Consumer complaint received 2024-02-08
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Received bad information about your loan
Company: EdFinancial Services (TN)

My experience incoming... Bad that my servicer even took over XXXX bucks from me supposedly while in forbearance. 

My loans are held by EdFinancial and I received my approval letter for discharge under the automatic group XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX back in XXXX XXXX. At that point I was super stoked. Then the letters for repayment and that my loan was declined for debt relief started rolling in. Every letter I got I did my do diligence and contacted EdFinancial. I was always told that it would happen " in phases '' and " not to worry '' as they could see a note on my account about my borrowers defense. Now mind you I have been on forbearance for a LONG time. This also includes my former servicer XXXX XXXX stopping work with the Dept. of Education and pushing me to EdFinancial. 

So now we come to XXXX this last year and I talked to a lady from EdFinancial because I am STILL getting repayment notices. She states something didn't look quite right. She calls over to another department, speaks with them for a moment and states she is escalating the issue with another department as she was seeing conflicting information. 10 Business days and I should here something via email/snail mail as to the findings of this " research '' and what they are doing about it. So knowing they are super swamped I decide to give them some extra time thinking, I'm in forbearance so let them get their ducks in a row. That was my first mistake. Since my banking info hasn't changed I was auto drafted my first payment of over {$450.00} while I am out XXXXXXXX XXXX shopping ( where me and my wife do all our XXXX shopping for our XXXX kids ) no less. 

The calls to EdFinancial and Borrowers Defense started at a frenzied pace. I'll save you most of this and just say this. After many calls, escalations, EdFinancial promising to call me back and almost never doing it, requesting a refund for my errant payment, escalating the refund, I am still waiting as " accounting is swamped and no one can speak to them. '' Was told that even if I had to wait I should receive that money back with my debt discharge at the end of XXXX. Here I am in XXXX with nothing. 

Since I was getting the run around and empty promises from my servicer I decided to put in a case with the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman. The ever hard to talk to or get an answer from. Guess what? My case is still open from the end of XXXX with no response from them either. 

At this point I've stopped calling because it gets me nowhere except XXXX. Can't get a refund of the money they took or relief. 

Here are the facts : 1. Received Approval for Sweet vs Cardona discharge XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX is a part of " Exhibit C '' making me a part of the " Automatic Group '' 3. Received a letter from EdFinancial in XX/XX/XXXX and now XX/XX/XXXX stating XXXX. That no loans they held were covered by my borrowers defense claim that was denied XXXX. And they were to credit XXXX amount XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  due to the length of time it took to reach a decision XXXX. BTW they are referencing the " Trump Era '' where they just sat on these things and didn't work them. 
XXXX. I've called EVERY time I received a letter from EdFinancial between XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX as it never matched my approval. 
XXXX. I was charged over {$450.00} on XX/XX/XXXX due to 1. Old Autopay in system XXXX. In XX/XX/XXXX a supervisor from EdFinancial confirmed that I've been in Forbearance again since XX/XX/XXXX and blamed the autopayment on a " glitch '' where I can off forbearance and back on XXXX. Was declined a refund as " my borrowers defense case was declined. '' XXXX. Another agent understood what was going on and put in a refund request and a supervisor callback XXXX. I put in a Feedback ticket with the Department of Education Ombudsman office XX/XX/XXXX. 
XXXX. Went through and waited the exact amount of days stated in their literature before contacting them again. 
XXXX. Took several contacts to them to even get the " confirmation email '' and be able to update my case via the website. 
XXXX. When calling the number for them sometimes you get the Ombudsman office and sometimes you get a regular agent who will always state, " There is no direct number for the Ombudsman office. '' XXXX. I've never received a response from them yet. 
XXXX. On a supervisor callback with EdFinancial several days later they put the refund in " Emergency Status '' XXXX. This is where it has stayed. 
XXXX. Due to the " restart of repayment '' and " requests for refunds '' no ETA can be given XXXX. Even with my discharge date passed per the Sweet vs Cardona settlement they can not give me any new information XXXX. Back in XX/XX/XXXX I contacted Borrowers Defense at the request of my servicer. 
XXXX. They stated it had been approved XXXX. Information had been sent to my servicer XXXX. Last information on my case was updated on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. They can not do anything and to contact my servicer. 
XXXX. " Magically '' when I called my servicer back they " saw the updated information '' which I thought was funny XXXX. I am coming up on my year anniversary of getting my approval which under the " Decision Group '' rules of the case I should have relief by then but I shouldn't have to wait for that. 
XXXX. I've put in a " Sweet Automatic Relief Group Deadline Survey '' with the Non-Profit group Project on Predatory Student Lending who is supposed to be overseeing this settlement. 
XXXX. Of course no response or even a confirmation that they received the completed form. Just a blank web page that says, " Thank you! '' XXXX. Hope it works. 

I am trying my best to follow whatever guidelines that were set before me but this is getting ridiculous.