Consumer complaint received 2024-02-09
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Received bad information about your loan
Company: Maximus Federal Services, Inc. (PA)

Trying to speak with a live agent at Aidvantage is time consuming and frustrating. It also seems pointless considering nothing transpired from any of these phone calls. 

I called them in XXXX or XXXX to try to lower my monthly payment by applying for an income driven repayment plan ( IDR ). Payments were {$270.00} then I got an email in XXXX / XXXX saying congratulations and that my IDR went through and now my payments are {$110.00}. But when I log in to my portal, it says my payments are still {$270.00}. I called and was on the phone with them for about twenty minutes and then they disconnected ( probably accidently but incredibly annoying to me ). She said that she had no record of that email saying I was approved for lower payments. I literally had the email open in front of me and asked her if I could send it to her as " proof. '' She said she can't receive emails. The reps have no record of the emails their company sent to me. 

I called again ten days later but couldn't talk to a live person. However, their automated system said, " Congratulations. Your income driven repayment plan has been accepted. Log in to your portal to read the most updated information. '' Every time I call them, I get that automated message after I type in the last XXXX digits of my social security number. 
I called again about a week later and it's the same situation where I can't talk to a real person because they're always experiencing " higher than normal call volume. '' I called again on XX/XX/XXXX. This lady seemed to know what she was doing ( unlike the previous woman I talked to ). She said I'm not approved for the IDR based on some of the types of loans I have and she has no record of that email saying otherwise. But she was willing to help me get a lower payment via another program called XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, I think. Now she tells me my new monthly payment is {$94.00}. That pleased me. I said thank you very much to her and we hung up. The online portal has no record of this new payment plan and it still says I owe {$270.00}. Even after refreshing the website and trying a different day, it's the same old thing. 

I called again today ( XX/XX/XXXX ) and spoke with someone whose name sounds like XXXX XXXX. She said that the previous rep miscommunicated. XXXX said only half of my loans are eligible for the XXXX XXXX XXXX program and that would be {$80.00} but the total monthly payment would be {$170.00}. I asked her when this would take effect and she said that she would have it expedited to two to four days. 

In XXXX of 2024 they said on the phone my payments were {$110.00} but online it says my payments are {$270.00}. 
I called on the XXXX and XXXX XXXX 2024 but they weren't available to take calls. 
I called again on XX/XX/XXXX. 
I called again on XX/XX/XXXX and that lady said my new payments were now {$94.00} using XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 
I called again on XX/XX/XXXX and now she's saying my payments are {$170.00}. 
Online portal says my payments are {$250.00} Interest keeps accumulating and I'm incredibly frustrated. I don't trust them. 
I certainly don't trust their ability to keep track of how much money I've already paid them and how much money I owe them.