Consumer complaint received 2024-04-02
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company: Nelnet, Inc. (NH)

I set up auto payments with Nelnet student loans. Auto payments were canceled by them. I shouldve had interest-rate reduction set in place when auto payments were put in. When I realize there was no interest rate reduction applied to my account I tried to send correspondence because whole times were inordinately long. And I couldnt get a response through email, despite submitting all the appropriate information so I sat on hold, and I finally talked to somebody and they said that the interest rate reduction had been applied which is great. However, anytime that I have been trying to make extra payments lately their website has substantial issues with logging in. My username has not changed. My password has not changed. This information is saved in my browser for convenience, and I check my balance a few times a week and throw extra money at my payments as much as possible. The XXXX factor authentication code needs to be sent for you to login every time you attempt to access your account now that website now has issues generating that XXXX factor authentication code even though all my contact information has remained the same throughout the duration of the servicing time. 
When you contact them through the phone number, theres often a wait time if you try to use their chat, but theres no way to get an answer to this type of situation. It just directs you to try and login on the log page which you cant do if you try to use their contact us by email section it wont let you access it unless you can login and if you are having a XXXX factor authentication code issue, you literally can not contact them and you are forced to sit on hold and wait. They should have a better chat or chat with advisor availability option When I contact customer service, they corrected this issue upon contact but they also advise me that I didnt have to pay as much money per month. I told them that Im trying to avoid paying interest on my loan overtime and again they insisted I didnt have to make as many payments as I am making. They also made some kind of billing error and put my account in forbearance and I cant get into my account to read what the notice says again to figure it out and the XXXX factor authentication code issue was happening again as I attempt to make an extra payment. Now that is making paying my loan off early and avoiding unnecessary interest charges very difficult. The fact that their customer service Recommends that you pay less money per month in order to collect more money from the borrower is ridiculous. 
I think the information the agent has given me was helpful regarding what happens if I get laid off she did evaluate to see if I qualified for the safe program which I already knew that I didnt so she was very helpful but I think as a general policy, they should be advising customers to pay more if they can if possible. I dont think a lot of people understand that paying less result and higher interest, overtime and longer money paid out over the term of the loan.