Consumer complaint received 2019-12-15
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC.
State: NV
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Private student loan
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan
Sub-issue: Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan

Complaint:
In XXXX I was XXXX years old, I started working for an XXXX XXXX company. It was the beginning of the dot com boom and the start of the internet. I was only out of high school for a couple of years and though I had attended a XXXX  college  I was unsure of what to do with my life. After working at this job for about a year and a half I was so fascinated with the internet and I wanted to design websites. My boss told me youre a girl, you wont be able to learn that this statement lit a fire in me and I was determined to learn. 
I started looking around for programs, it was difficult to find at the time because it was the beginning of the internet age so there were not very many programs out there. I saw a commercial for XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, it said Study multi-media at the, get a good job working on the world wide web I thought Wow! This is exactly what I have been looking for. I went to the school the next day to get information, I was so excited to learn. The dean of students at the XXXX XXXX came into the financial office while I was there speaking with them. He introduced himself to me and asked what my goals were. I told him and then he started going into how amazing the program was and how much money I will make with that type of degree. This got me more excited! The financial aid office then told me I needed to into this room so they can explain the loan process. I was told that I would have low payments after graduation, they told me my payments would be {$50.00} per month. Everything sounded really great, {$50.00} per month is affordable, sign me up, I want to learn. 
I started going through the admissions process, I told them I had previously attended the XXXX XXXX College for 2 years and I have a number of credits that I can transfer so I could save some money on some of the required courses. I had taken XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX  XXXX, and a few other courses. They told me that I couldnt transfer my credits because the colleges dont have the same accreditations and I would have to re-take these courses. At this point I had just had a birthday so I was XXXX years old, neither of my parents had attended college, I had no guidance on what the right thing to do was. I thought these people were professionals and they knew better than me. I was so excited to take the courses that they preyed off of my ignorance and excitement. 
It was 2-3 weeks later that I started school, I began having some problems from with my education within the first quarter. The first problem was my English class, I had a teacher that had no control over her classroom, there was some kid in the back that would come in a play with the mini blinds, pulling them up, dropping them down over and over again. He was a disruption to the course and he would also interrupt the teacher, disturb other students and get so loud that would couldnt hear the instructions. I went to the teacher after the second class and talked to her about, I explained that she needs to get control over her classroom because there are too many people paying too much money and actually want to learn. She said she would discuss the problem in the next class. The next class happened and she said nothing, this kid in the back was doing what he always does. I sat in the front row center of the classroom and every time he would do something I would look the teacher dead in the eyes, she did nothing. Finally when there was about 10 min. Left of class I was over it, I stood up and ripped into him telling him if he didnt care about his education then he needs to get out. The whole class applauded the guy was embarrassed and he left the classroom. After the class was over I went to the dean and told him what happened and asked to be transferred to a different English class, I wanted someone that would have control over their classroom so I could learn. As it turns out, the teacher was the deans WIFE! He refused to move me from the class, honestly, I learned nothing from that class, ha, look at my writing here, its not college level. What you are reading right now shows that I did not receive the education I paid for. 
The second incident, which was also in the first quarter and a HUGE issue for the school was that the computer labs did not function correctly. Half the time they would be closed, we couldnt get into them to do our work. I was told that they had State of the Art computer labs, but the computers didnt work. The entire student body was really upset about the problem so I started a petition. I had 85 % of the students sign the petition to get us new equipment or we would file a formal lawsuit. They did end up getting some new equipment but it didnt cover all of the labs. I would say that the petition solved the problem by about 40 %. Because it was an improvement and all of us students were dealing with the worst of the worst we accepted it and felt it was a partial victory. 
The third issue was the actual teachers, very often they wouldnt even show up to class. There would be a classroom full of students, waiting 10 to 20 min into the time when the class was supposed to start I would go to the dean and say we have no teacher again He would come to the classroom and dismiss us. This happened at least once a week so we still paid for the class but we didnt have class. I missed out on so much instructional time because of this problem. 
At the end of the first quarter, I knew this school wasnt what it said it was so I went to the administration office to drop out. They sent me to financial aid and financial aid scared me into staying in. They told me that I had already taken 5 courses at {$1000.00} per class plus admin fees, etc. and if Ieft now without finishing my loans would start in on repayment the day that I left the school. They told me that if I drop out no other school would accept me and I would never be able to finish my education if I didnt stay. I didnt know how I was going to start paying that money back right away. I was working out a XXXX  XXXX  at min. Wage, back then it was {$5.00} per hour. I had rent, utilities, insurances, I was barely getting by already I didnt know how I would pay more per month I couldnt afford it so I stayed in school. 
After 2 years of being at the school, in XXXX of XXXX, I got so sick that I was hospitalized, I had a rare form of XXXX  XXXX that made was going undetected in XXXX  XXXX  tests so they couldnt figure out what was wrong. I was sick for over a month, I fell behind in school so my mom came into town and went to the school with me to try to work things out. They told me that there was nothing I could do to make up for what I had missed while I was sick so they recommend I not finish the current quarter and come back for the next. This made sense to me at the time because the quarters were only 5 weeks and I had missed 3 of them. I still got charged for the classes, I didnt receive a single refund even though I didnt attend a single class due to my illness. 
So I took the rest of the quarter off, I had to dates for the enrollment for the next quarter which was only about 2 weeks after I left. I went up to the school and to my surprise, I couldnt get back into school. They told me that I had exceeded the amount of money that financial aid would give me in loans so I couldnt come back unless I had the cash to pay, I was done, it was over. I spent $ XXXX on an education that did not provide me with what I needed to succeed and I couldnt finish. 
Shortly after that, I moved back in with my mom, I couldnt afford to live on my own. She got me a job at the XXXX XXXX XXXX and I started working as an XXXX  XXXX  making {$9.00} per hour. My loan payments started, I received my first bill and to my surprise, it was nearly {$500.00} per month not the {$50.00} that I was told it would. Turns out the school conveniently left out some information, that {$50.00} was per loan and I had several of them at this point. I was trapped at my moms house making just enough money to pay for my car to get to work and my student loans. I was looking for more work so I could move out of my moms house. I did all kinds of things, I worked as a XXXX  XXXX for XXXX  and XXXX  XXXX. I started making XXXX  XXXX  out of my XXXX  XXXX  and XXXX  it, I got an evening job working for a company that provided XXXX   XXXX for XXXX  XXXX  XXXX. I still didnt make enough money to pay the loans and move out. I ended up living with my mom for 3 years. 
How I moved out of my moms house was dumb luck. I applied for a job as a XXXX  XXXX for a company called XXXX XXXX, I went in for an interview and didnt get hired. The head of human resources liked me a lot but the person in charge of the department thought another candidate was more qualified. 8 months to a year later I got a call from the human resources director, she told me she had been really impressed with me before and wanted to know if I was interested in coming back to interview for the job again because the person that was hired before was leaving already, of course, I said yes! I went back and interviewed again and the head of the department chose someone else for the position, again. The call I got from the human resources person was different this time though. She said that I was turned down again for this job but she did have another opening in the XXXX  XXXX  and wanted to know if I was interested. The job was an XXXX  job, basically doing XXXX   XXXX  and it paid $ XXXX per year. I didnt care what the job was, sign me up! I actually got this job and worked for the company for a year and a half. In XXXX of XXXX I left because I got another job over that paid me $ XXXX more. My new job was at XXXX XXXX XXXX, I was an XXXX  to a XXXX, again doing XXXX  XXXX. 
I never let go of my dream to be a designer  so I started going to book stores to find instructional books on graphic arts and how to use programs. I found these AMAZING books written by XXXX XXXX, she later went on to create XXXX an awesome tutorial website where you can learn just about anything for {$30.00} per month. Her books and website taught me what I should have learned at the XXXX XXXX, they were a godsend! I can not express how grateful I was to discover her books. I learned XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX in less than 6 months and I started freelancing on the side of my full-time job. The cost for me to learn this stuff {$200.00}, thats it! As I am writing this I am shaking my head and trying my best not to cry, on one hand, I am so happy that this amazing woman created these books that provided me with the education I needed to fulfill my dream, on the other hand, I got completely ripped off paying $ XXXX for a useless education that I cant even put on a resume because going to that school is a joke to employers, it makes me extremely sad that I went to the XXXX  XXXX  XXXX. What a waste of time and money for something I learned on my own for {$200.00} in 6 months time. 
I worked at XXXX XXXX XXXX until XXXX of XXXX and the real estate crash  happened. The salesperson I was working for had one client that was really her bread and butter, that client was XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX   XXXX. Needless to say, I lost my job, I got offered a severance package and I had to make a big decision. I knew what was happening, people were losing their jobs all over the place, I knew to find another job was going to be extremely difficult. So I crunched numbers, and I knew I had to leave XXXX XXXX, I couldnt afford to live in the city that I grew up in, the city that I loved. With the money, I got from my severance package and the unemployment that I would receive I could live for 6 months plus pay for a move to XXXX. If I stayed in XXXX  I had 2 months before I was in big trouble financially, I had to leave and it broke my heart. 
XX/XX/XXXX, I arrived at my new apartment in XXXX  XXXX  XXXX. I began looking for work within the first week that I got there after my stuff arrived which I had shipped in a moving container. I had a spreadsheet that I used to keep track of jobs I applied to, so many graphic jobs that I couldnt get because my education was not from a university. That year I applied for over 300 jobs, didnt get one of them. I spent the time I wasnt using to look for full-time work doing freelance gigs to get me by. I started advertising on XXXX  and working with start-up companies making logos and business cards etc. This got me through, I had money to eat and put a roof over my head. I started renting my car out to my neighbor so I could afford to make the car payment. I ended up moving in with a roommate so my rent was only {$400.00} per month. In XXXX my unemployment ran out and I still could not get a job, my student loans defaulted. The loan companies started calling all of my family members and even some of my friends, I was humiliated, it caused problems with some of my family, they were angry with me for the harassment they received, some of those relationships are still not repaired. Especially the one with my Aunt that co-signed on one of my loans. I was XXXX, I felt alone my family was disappointed in me. I felt like an outcast, I didnt see my family for 10 years at this time, first because I couldnt afford the trip, then this happened and I didnt feel welcome anymore. Now I am crying, reliving this as I am writing this is really hard. I had nothing, no money, no support, no family. These loans destroyed my life. My credit was shot I actually got this interview with a company, I went through a test process, interview process and I was so close to getting the job. Then they did a credit check on me, saw the loan default and I was out. There I was XXXX years old making no more money from when I started my education and a bill I couldnt pay that took everything that was important to me way from me. 

Around XXXX a friend of mine approached me asking for custom party designs for her husband 's surprise XXXXXXXX birthday. She sent me a link to a page that was on XXXX. It was a page for digital party supplies that had a golfer theme. I agreed to create it for her which isnt really relevant to this story because what I got out of it was that link. After I did the work for her I investigated the link. That was when I realized this woman was selling digital party files! I thought, Hey, wait a minute, I can do this. In XXXX of XXXX I started my XXXX shop. In XXXX made my first sale within the first week of having my shop up. I was so excited! After the first one, I started getting orders every couple of days. I couldnt believe people liked my designs so much! I was so grateful too, you have no idea! Right before I  created my XXXX shop I had just gotten ripped off by a client, she owed me {$1500.00} and I got nothing. I spent 2 weeks on a project to get {$0.00} for doing it, I was in financial ruins! I had {$37.00} in my bank account and I used {$13.00} of it to start my XXXX shop. I made that {$13.00} back within the first week. In the first 2 months, I had 27 sales and it was during the holidays so I was off to a good start. 

Since then I also found XXXX and started uploading graphics to sell there as well. XXXX and XXXX allowed me to keep getting by. All this time I have always looked for work, sent resumes out, etc. In XXXX of XXXX, now living in XXXX XXXX XXXX  ( The way I ended up in XXXX is XXXX got more expensive so I made another move for cheaper rent ) I got a call for an interview with this company called XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I got the first job that I had in 10 years! Finally, someone hired me! I was making all of {$15.00} per hour I still have my XXXX and XXXX shops on the side so I was actually doing a little better, I even got one of my loans paid off! Then it happened again, the company I was working for wasnt doing well. My full-time job went to part-time in XX/XX/XXXX. Now I am barely getting by, again and sending out resumes, working on my shops trying to bring more money in that way. This job stayed part-time until XXXX when the owner closed the office. I do still work with him doing freelance  work but guess what I am unemployed again! I had 1 job in 10 years ( insert eye-roll ). I had interviews this here with the following companies : XXXX and XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX  XXXX, XXXX   XXXX  XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have been turned down for all of them because as they all say After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that you have not been selected for this position. 20 years later and I am not qualified for full-time XXXX  work because I was not given the proper education. 

You see these loans are not just about the money its so much more than that because of the tactics of the creditors they destroy families. They depress people, they make you feel like you are the scum of society because you cant afford to pay them. They take every opportunity away from you and destroy any chance you have of living a normal life. I am XXXX years old now, I downloaded the details on my loans back in XXXX of this year. I have paid $ XXXX on my loans that started at $ XXXX. Because of the defaults, interest rates, late fees my loans are at $ XXXX. I am even WORSE off than when I started. I do pay some on my loans but I cant afford a lot and I started focusing on 2 loans at a time because its all I can do. The loan that my Aunt  Co-signed on, she paid for a lot of those payments when I was at a time where I could pay nothing, that loan never defaulted so I am paying that one now. I had another one that I just paid off in XXXX of XXXX. So now I started paying on a different loan, I am working on it. I am really doing the best that I can. 
I want people to understand that because I went to this school, I have never gotten a job that has supported me enough to pay the high payments that are needed to stand a chance to pay these loans back. Because of these loans, I can never have children, I have never been in a financial position where I could afford to have a child. Because of these loans, I can never get married, the debt will be passed to my spouse. Because of these loans I will be in debt for the rest of my life. I will never own a home, I will never have a vacation and I will never have a family of my own. I am imprisoned by these loans, XXXX XXXX XXXX took away every single chance I ever had of a normal life. So you see, its not about the money, the things that school took from me are things that money cant buy. 
I am sick over the fact that someone that was born with a silver spoon and worth {$5.00} BILLION is making decisions for people like me. What Ms. XXXX has done is XXXX XXXX, she doesnt have any clue what real life is. I need to make decisions that are good for the students and the taxpayers Okay, I have a resolution for that. Every single executive and business owner that has been involved with STEALING PEOPLES LIVES take all of their money. Garnish their wages, seize their bank accounts, take their tax refunds. They are the thieves STOP PUNISHING US! Take their homes from them, sell those homes and pay the students back! You dont need to take from the students or the taxpayers you need to get the money back from the banks and businesses that took it in the first place. Oh but that would be a bad idea for Ms. XXXX right she has financial interests in this money, I mean what kind of life can you live by only having a couple of billion dollars and only one yacht? That is so horrible, what a terrible live, poor poor XXXX without {$5.00} billion her life would be a tragedy wont it? I am angry about this if you cant tell by my words Ms. XXXX is the modern-day American XXXX XXXX. She sits on one of her 10 yachts drinking champagne and eating caviar while looking down at us peasant, low life students saying let them eat their loans, I am rich so I dont care, dont take my money take it from the lower part of society, my life is worth more than that. I have news for Ms. XXXX, class is not within the money, it's in character and her character ... I have no words to describe the indecency of your character. But my words mean nothing, ha she didn't even care what the federal court said so what I say is nothing, she is above the law, she is the queen, right? So take her to the courtyard and deal with her the way the XXXX  did in XX/XX/XXXX. 

I never thought that this was would be my country, I grew up being proud to be an American and now it makes me sad to say this but I am now ashamed. The things that our leaders are doing to the people of this country, the greed that is poisoning the hearts of the people have created a country that I dont even know anymore. Its time for our leaders to do what is right for the people of this country and prioritize that over their bank accounts ESPECIALLY when their bank accounts contain more money than anyone can spend in their lifetime. You can start by giving us back the money that we deserve to get back. Let me get a start in life, I am XXXX, its now or never I am doing the best that I can and without this relief, I fear I never will get a chance to really live.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation