the ability to rehabilitate my loans with XXXX ( a federal loan servicer ). I was happy to hear that I could indeed start this option! XXXX XXXX initial conversation had to be cut short because I called him during my lunch break on XXXX/XXXX/21 but asked him if I could indeed call him back the following morning at XXXX XXXX est. he agreed. As planned, I called XXXX XXXX back on XXXX/XXXX/21 and the conversation went well, at first. I asked him based on the options his company sent in the letter and which he stated the prior day, could he please send me the proper paperwork for me to begin the loan rehabilitation program he refused! He demanded I give him, then and there, round-about financial numbers and personal documents, e.g., tax returns, IRS documentation, etc. I kindly stated I did not feel comfortable doing this approximation of what my true financial situation was as this would be especially important in determining my future payments I am a XXXX who does not make much, so this was especially important to me. The manager, XXXX XXXX then lied and stated, I spoke to XXXX and a staff member told me that you have had wage garnishment in your past based on the owed loans this was an outright falsehood, and had never heard of this before and assumed was his attempt to intimidate me into giving him what he wanted. I concluded after this conversation that the letter and XXXX XXXX claim of the option of rehabilitating my loan was a falsehood and a bait and switch tactic. I did become upset with him and accused him of being unethical and unprofessional ( and a few choice words ). Finally, I was willing to rehabilitate my loan ( s ) only to be misled and lied to by a person supposedly representing XXXX XXXX XXXX in good faith XXXX XXXX was not working in good faith and lied to get what he wanted, collection fees on his and his companys behalf. XXXX XXXX threatened to garnish my wages at the end of the conversation without giving me the opportunity ( as claimed by his letter and initial phone conversation which were recorded ) to provide sound financial information on my behalf to rehabilitate my past loans. Please help me resolve this situation and disallow this rogue representative of XXXX to treat people in the unethical and unprofessional way he treated me and to disallow him from proceeding with the wage garnishment of my XXXX  salary. Finally, I will be going to the local newspaper to volunteer my current experience/situation with XXXX as an opinion piece to hopefully expose collections companies like this who prey on hard-working XXXX especially during the trying times. Thanks for your help in the matter. Kind regards,

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation