Consumer complaint received 2024-02-18
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company: MOHELA (WA)

To Whom it May Concern, I would like to file an official complaint on Mohela for the poor handling of my student loan account. 

On XX/XX/XXXX my husband and I called Mohela to apply for the SAVE repayment plan. We spoke to the same representative and applied at the same time with the same financial information. My husbands application went through without issue and his payment is roughly the same amount as estimated during that phone call. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, my account was placed in administrative forbearance while they finished processing my application. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a repayment options estimate from the phone call on the XXXX that states my payment amount is estimated to be {$310.00}. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I was notified that my application for the SAVE payment plan was denied because they could not verify my husbands income ( despite the fact that they service his student loan and have all of his income information ). They requested I upload proof of his income, which I did immediately on XXXX XXXX. I was also notified on this day that my payment would default to my prior IDR payment of {$620.00}, a payment that I can not afford. 

After uploading my husbands pay stub and emailing Mohela that I had done so, I heard nothing back for 2 weeks, so I called on XXXX XXXX to check in and see if there was anything else they needed from me and to also notify them that I could not afford the {$620.00} payment coming due on XXXX XXXX. During this phone call, the representative said that because that original application was denied, a new application should be placed. So I agreed and applied with the same financial information as before. At the end of this call, the representative estimated my payment to be in the $ XXXX and she extended my forbearance while this new application was processing. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I was notified that my loan had been placed on the SAVE repayment plan with a monthly payment amount of {$290.00}. However, a day later, I was again notified that my loan had been placed on the SAVE repayment plan with a monthly payment amount of {$410.00}. So I called again to find out what was going on with my account and why I had these two amounts being processed. The representative stated that the original application continued to be processed along with the second one placed during the last phone call. This representative suggested, since both had been processed, that we should put in another application to start fresh. Again, I supplied the same financial information and she estimated my payment to be in the $ XXXX. And again, my loan was placed in forbearance while this processed. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received the newest payment plan information which stated my loan had been placed one the SAVE plan with a monthly payment amount of {$510.00}. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called the main line and asked to speak to a supervisor after being on hold for XXXX minutes. The representative connected me through to the supervisor line where I was met with an automated message saying no one was available to take my call and to leave a message with a call back number. I did so, but when they reached out to me, it was in the middle of my work day and I was unable to answer. When I tried returning their call with the number provided in my voicemail, the number was an information only line for the PSLF program and there were no options to connect or speak to anyone. 

A couple days later, on XX/XX/XXXX, I called to ask why my payment amounts had been so wildly different and why there was such difficulty in processing my applications. This representative placed me on hold for several minutes, Im assuming she was speaking to another department, she finally stated that my loan would be placed on the SAVE plan with the original payment plan amount of {$290.00}. She said that she placed an acceleration on this request and that this payment amount should process by the time my next payment was due on XX/XX/XXXX. 

On XXXX XXXX, I received notice that there was a processing delay of up to 90 days of this most recent request and that my payment of {$510.00} would be due on XXXX XXXX. I wasnt able to call to address this until XX/XX/XXXX. When I spoke to the next representative, she stated that the request as stated during the XXXX call was processing and that she would place my account on forbearance, again, until it was complete. She verified that there was an acceleration on the request and that everything that could be done, was being done. Despite these reassurances, on XXXX XXXX, a payment was processed on my account for the {$510.00}. 

Most recently, on XXXX XXXX, I received notification of ( what I assume ) is the processing of the request placed during the phone call on XXXX XXXX which states my new payment amount will be {$410.00} and not the {$290.00} amount as promised on the phone. 

As you can see, it has been a series of incompetent mistakes and miscommunications within Mohela that has lead to 5 months worth of stress and frustration for me. I have been more than communicative and proactive to resolve issues. Each phone call results in the representatives telling me one thing and two to three weeks later, something completely different happens. In order to speak with them, I have to get up at XXXX XXXX time to call if I dont want to be on hold for an hour. Their customer service time frame is very inconvenient for people on the west coast. I work full-time and do not have the luxury of being on hold for prolonged periods of time during my work day to wait to talk to some and at this point, I am at a loss for what to do as calling the customer service line or requesting to speak to a supervisor has resulted in nothing helpful. I did file a complaint via the Contact Us page with Mohela on XX/XX/XXXX, but their only reply to me was that since I had been calling and speaking with customer service, they assumed my issue had been resolved.