Consumer complaint received 2017-09-05
Company: AES/PHEAA
State: GA
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Private student loan
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Received bad information about your loan

Complaint:
I originally was due to begin repayment of this student loan on XX/XX/XXXX at {$250.00} a month. During which time I had just recently XXXX XXXX my daughter and was on a XXXX XXXX back home. I called in to speak with a representative in regards to my repayments on XXXX and spoke with a representative with ID # XXXX. That representative was very friendly and eager to assist me with my repayment. She advised me that since I would be on a fixed income, there was an alternative payment option available to me called the Modified Graduate Repayment Schedule. She advised me that my payment date would be pushed back until XXXX XXXX and I would repay a lower amount, around {$130.00} a month. She applied me for that program and set the expectation for me that my payment would not be due until XXXX. I budgeted accordingly. I received a call from the collections department of XXXX XXXX AES on XX/XX/XXXX, at which time I was first made aware that the program that representative promised I would be able to take advantage of, no longer existed. I was devastated. The collections department told me I had one day from the day that they called me to make a payment or else they would negatively report me to the credit bureaus. I scraped and pulled money from my Mortgage savings to make that payment to prevent negative reporting. On that same day, XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke to a supervisor with AES who began a formal complaint againt that representative after she reviewed that call and confirmed that there was in fact, misinformation being given to me in regards to my repayment. The complaint is on record with AES against the representative, but they were not able to share that with me. Unbeknownst to me, this information was since to an internal inbox in AES website in which I was not aware existed and had received no email, mail or phone correspondence, letting me know that the Modification Repayment option that the representative had promised me was no longer a program as of XXXX. I am very upset that their representatives have given me inaccurate, outdated information causing me to begin repayment of this loan under false expectations. Since that conversation, I have been on XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX, on a fixed income. I have struggled to keep my student loan paid up at least 30 days within the due date time frame. Because I was given a false expectation as to what my payment would be and when It would be due, I am now playing catch up, barely making payments to this company after taking money out of a fixed income set budget. 
After multiple calls to this organization pleading for an application to another income based program or change of repayment amount, I was told there are no other options to assist me besides a school enrollment forbearance. I even went as far as to request a due date change to a least help me have time to pay my loan obligation back each month around a different due date other than my other bills and I was denied that request on XX/XX/XXXX. 

I also called in on XX/XX/XXXX in regards to an upcoming due date and was told by a representative, ID # XXXX, that I could pay my bill by XXXX, before the first and be able to avoid negative reporting. After making my payment on XXXX, early morning, I was given a negative on XX/XX/XXXX on my credit report from AES,  stating I did not make a payment on XX/XX/XXXX and it was therefore reported on XX/XX/XXXX. I am desperately seeking some form of assistance. I feel as though as a borrower, I began repayment of this loan under false information and have since been playing catch up and not given a fair opportunity to be a good standing, borrower. I am now being negatively reporting after I paid on the date a representative advised me to pay. Please assist me with getting the negative report of 30 days late as of XX/XX/XXXX removed as the payment confirmation is attached as well as helping me to escalate the issue of the first representative I came in contact with at AES giving me false repayment information. Thank you for your time on this matter.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief