Consumer complaint received 2022-09-11
Company: Nelnet, Inc.
State: WI
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Received bad information about your loan

Complaint:
I was in IDR with Nelnet. I filled out a loan consolidation with an IDR uploaded to student aid.gov. I decided to wait to consolidate to make sure I wouldnt lose any credit toward PSLF or IDR FORGIVENESS. Nelnet said that my FFEL loans were due for a new IDR in XXXX. I logged into my Nelnet online account several times and it said that I was currently in the IDR, my payment had been {$0.00}. They increased it, but it didnt show online, because they didnt process the IDR in student aid.gov. It didnt show a payment due online until XXXX of XXXX. They had sent letters, but online should be correct. According to them it wasnt, and the snail mail letters were correct. That makes no sense. Nelnet reported me 90 days past due in XXXX because even though it said that I was still in an IDR, they had raised the payment, and didnt process the IDR sitting in studentaid.gov. Logging in to student aid.gov it said that I was not due for an IDR recertification until XX/XX/XXXX. Nelnet also said on their introduction page that IDR recertifications were extended out another year, besides having completed four of them over the past year. I immediately went in and consolidated my loans sending them to XXXX, then printed off the IDR application that Nelnet sent me, and while filling that out, they said that they received my application for IDR through my consolidation request. The exact same request and IDR application had been filled out in XX/XX/XXXX before the first IDR on my file even expired, and neither chose Nelnet as the new servicer, however both applications alerted them of my application in which the IDR is attached. They had not processed either yet, and my online account still showed that my next payment was not due until XX/XX/XXXX. I had screen shot this in XXXX. When I called and inquired why that was the case if I had not yet sent in the new IDR they sent me, they said they used the IDR application from my request to consolidate and that they had changed it in the system already, but they definitely had not! When they finally did change it, they updated it to read XX/XX/XXXX. Claiming that it was updated to XX/XX/XXXX before they even processed my request, but I have pictures proving that it was like that previously. So, their online account said I wasnt due for a payment, and in the IDR program, but they had increased the payment from the {$0.00} payment and then said I was 3 months late. Then in student aid.gov the system that Nelnet tells you to use in their directions on their site to update your IDR, it said that I was not due until next year, and there was also an application with a new IDR dated XXXX, XXXX. Nelnet reported me 90 days late on 9 accounts dropping me XXXX points on my credit report now! They refuse to fix it and wont budge or accept any responsibility for it, even though I got the last customer service rep after two hours on the phone, to admit that the online account was wrong because she told me that I had to go by the letters, not the online account., because that more accurate. No, its because thats what says what she needs it to say. If it were the other way around she would say the letters were wrong and the online account was right. I had her all twisted up on the phone, trying not to admit their wrong, but they absolutely refuse to fix any of their mistakes. This seems to be the norm for them. I have since consolidated with XXXX and it had been reported back to good standing before it was closed, but the 90 plus day late payment history remains on all nine accounts. Ive disputed them at least 7 times now and Ive filed a report with student aid, which I have not heard back from. Everyone seems to just regurgitate the same information that they get from Nelnet without investigation. I actually disputed all nine of them the same night with XXXX, at XXXXXXXX XXXX on a Saturday night, and received a dispute resolved notice back from them, validating the 90 days late from Nelnet within a half hour of the claims being filed. Clearly there was no investigation done by the credit bureaus. Its a scam, there is no such thing as consumer protection and no investigations have been done. Its whatever the servicer says, and thats written in stone and has just destroyed my credit for the next 7 years, continuing to put me into a class of economic hardships that I cant dig out of. I had just spent the last seven years repairing my credit, and now this is where I am again, in one day. Why would they wait 90 days and then report it? If it was reported at 30 days it would have least been sorted out and saved me such a huge hit on my credit report with the additional 18 missed payments they claim that I have, that I clearly dont. This is how people lose their XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation