Consumer complaint received 2023-11-14
Company: Maximus Education, LLC dba Aidvantage
State: MI
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Trouble with how payments are being handled

Complaint:
I applied to the new XXXX repayment plan on XX/XX/2023. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Aidvantage that I should apply through their website to expedite the process. So on XX/XX/XXXX, I did that as well. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I received correspondence from Aidvantage saying I needed to call customer service to finalize changing my plan. 
I called, at which point I was asked to apply yet again over the phone though the automated system. I waited XXXX minutes on hold, but had to hang out to do other things, so I wrote an email expressing my frustration that I had now applied 3 times and still my plan was not being updated. When I was free again, I called back, waiting on hold over an hour, and when I finally got ahold of someone, was told there was nothing additional that I needed to do. I just needed to give it time : 15 days if I applied through XXXX, or 30 days if applied through XXXX Despite the fact that those amounts of time had already passed, I was told to wait until XX/XX/XXXX and check to see that the change had been made. They also said they had no record of my original XX/XX/XXXX application, only the XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. 
After that call, on the same day, I sent a follow up email expressing my frustration that they were not only missing the deadlines they gave me, but also had no record of my original application, and kept asking me to reapply. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, my account still hadn't been updated to the new plan, an almost {$500.00} payment was due by XX/XX/XXXX, which the save plan should have reduced to {$0.00} based on my income. I called customer service once again, and waited again over an hour, and finally got ahold of someone who told me I needed to make a one-time payment for my application to get processed. I opted to make the {$5.00} payment, because obviously I can not afford a {$500.00} payment. The customer service person told me I needed to go on forbearance because they wouldn't be able to process my application before the next payment was due, but that my application WOULD be processed by the time the forbearance ended. 
On XX/XX/XXXX & XXXX, I finally received responses to the emails that I sent on XX/XX/XXXX. Both emails disregarded my concerns and questions, and simply stated that everything had been handled and was on track for approval based on my XX/XX/XXXX call with customer service. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I realized the forbearance had ended and checked my account. It still had not been updated to the XXXX XXXX  and I now have another almost {$500.00} payment due on XX/XX/XXXX. At this time, I tried to call customer service, and waited on hold over an hour before I gave up. I tried to chat a customer service representative, but the system bounced me out saying they were overloaded. I also emailed, but have not received any response. I have also filed a complaint through studentaid.gov and have not received any response. 
It is now XX/XX/XXXX, and my payment plan has not been updated, I have not received any responses to my emails. I tried, yet again, to call Aidvantage customer service, and the automated response told me that call times were exceptionally long, and to visit XXXX about my repayment plan. I tried to chat someone as well, and again received a message that they were too overloaded.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation