Consumer complaint received 2022-11-02
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Problem with customer service
Company: MOHELA (WI)

My experience with MOHELA since I was forced to move my student loans from my previous service provider to them due to the XXXX Waiver program has been an extremely poor and a profoundly stressful experience. I'll try to keep this as short but also as descriptive as possible. My previous loan service provider had approved me for my XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX of XXXX which would allow me to participate in the XXXX program. I have documentation to validate this. Then I was forced to move my loans to MOHELA due to them being designated through the Biden Administration as the providers who will be servicing those who applied for the XXXX program. At first, things were OK, after a month or so I received my payment tracking which showed how many payments I had credited through the waiver program to my loan and which ones needed to have employment verification yet, which I sent to them. All my employment from XXXX to present date was approved, and I had XXXX consecutive months of forbearance, in which I was not in school, that I was told would be applied towards my account after the XXXX Waiver ended on XX/XX/XXXX. However, when the loan was transferred, they did not carry over my approval for the XXXX payment plan which I need to be able to make qualifying payments to the XXXX program. I called them, please understand that during this time, around XXXX or so, the wait times were maybe about XXXX minutes, irritating, but manageable. That staff person said that they could do the application for the XXXX  payment plan over the phone and thats what I did. She read off the plans and since shes the representative I assumed that she was the expert in this area so I trusted her feedback and we continued with the application. She said it would show up on my online account within XXXX business days, meaning my $ XXXX payment would now show the estimated {$220.00} payment/month. This didnt happen. I called back. Wait time was about XXXX minutes. The gentleman on the line stated that there was nothing to worry about. I then looked at my documents section in my account and it showed denied for the XXXX application. I NEVER received an email stating this, I only ran across this when I looked at my documents tab. He stated pretty much that they are just behind and that it just got pushed back but that it would be processed soon. I waited for about 2-3 weeks and nothing. So I called back, this wait time was about 1 hour 20 minutes. The woman was pleasant and really seemed like she wanted to help and understood my frustration at this point. She stated that the original staff person that filled out my verbal application over the phone stated that I refused to give them my spouses financial info. My spouse and filed separately, and I do not have access to her information. I told them this when I did the application but they did not enter it correctly. So they re-entered the re-application for the XXXX program. This was on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I received a message on my MOHELA account stating that I was denied. At this point I put in my application for the XXXX plan, a plan which I understand that Ill pay a lot more per month, but at least the application would be in the processing stage before the XX/XX/XXXX deadline hit. Understand that I was told by their customer service rep that as long as it was submitted before the XX/XX/XXXX deadline it would be OK, which it was. Now the date of me writing this narrative is XX/XX/XXXX, so about 2-3 weeks ago, my account no longer showed the payment tracker. I have photocopies from when the tracker was up that I had 66 payments applied so far with an additional 10 that were eligible but just needed the employment verification filled out, which I did, and submitted this on XX/XX/XXXX. Over the last XXXX weeks, Ive placed NUMEROUS calls to MOHELA. I was able to make contact with 5 staff members over a one-month period. Please understand I was on hold for well over two hours on every attempt, and I made SEVERAL attempts over this period of time, way more than just the 5 times I was actually able to connect to somebody. The first one did my verbal application incorrectly. The second one stated that it would all be good, it was just taking a while to process my XXXX application. The third one, resubmitted my application and was pleasant to work with. The fourth one told me immediately she was in training, I was on hold for 2 hours and 37 minutes to get herthen after about 20 minutes she said her supervisor was contacted and would contact XXXX contacted me. The fourth one, also in training, with screaming babies in the background during our conversation, could not give me any answers that I could not find on the MOHELA website, she also said she was going to transfer me to another Deptthen I was on hold for about 43 minutes, and then cut off. Now Ive filed complaints with The XXXX XXXX XXXX, my local congressman, my State Senator and the XXXX XXXX XXXX. MOHELA responded to my complaint from the XXXX and their fix was that they said their customer advocacy center was going to contact me within the next several business days. OK, understand that Ive made several attempts to already contact their customer advocacy center and encountered the same thing, ridiculous hold times and I get cut off. Along with their apologetic language in their response, they said Im welcome to reach out to their customer advocacy center or go into my online account to get more informationhhhhmmmmm.I file a complaint with one of my major complaints being that I CAN NOT make contact with anyone at MOHELA because of the ridiculous wait times, or I get cut off with no call backbut they invite me to contact them or go into my account to get more information. So their fix is to try to make contact with their customer advocacy center, where I did try three times over two days, first estimated wait XXXX minutes.second, 113 minutes.and then by some divine intervention I call at XXXX XXXX XXXX  timeits one minute estimated wait time, this was this morning, XXXX minutes later, nothing, still on hold.i had to hang up and go into work. Now Ive made SEVERAL attempts to try to call.before work, after work, on Saturdays.NOTHING. I sent XXXX messages through their MOHELA website on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, one on XX/XX/XXXX, one on XX/XX/XXXX, and two on XX/XX/XXXX. After I sent the message their auto response stated that it takes up to three ( 3 ) business days to get a response. XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX were more than XXXX business days ago. Ive asked them to just PLEASE give me information on why my tracking has disappeared, why their automated phone system stated that I have XXXX, NO, payments credited to my loan, and I NEED answers to my questions regarding the XXXX application process. Now.the XXXX  application is very confusion. I was denied in XXXX of this year.found out I was denied just by chance, was never notified via message. Then I reapplied on XX/XX/XXXX, was notified on XX/XX/XXXX that it was denied through a message in my inbox in my account.however, in my uploaded documents section, it still says processing.so one place on the site says denied, one place says processing.so now this raises more questions.if my SECOND application for the REPAYE is still processing, then whats going to happen because I also now have an application for the XXXX thats active and processing as well? ... ... this should be able to be cleared up with a simple phone call to MOHELA.IF I COULD EVER GET THROUGH TO TALK TO SOMEBODY! This is the issue. Its this constant round and round. MOHELA does not respond, does not call back, and has done almost nothing but cause me and my family extreme stress over these last few months, and to me its ABSOLUTE LUNACY how this can continue? Who is here to protect people like me? There have been letters sent to MOHELA from XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and other letters sent on XX/XX/XXXX to MOHELA from the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX that support what Im struggling with when it comes to dealing with MOHELA. These are easily accessible through a simple online search. Im grateful to the Administration in their attempts to rectify the XXXX  program and fix the issues that have plagued this program for years, however, if the service provider that we were all FORCED to move our loans to is allowed to continue with this carelessness when those who they are supposed to SERVE are left wondering what their financial future is going to be.it is absolutely asinine and I would expect more in todays day and age. 
P.S. I have printed/downloaded documentation that supports every claim that Ive made in this letter.