Consumer complaint received 2018-07-23
Product: Student loan — Private student loan
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan — Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan
Company: AES/PHEAA (VA)

Since the origination of this combined, consolidated student loan ( around XX/XX/XXXX ), I have paid almost ( or actually more than ) the entire original principal amount ( roughly {$50000.00} ). However, because of multiple problems and terrible financial circumstances I've had to navigate, including split up and divorce ( XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX), multiple financial crises affecting my wages and ability to pay ( XX/XX/XXXX crisis affecting my telecom employer, XX/XX/XXXX mortgage crisis, lost employment for 16 months after XX/XX/XXXX, two bankruptcies under Chapter XXXX, multiple foreclosure threats, etc ), I have only been able to manage sporadic payment while trying to make other ends meet. Consequently, AES and its collection agents have applied the strictest, sharpest terms they can use in the loan contracts not only to NOT credit the payments in any way that reduces the debt, but in fact have taken those payments ( exceeding {$50000.00} ) AND doubled the amount now claimed to over {$100000.00}. This means, they are demanding -- with the meter continually running -- triple the original principal ( what's been paid PLUS another double the original amount ). I have been writing, calling, and begging AES/PHEAA and its collection agents to help me make progress, including making an equitable adjustment to the claimed amount. They haven't budged -- ever. I have no resources to continue wrestling with AES/PHEAA. My letter writing to them has meant nothing, regardless of the fact that I sent another near {$10000.00} over the past roughly 16 months to establish good faith toward loan rehabilitation. Still, they haven't budged. They claim that we ( my ex-wife and I ) have failed to show " need '' at a level that would result in a rehabilitated loan without me having to pay over $ 2000/month ( i.e., the average {$700.00} I'd been sending for many months PLUS another $ 1000+ ). They're unsympathetic to the fact that my income, which would certainly warrant a vastly reduced rehabilitation payment, is all that I can use to pay -- the divorce decree requires me to pay the amount and, thus, even if my ex-wife 's resources ( we're both federal government employees with not other employment income ) were applied, I'd still have to pay the monthly rehabilitation payment, which I can not afford. AES/PHEAA, thus, stands by waiting for me to collapse, at which point, presumably, they'll go after my ex-wife who, in turn, will sue me into court per the divorce decree and I would then start all over asking the Judge to help me get fairness. Please help me. Please apply equitable and other consumer protection pressure to cause AES/PHEAA to give me an equitable adjustment to their claim, and a monthly payment I can reasonably afford that puts a final resolution of this debt on the horizon. I'm XXXX years old, recently lost both of my parents, have XXXX young children still being raised. I'm not able to win this fight without help and without fairness. Hopefully, your platform allows me to copy you on some of the correspondence so you have an adequate record to understand what is being sought. I pray you will help.