Consumer complaint received 2017-12-29
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Received bad information about your loan
Company: HEARTLAND PAYMENT SYSTEMS INC (CA)

For the past two years, I have consistently been given incomplete information about the terms and payment method on a {$4000.00} XXXX loan that I received through a financial aid advisor at the University XXXX XXXX - XXXX in XXXX of XXXX. Due to my loan servicer 's mishandling and the actions of staff at XXXX. XXXX, I have missed two payments, and that has unfairly impacted my credit score. 

When I received the loan, I was never given a hard or digital copy of the terms of it or the name of the company that would be servicing it. I was told I could manage payments on it through the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, which is how I managed my other federal loans. After I received my XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX, I deferred payment on my federal loans as I searched for employment. 

On XXXX XXXX, XXXX I received an email from XXXX XXXX at XXXX. XXXX 's XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX 's XXXX. The email incorrectly referred to me as XXXX XXXX ( that is not my name ) and informed me a payment on my {$4000.00} XXXX loan was past due. At the time, I was under the impression that the loan had been deferred, along with my other federal student loans and I was frustrated that this was the first time I was receiving a notice via email that a payment was due. XXXX XXXX aplogized for mis-naming me, but told me that my loan servicer on the XXXX loan was XXXX XXXX, and that was different than the company that was servicing my other federal loans, which is XXXX. He said I could n't defer payment. I told him I was frustrated that this was never explained to me when I took out the loan, and I would have never missed the payment had I been informed at the outset, or had I properly received a notice - via email or letter - letting me know when a payment would be due. 

I paid the past-due balance immediately and I set up a monthly payment plan. For over a year, I 've made monthly payments on time. On XXXX XXXX, I received a notice that XXXX. was changing its loan servicer from XXXX XXXX to Heartland XXXX, and the notice said I was required to create a new account with Heartland XXXX and set up payments through that company. I followed the directions, but Heartland XXXX has not provided me with regular notices of when a payment is due. As a result, I missed one payment, and that impacted my credit score. Heartland XXXX also charges a debit card processing fee that is 3.95 % of my payment amount, plus {$1.00}, for using a debit card to make one-time payments. I believe that is unfair and violates usury laws. 

I 've been extremely frustrated with the way the loan servicers and XXXX. XXXX have handled this particular loan. Since my other student loans are held by XXXX, I 've seen there are better ways to inform borrowers of the terms of their loans and when payments are due. Their poor business practices have repeatedly caused me unnecessary emotional distress, they have unfairly impacted my XXXX XXXX and they have unfairly charged fees for processing payments. 

I have copies of all of my email communications with XXXX XXXXXXXX, XXXX and Heartland XXXX and can provide them if requested.