Consumer complaint received 2017-05-14
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: OR
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan
Sub-issue: Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan

Complaint:
This is a follow-up of Case #  XXXX  that I submitted in  XXXX . Since that case is closed, I am unable to add this to it.     I did wh at FedLoan said t o do in their response. I called them on  XXXX / XXXX / XXXX  and spoke with a representative for  22  minutes and I thought this was straightened out where I will be able to make payments. Not so. I asked the representative about the Reduced Payment Forbearance for as little as {$5.00} mentioned in the letter, and he said I did n't need to do that because I could be put on forbearance until my application for for REPAYE was received and processed. He also said I would n't have to make a payment under the standard payment plan - I explained that I just do n't have that kind of money. He said that my monthly payment under  the REPAYE  plan would be approx. $  XXXX  month.  I said that would take away from necessities such as my required life medicines, and he said that is the best FedLoan can do. I reluctantly agreed thinking that I would receive a repayment plan for this amount after my REPAYE application was processed which did not happen.     On  XXXX / XXXX / XXXX  I received an electronic letter from  FedLoan stating the results of my forbearance request ( copy attache d ).     I mailed  my REPAYE application to FedLoan   XXXX / XXXX / XXXX . I received an email on  XXXX / XXXX / XXXX  that my application had been received ( screenshot attached ). On  XXXX   XXXX ,  XXXX  I received another email stating that my request was on hold  ( s creenshot attached ).     On  XXXX / XXXX / XXXX  I received  XXXX  letters electronically from  FedLoan. The  first letter states that they processed a forbearance on my loans and that in order to change repayment plans, I have to make a payment of {$1000.00} under the standard payment pl an ( co py attached ).     The second letter  is a " Repayment Plan Change  Requires Payment '' and states that I must make a payment under the standard repayment plan  ( c opy attached ).     I have repea tedly stated to FedLoan  and to the representative I spoke to on  XXXX / XXXX / XXXX  that I do not have the money to make e ven one  payment under the standard plan. Finances are extremely tight, and my hours got cut so I 'm going to be making even less.  FedLoan 's r epresentative apparently lied to me, and I 'm getting looped around and around in a circle. This company is making it impossible for me to make monthly payments which I want to be able to do. All I want is to be put on a repayment plan that I can afford so I can make monthly payments! I ca n't even get the Reduced Payment Forbearance mentioned in their response - why?     This has been going on since  XXXX   XXXX , and it 's aggravating a serious health condition I have. I 'm getting to the point of looking into suing them for medical costs, and the aggravation this is causing me. I am a person who pays my bills, and I 've never been treated so poorly. I 've done everything possible to get on an affordable repayment plan an d FedLoan is   uncooperative and wo n't work with me.     Please, please help!

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief