Consumer complaint received 2024-06-19
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Received bad information about your loan
Company: Maximus Federal Services, Inc. (NY)

This is not a normal problem. Please read this in its entirety, because my issue is timely, and is out of my control. I busted my XXXX to get everything completed on time. I did everything requested of me, and my loan consolidation is not being worked on. It is literally sitting there, just sitting there. I am at their mercy In XXXX, I worked for a hospital and qualified for PSLF. I had Parent Plus loans that my daughter promised to pay-back but disappeared on me as soon as she moved out of the house, so I consolidated all my loans in XXXX for PSLF.

With the SAVE Program, because of the Parent Plus loans I was not eligible for SAVE. Then I read something about a double consolidation late this past winter and sent StudentAid.gov my consolidation of my loans. ( A double consolidation is when you take all the loans that are consolidated, but still listed as separate sub-loans and turn them into one loan. This is necessary if you have Paren Plus, which is not eligible for SAVE. Info on this can extensively be found all over the web. ) However, mine was immediately denied, because Aidvantage ( their student loan consolidation department for StudentAid. gov ) said my loans were already consolidated, and I needed a loan that was not already consolidated. They also told me my loans could not be unconsolidated. It was a done deal. I resigned myself that this was not going to go any further. 

I made an attempt to try to get them unconsolidated and wrote to a local XXXX XXXX, with my story back in early XXXX, and there was no movement on this, or so it would seem. Then one day out of the blue I got a bill from XXXX, and then XXXX. 

I could not get ahold of a human anywhere to find out what was happening, so I called Aidvantage again and they confirmed my loans were now unconsolidated. At least one of them was. I now had XXXX with one Parent Plus loan, and the rest were still with XXXX. I was told since I just sent in a consolidation, I could not electronically consolidate again, but that they were sending me XXXXwo applications to mail back. ( They specifically said mail. ) One to consolidate the Parent Plus loan, which they said could be consolidated by itself and another for when that was approved, to consolidate everything together. 

It took about two-weeks, and I got these forms in the mail. I filled out the one for the Parent Plus loan and mailed it return receipt. I got a return receipt dated XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX confirming it arrived at Aidvantage XXXX and stamped by Maximus , their parent company name. I called that Monday, and there was a rep who argued that they only had the application from XXXX. I finally got a supervisor there who confirmed my new application was on file, apologized for the person I was previosly speaking to, and told me to wait about two weeks and I should receive a letter in the mail telling me if it was approved. When I was to get the letter, I can ask for them to end the 10-day hold, whatever that meant, so I could complete the application for the second consolidation I needed to get SAVE. 

I called last Monday XX/XX/XXXX to see what was happening and got a rep saying the only loan consolidation I have was from XXXX. After calling back a few times, someone finally allowed me to speak to a supervisor who found the consolidation from XX/XX/XXXX. The Supervisors name was XXXX XXXX I told her I am now getting more bills from both XXXX and XXXX and they were supposed to be on hold while the loans were being consolidated. She told me it was in a different file since I actually had mailed the consolidation in the mail, and no one has seen it or worked on it. She alerted a different department and told me to call back last Thursday which was XX/XX/XXXX and ask for her to see if there was any action on this. 

Thursday XX/XX/XXXX, I called Aidvantage back, and the rep I got on the phone did not want to put me through to XXXX XXXX who had told me to ask to speak to her directly when I spoke to her on XX/XX/XXXX. When she finally did put me through, XXXX XXXX told me she had checked already that day and it was still sitting there, and nothing had been done. I asked her if I can just email the application this time, since she had told me mailing it in snail mail was probably the issue. She told me no, that this would create duplicates and then they will both be denied. She then told me she would try to push it up to the other department again, and told me if she hears anything Friday XX/XX/XXXX or on XX/XX/XXXX, she will call me. Otherwise, for me to call her on XX/XX/XXXX and we will figure out something and I may have to apply all over again, which means my consolidations I fought so hard will not be in on time, and all in vain, since the deadline for me to have BOTH applications completed to get loan forgiveness has a deadline of XX/XX/XXXX. I still have the other consolidation to do once this one was to have been approved! 

I did not hear anything, so I called her again on either day, so I called her on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX XXXX told me that nothing has been done, that she ran it up to her supervisors, and that they looked over my paperwork and it appeared to be filled out correctly, but no one knows why there is no action being taken on my loan. She said it could be something to do with XXXX, but Aidvantage doesnt have the ability to know what is happening, so my loan consolidation is just sitting there and not being worked on. She told me since XX/XX/XXXX is the holiday, to call back on XX/XX/XXXX. 

I am a XXXX XXXX XXXX, and have XXXX ( found out at XXXX old ). I have a XXXX in XXXX and XXXX XXXX and a XXXX XXXX in XXXX. I am trying desperately to find employment right now and I can not make payments as I am currently unemployed. Even when I do find employment, it has never been XXXX XXXX level work because of my XXXX. But Aidvantage does have the paperwork for my first consolidation, so I should not even be getting bills. They have everything they need. They are just not doing anything. 

I also feel like I am chasing my tail, and even if this consolidation is approved before the XX/XX/XXXX federal deadline, I still have the other consolidation to do. In my opinion, I would ask for special circumstances and allow me to also be able to turn in the second consolidation to receive SAVE and whatever other loan forgiveness everyone else would be having if they got their loan consolidations in before the deadline. None of this is my fault. I have done everything right.