Consumer complaint received 2015-05-15
Product: Student loan — Non-federal student loan
Issue: Dealing with my lender or servicer — Having problems with customer service
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC. (IN)

I 've tried for the last XXXX months to work out a lower payment plan with my loan provider, Navient. Every time I called to arrange a smaller payment, they denied me claiming that I had a forbearance left, but in order to do that, I had to pay the {$50.00}, which is just a fee to get them in forbearance and does n't even go towards the loan. I expressed to them that if I had the {$50.00}, I would pay it but I do n't have it. I make slightly above minimum wage, pay all my rent/utilities/insurance myself and they were asking for a payment that was XXXX of my monthly income. The initial representative was very rude and disrespectful. After he refused to help me arrange something, I had asked to speak with a supervisor, in which he then told me that " all the supervisors have left for the day '' ( mind you, this was at XXXX-during business hours ). He then said ... and I quote, " Monster.com is showing over XXXX listings in your area within a XXXX mile radius, sometime people have to settle working a job that 's not in their field. '' Of course, this upset me more. Not only is he insisting that I need a job ( I have a job, the same XXXX for 3 years now, that 's in my field of study ), but he 's also convincing me to work somewhere else, when I 'm {$67000.00} in debt from a college education. Why XXXX would I work fast food or work for minimum wage, when I 'm qualified to do more. That 's just ignorant. Maybe if I was jobless, I could understand but I 'm not. I was n't asking to stop making loan payments, I was simply asking for Navient to lower my loan payments to an amount that I can manage so they do n't go in default. After multiple attempts to do this and numerous phone calls to Navient, they always had a reason on why they could n't lower my payments. I obviously wanted to avoid default, but to no avail I was stuck sending them the minimum amount that I could afford, which was $ XXXX/month. The loans ended up going in default anyways and continued to acquire late payment fees all because they refused to work with me on my financial hardship. Finally, after trying for at least 6 months to get a lower payment, one representative connected me with a supervisor who was able to set me up on arrangement for $ XXXX/month ( which was the lowest ) for 12 months. By this time, I had already reported them to the XXXX obviously due to my frustrations and horrible service. They should have been able to better assist me in my hardships from the very first phone call. After successfully making the first payment, I had again contacted Navient to get a letter of verification of my payment plan in order for me to send to the Department of Social Services. I needed to provide verification of the amount in which I pay, and the percentage of the payment that goes to interest, the loan itself and the fees. Again, I was given the run around by the employees, in which this time they claimed that I wo n't get verification until after making XXXX successful payments. I currently still receive a monthly bill in the same amount of the original payment, the bill in no way reflects what the plan that they supposedly put me on, thus not giving me any verication to send the state. Navient had caused extreme distress for me, not only mentally but it 's pure exhaustion having to deal with a rude, disrespectful, unwilling, insufficient company and it 's employees that lack empathy and understanding. Before XXXX switched over to Navient, I never had problems. Since the switch, Navient and it 's employees behaviors are appalling. For a company that has complete control over my financial obligation and student loans, they have the absolute worst customer service and have done nothing to better my financial obligation and help with my situation. The fees that they are charging me to take care of my loans, is upsetting to say the least, when it comes to the kind of service I am, and have been receiving from Navient