Consumer complaint received 2024-09-30
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Received bad information about your loan
Company: Nelnet, Inc. (FL)

I am writing to formally express my dissatisfaction with the management of my student loans under Nelnet, as well as previous loan servicers Great Lakes and XXXX XXXX. I have encountered numerous issues regarding inaccurate advice, failure to provide appropriate repayment options, and lack of customer support, all of which have caused significant financial strain. 

Firstly, I have been employed by a XXXX XXXX XXXX  for nearly 10 years in the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Despite this, I was incorrectly told that I am ineligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) program because I am not a classroom teacher. However, the rules for PSLF clearly state that full-time employees of qualifying public service organizations, including XXXX XXXX, are eligible for forgiveness. I believe this information was a serious error, and I request that my employment status be reconsidered for PSLF eligibility.

In addition, instead of being placed in an income-driven repayment ( IDR ) plan as I requested, I was twice placed in forbearance for three-year termsonce before consolidation and once after. This forbearance was presented to me as the only alternative to a {$3400.00} monthly payment, which is more than I make in a single paycheck and 55 % of my income OR I was told I could file for bankruptcy to pay my other debt in order to have funds to pay my student loans, which isn't reasonable or applicable as I don't qualify for bankruptcy since they won't count student loan debt. I was not adequately informed about the negative consequences of forbearance on my progress toward PSLF or IDR forgiveness. It is my understanding that recent changes in federal guidelines now recognize that forbearance was misused in many cases, and I request that my forbearance periods be retroactively counted toward both IDR and PSLF forgiveness. 

Since my loans were transferred to Nelnet, I have been unable to reach customer service. During the XXXX pandemic, I attempted to contact support XXXX times, spending a total of XXXX hours on hold, only to be disconnected or transferred repeatedly without resolution. I have yet to receive a bill from Nelnet, but the Federal Student Aid website shows that I am considered late. I was told that forbearance time would be applied automatically, but this has not occurred, and my account still does not reflect my IDR request.

I am also deeply concerned about the accuracy of my loan balances. With multiple loan servicer transitions ( from Great Lakes to XXXX XXXX and now to Nelnet ), I believe some loans may have been duplicated or mismanaged. I request proof of all promissory notes to verify the accuracy of my loan amounts and terms. 

I have been unable to register an online account with Nelnet and therefore I am unable to email them directly. I can not reach them by phone. 

I have attempted to revise my XXXXDR plan on the student aid website and receive an error message that does not let me submit my application. This is an ongoing issue.

I have received an email from the Department of Education saying that I have missed one or more payments, but when I sign into my account with studentaid.gov it shows that I am in forbearance.

In light of these issues, I ask for the following actions from my service provider : Application of forbearance periods toward forgiveness : Please review my account and retroactively apply my XXXX three-year forbearance periods toward both PSLF and IDR forgiveness.

Immediate placement into an income-driven repayment plan : I request that my account be transitioned into the appropriate IDR plan immediately, as this should have been done months ago as part of the onboarding transition. Any status showing as late should be corrected as I am in forbearance currently. 

My PSLF application should be accepted and any adjustments made as necessary for covid and forbearance as I was incorrectly told I wasn't eligible. 

Account audit and proof of promissory notes : Please provide me with an audit of my account and copies of my original promissory notes to ensure the accuracy of my loans. 

Customer support resolution : I request assistance in addressing the numerous failed attempts to reach customer support and the lack of follow-through on my requests.