Consumer complaint received 2022-05-23
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan — Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC. (CA)

In XXXX, I decided to pursue a new trade due in hopes of a new career path, and or having a second vocation to make extra money to supplement my income. This was when the housing crisis began, and I like so many were searching ways to avoid hardships. I decided to attend XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) run by XXXX. This training required me to temporarily move to Arizona, where XXXX was located, so I had no choice but to take out loans to cover tuition and some relocation and living expenses. I attended the school around mid XXXX and stayed in the area until I graduated in XXXX. The school offered financial aid, which I had to accept to afford to go. But before accepting financial aid, XXXX sold me on guaranteeing job placement after I graduate, so the loan would pay for itself, so to speak. I went ahead and enrolled and took out the following loans : NAVIENT XXXX XXXX ( Account No. XXXX ) XXXX XXXX : Disbursed XX/XX/XXXX ; Amount of {$3500.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX Disbursed XX/XX/XXXX ; Amount of {$4000.00} XXXX XXXX  XXXX Disbursed XX/XX/XXXX ; Amount of {$4500.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX Disbursed XX/XX/XXXX ; Amount of {$4000.00} TOTAL : {$16000.00} Upon graduation, I began paying on my loans and kept paying whatever I could to satisfy the payments. However, I was able to repay up to {$6000.00} up to around XXXX. In between the years I graduated and XXXX, I called Navient numerous time to inquire about debt relief/lowering payments. Nothing was offered except forbearance. If I didn't accept it, I risked being in default of my loan because I couldn't afford many payments, and this would bring it current. I and my family struggled through numerous financial hardships for years after I graduated. The school, XXXX, made many promises of helping find a job, but nothing outside of talk was ever provided to me. To add to this strain, most minorities that attended the school ( whom I stayed in touch years after ) all complained about being passed over and/or disregarded about job placement assistance. Those that were not minorities, whom I did befriend, found employment much quicker. But this could be a topic for a different complaint against the school. To continue, I kept calling Navient every year up to the present, asking about lowering the payment of forgiveness options. And every time, income based payment plans ( XXXX, XXXX, ETC ) were never brought to my attention from the Navient reps. with only continuing forbearance as the only option to keep my loans current. Only when I spoke to a friend, who graduated from College, did I learn about the REPAY programs. I called a few months back, XX/XX/XXXX, and requested to be placed on this program. I was approved, and given a reasonable payment to make. I complained to the Navient Rep. why this was never mentioned before to me and they dismissively responded they can not speak on behalf of previous staff. I was so mad, to put it mildly. So I resumed paying this year, now knowing that I could have been paying a lower, more affordable payment, close to 15 years ago and having a few more to potentially forgive my loan ( 20 years of payments ) or even being closer to paying the loan off. And every year I was placed in forbearance, my loan was reset and has more than doubled based on my latest statement dated XX/XX/XXXX : NAVIENT XXXX XXXX ( Account XXXX. XXXX ) XXXX XXXX XXXX Disbursed XX/XX/XXXX ; Amount of {$3500.00} - Now {$8400.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX Disbursed XX/XX/XXXX ; Amount of {$4000.00} - Now {$10000.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX Disbursed XX/XX/XXXX ; Amount of {$4500.00} - Now {$10000.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX Disbursed XX/XX/XXXX ; Amount of {$4000.00} - Now {$10000.00} TOTAL OWED : {$40000.00} My loan amount has almost TRIPLED in under 15 years! Not even the {$6000.00} i paid up to XXXX put any relief on this loan. And now I'll have to start practically all over again? To say this is a burden, and deceptive practice not only from the school in how they sold the career, but in Navient being deceptive all these years by keeping me misinformed, is a major understatement. I can see finally why so many are upset at these servicers and the entire system. My hope is I will have some recourse to avoid being in debt up to my retirement!