Consumer complaint received 2017-05-19
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC. (CA)

Issue : Navient has not followed my instructions on applying my extra payments XX/XX/XXXX. Navient associate told me that there is no record of the instructions I provided on three occasions in XX/XX/XXXX. Background : The standing account instructions I provided Navient for handling extra payments originated from CFPB 's sample letter on the agency 's blog : https : //www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/consumer-advisory-stop-getting-sidetracked-by-your-student-loan-servicer/ Timeline below -- -- - XX/XX/XXXX -- I submit my payment instructions to Navient by mail. XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX - I called to confirm that my standing account instructions for handling extra payments had been received and properly applied to my account. Navient associate informed me that instructions were not received and he directed me to submit my instruction letter through upload.navient.com. Associate then told me that he retroactively applied my instructions to previous two periods. XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX -- I called again to confirm Navient received the document with my instructions which I sent through their site. Navient confirmed receipt of document and associate informed me that my instructions would be applied to most recent payment no later than XX/XX/XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX -- I received email confirmation that Navient received my document which detailed my standing payment instructions for handling extra payment. XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX -- I called to verify whether my overage payments were properly applied. I expected to see a reduction in my minimum payment aligning with how I instructed my extra payments to be handled. Navient associate informed me that there was an " error '', so the request was not processed. Navient associate resubmitted my instruction request and and told me that it should be in place within 72 hours. I asked associate to email me once the process has been completed. -- ( Email confirmation from associate to confirm completion of the process never received ) XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX -- I called to verify whether interest accrues daily or monthly and also called to confirm whether my standing instructions for handling extra payments were properly applied since XX/XX/XXXX.  Associate confirmed interest accrued daily. Associate also informed me that there was no record of my standing instructions in Navient 's account notes for me. As a result, my instructions were not applied for XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX. I sent a screenshot of email which confirmed receipt of document I sent in XX/XX/XXXX. I resent instructions through inbox portal as instructed by Navient associate. Associate told me that all prior payments of $ XXXX amount will be adjusted to align with my instructions. -- -- It is incredibly frustrating that Navient makes the process of putting extra money toward my student loans so difficult. This has been the latest of a string of issues ( incorrectly direct debiting from my account for their program and adding friction to repayment by demanding I call in every payment to have my extra payment manually adjusted ) I 've had with Navient since XX/XX/XXXX when I started paying extra toward my loans. Had I not checked to verify that Navient followed my payment instructions sent in XX/XX/XXXX, Navient 's actions to apply my extra payments equally across all my students loans instead of directing my payments toward the loan with the highest interest rate and lowest balance would have cost me more in interest and prolonged repayment.