Consumer complaint received 2018-05-30
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC.
State: GA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Private student loan debt
Issue: False statements or representation
Sub-issue: Attempted to collect wrong amount

Complaint:
From XX/XX/XXXX until XX/XX/XXXX, the total amount that I had borrowed from Sallie Mae totaled {$64000.00}, over six individual private loans ( with the average interest around 8.5 % ). I graduated college in XX/XX/XXXX and after the " recent-graduate '' allowed deferment period, I began making routine payments on the loans. In XX/XX/XXXX, I called Sallie Mae to see if I could remove my co-signer off the loan and just have the loans in my name. They instructed me that the only way to do this was to consolidate my loans with myself as the sole borrower. I contacted several other lenders to see if I could consolidate or re-finance my loans at reasonable rates ( under 7 % ), but none would touch them since they were private and not federal loans. 
With no other option, I went ahead with the consolidation with Sallie Mae. At this point in time I had already paid {$1900.00} toward the initial loans. They raised my interest rate to 9.75 % and tacked on an additional {$10000.00} in fees & interest. My new loan balance was now {$73000.00} Again I began making routine payments on the loan. Things were going smooth for the most part. Sallie Mae even worked with me to get me into a program to reduce my interest and I saw my principal balance start going down. There were several different repayment options that were made available to me to choose from. My loan was in good standing when in XX/XX/XXXX, Sallie Mae turned over/transitioned my loan over Navient. Shortly after they took over my loan, I was removed from my automatic payment program that I was enrolled in with Sallie Mae. I called to try to make arrangements with them directly because the nearly {$700.00} that they raised my monthly payment to was astronomical and I physically did not have the income to afford it. I was confronted on the phone with hostility and combativeness by several agents when I was trying to make arrangements. 
I contacted a non-profit debt relief agency who managed to get me into a 13-month program to have {$370.00} a month withdrawn directly toward my loan. After this period ended in XX/XX/XXXX, the debt relief agency said I was denied for extension when they tried. I again called Navient to resolve the issue and see what my options were. I was refused extension and not given any alternative program to make payment. The agent on the phone was rude and curt.  When I asked about settlement options she said " You can settle by paying us what you owe us '', then followed it up by saying that my only option was to " default on the loan and be put into their Default program ''. When I asked for a detailed report of how much I paid on the loan from inception I was denied. She told me my loan payments would go back to $ XXXX/month immediately. 
After 3 months of not being able to make payments, they sold my debt off to a debt collector. The collector said my balance owed was over {$80000.00} and had no detailed information on my account. Since then the debt has been written off and sold 3 times over. My records indicate that since XX/XX/XXXX, I have paid {$46000.00} ( {$1900.00} + {$44000.00} ) toward the initial loan. Currently the debt is shown as closed and written off on their end. But they continue to report monthly on the loan as LATE, which has driven my credit score down 200+ points and made any type of settlement or refinance impossible. Either there needs to be a more accurate amount of remaining balance owed or this needs to be stricken from my report. This is extortion in every sense of the word.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation