Consumer complaint received 2018-10-24
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC.
State: CA
Product: Student loan
Sub-product: Private student loan
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Sub-issue: Trouble with how payments are being handled

Complaint:
I was on a repayment plan with Navient in which they auto debited my monthly payments from my checking account. On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX PST, I called Navient customer service and asked that they cancel my XXXX payment of {$120.00} scheduled for the XX/XX/XXXX of that month, due to recent financial difficulties that month. I confirmed that I was only cancelling XXXX and my other payments should remain intact. I have confirmations and dates that I requested the payment be cancelled. When the date came for my normal payment, the payment was processed rather than being cancelled. To avoid getting NSF charges from my bank, I was forced to stop payment on my check since Navient did not cancel my payment as promised. 

I then noticed in XX/XX/XXXX that none of my scheduled payments from Navient had been taken out as they should have been. As soon as I noticed the problem, I called Navient to find out what was going on and make my payment. I was told my account was " black listed '' due to the stop payment and that I needed to get a letter from my bank proving my account. I explained to Navient the error their representative had made and explained I was forced to stop payment due to my negligence. I was still told that I need to get a letter from my bank. I called my bank and was informed that they could not send a letter to Navient to prove my account. When I reported this to Navient they still said I needed to send a letter. Due to this problem with my account, I was not able to make payments through my checking account. I was advised by Navient that I couldn't set up a payment plan on a debit card. Failure on Navient 's end to accept my payment caused my loan to go more than 3 months delinquent. 

When I called Navient on XX/XX/XXXX to make a payment and set up a payment plan. 
I was told my first payment would go through on XX/XX/XXXX. When that payment didn't process, I called Navient on XX/XX/XXXX and was told the payment was processed on Navient 's end and I should wait for my bank to take the money out. When the payment still had not processed by XX/XX/XXXX, I called my bank to ask if they saw an attempted payment of {$120.00} from Navient. My bank advised me they didn't even see an attempt by Navient to make a payment. I called Navient again to follow up again on XX/XX/XXXX again to make a payment, they said they would call me back on XX/XX/XXXX if the payment still had not processed so I could make a payment at that time. 

Navient called me around XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, I answered and was notified that my account had gone to a different " tier '' or " bucket. '' When I spoke with the next customer service representative they said they attempted to process my payment and said the reason for the failed payment is my bank was " unable to locate account. '' When I called my bank, my bank informed me that no payment had even been attempted. If Navient had indeed attempted the payment, my bank would have shown that an attempt was made. So the fact that Navient reports submitted the payment and it comes back " unable to locate account '' is a lie. 

I also received a letter saying my bank rejected a payment but I called my bank and they still don't locate an attempt by Naivent to process a payment. If my bank rejected the payment, my bank would be able to see the attempt to submit the payment by Navient and they do not show that. 

I still can not afford for my credit to be further ruined, so I made a one time payment on my debit card with Navient and explained to them I could not get a letter from my bank. I asked if I could set up a payment plan on my debit card and they said I could but it still would not bring my account current. I need my account to be current. So I was again told they needed a letter and they get these letters all the time. My bank advised me to send a copy of a voided check to Navient and that should work. I asked Navient if I could do that and was told that would not work. If they get these letters all the time from banks, why won't XXXX XXXX provide one? So I will now have to request time off of work to go to my local branch and ask if a letter including my routing and account number and confirming I have a current account can be sent to Navient. This way Navient can remove the restriction on my bank account. If feel that Navient is actively trying to prevent me from making payments so I can go further in arrears and owe them more and more in interest. 

I am frustrated because all of this transpired due to a customer service assistant at Navient didn't properly cancel my payment as they promised. I understand that they need to have policies to prevent people from placing stop payments, but I only placed a stop payment after Navient failed to cancel my payment as I requested. 

I am the only income in my household of 4 people, as my husband was layed off years ago and is having difficulty finding employment. I am trying to get by as it is and keep up with student loan payments. I can only make interest only payments due to the fact that my husband is unemployed. I am struggling to make these payments as it is and Navient continues to make it difficult.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation