Consumer complaint received 2024-01-30
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company: EdFinancial Services (DC)

Recap : XXXX refuses to send my payment refund request to the Department of Education or Treasury. They will not provide me an update or documentation of the status or details of the request. They also will not respond to XXXX 's request for information. XXXX website and contact form has proven to have issues as they do not confirm receipt of contact form messages, do not provide any sort of reponse to most messages, and their their auto-pay feature does not work. They have also failed to respond to XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX. I need them to take action in a reasonable and clear time frame. 

Key Dates and Actions : XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  I made a payment of {$30000.00} to XXXX. 

XX/XX/XXXX, I made a payment of {$12000.00} to XXXX, Payment Confirmation # : XXXX Payment Confirmation # : XXXX 

XX/XX/XXXX, I messaged XXXX using their XXXX XXXX form to request a refund and inquire about XXXX information. The form was located at https : //customercareform.edfinancial.com/. 

XX/XX/XXXX : I received a billing statement, with no history of recent payments. On the first page, the Last Payment Received listed {$0.00}. And the Loan detail page, for all loans, included Loan XXXX, listed Payment Received as {$0.00} and Last Payment Date as XX/XX/XXXX. This lead me to believe my refund request was in the process of being reversed. See screenshots below : XX/XX/XXXX I used the contact form again to follow up on the refund and ask for my payment history. 

XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke with an EdFinancial representative named XXXX who said they had not documented my request. 

XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX I spoke with EdFinancial representative named XXXX who said he documented the request and sent it to XXXX XXXX. He said after loan servicing processes it, it will be sent to XXXX of XXXX, who then sends it to Treasury. 

XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  : I called and requested a supervisor. They say they put in the request and the supervisor will call back within XXXX. I never received a call back. 

XX/XX/XXXX : I talked to the XXXX Ombudsman. They escalated my case with them in hopes of resolving it before my loans are transferred to XXXX for XXXX. They also advised that EdFinancial is responsible for submitting the refund request and does not need Dept. of Educations permission to submit it. They do not know why EdFinancial is failing to submit the request. 

XX/XX/XXXX : Called into EdFinancial. The representative hung up on me or the call got disconnected. They did not call me back. 

XX/XX/XXXX : Later that same day, i called EdFinancial again. An EdFinancial staff member reviewed my request and assured me the refund would be processed and returned to my account. She said it with absolute certainty and confidence that it would be refunded, even if it was after my loans were transferred or consolidated. That I should just wait 30 days and then call back. She said to be safe, maybe call back " in XXXX or XXXX we'll have an update. '' I asked her if EdFinancial handles the refund request after I transfer to XXXX. She confirmed yes. However, I would later be advised on XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  that I should re-request it through XXXX. 


XX/XX/XXXX : My loans were listed as {$0.00} in EdFinancials site and began transferring to XXXX. EdFinancial reps began telling me the refund would still pending and with their XXXX team. 

XX/XX/XXXX I spoke with an EdFinancial rep who suggested I compile documentation of my request dating back to my efforts since XX/XX/XXXX. She advised that the XXXX XXXX department was not submitting the request to Dept of Education at this time. Either because they didn't think they would approve it and XXXX aren't processing refunds at this time. Regardless, I felt I had a right to timely processing of my requests. 

XX/XX/XXXX At the advice of an EdFinancial rep, I compiled the documentation Ive tracked over the last few months and shared it with EdFinancial via their customer service inbox at XXXX This included key steps taken, forms submitted, calls logged, and internet history, along with additional notes of activities in a spreadsheet. 

XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  I received a supervisor callback from XXXX, a supervisor at EdFinancial. XXXX advised me they did not yet have access to the documentation I sent by email on XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  and that it may take up to 30 days to be processed by email. XXXX suggested I may need to process the refund through XXXX, but could call EdFinancial until my case is formally closed. He advised me that my many reasons for a refund request were typically permissible and had approved refunds for similar reasons in the past, under covid forebearance pause, before the pause and even after the covid pause. But something to do with the covid pause was making it more challenging to approve and process. 

XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  : I received an email response from EdFinancial to my XX/XX/XXXX email, advising me they received the documentation but that I would now need to process the refund through XXXX because they are now my loan servicer. 

XX/XX/XXXX : I spoke with XXXX at the XXXX ombudsman office. She confirmed that I should resubmit my refund request to XXXX for processing, with specific mention that my refund request was first submitted on XXXX XXXX XXXX prior to the XX/XX/XXXX deadline. She also suggested I document EdFinancials response on my open case with XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

XX/XX/XXXX I emailed XXXX at XXXX to provide documentation and formally re-request the refund. 

XX/XX/XXXX I spoke with XXXX rep who said they were waiting on response from EdFinanical, and/or for EdFinanical to submit the request to dept. of XXXX or treasury. I advised her that I've been waiting since XX/XX/XXXX from my original request, and since XX/XX/XXXX since my FSA complaint. I don't think EdFinancial is likely to process it or provide the information they desire. 

XX/XX/XXXX I called EdFinanical and their system hung up on me twice. I was unable to get through to a representative.