Consumer complaint received 2019-01-04
Product: Student loan — Private student loan
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Received bad information about your loan
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC. (NY)

Hello, I am having serious problems with the loan company, Navient. I have 3 private loan from my undergraduate education that are handled by them. I have 6 government loans that are also handled by them. The total loan ( for both the private and federal ) is for approximately {$90000.00}. 

These issues began in the Spring of XX/XX/XXXX. I have received, at times, wildly incorrect information from them about loan payments, enrollments in programs for lower payments, and credit reporting. Their employees have commonly given different information depending on who I am speaking with. This issue has tanked my credit rating, made getting housing extremely difficult ( I recently had to submit supporting documentation of my issues, a lengthy letter of explanation, and pay an incredibly high, double deposit ), and has, ironically, hamstrung me from refinancing with a better company due to my credit score. 

FIRST ISSUE ( Begins XX/XX/XXXX ) As a student loan debtor with a variety of kinds of loans, ( private, federal, subsidized unsubsidized, in IDR, not in IDR, etc. ) I had renewing my IDR plans for several years at this point. This year was not the same for unclear reasons as I had reapplied in exactly the same way. My finances had not changed and I knew I would continue to be eligible. This program is extremely important to me as I can not afford the non-IDR repayments. I depend on the lowered IDR payments in order to meet my financial obligations. As noted below, I continuously responded to Navient communications in a timely manner from XX/XX/XXXX as I waited for my IDR to be approved. 

When I received my annual notice that my payments would swell to unpayable amounts in the Spring of XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted by first request for IDR renewal on XX/XX/XXXX per a submission received email from Navient. It normally takes a month or so for an approval response and I didnt hear anything further from Navient. I called to inquire in XX/XX/XXXX/XX/XX/XXXXand was told it was probably just taking a bit longer and wait. I then contacted Navient again in XX/XX/XXXX and re-submitted my request via fax. I received another email that my request had been received on XX/XX/XXXX. I received a XX/XX/XXXX status update that my request couldn't be processed. I immediately contacted Navient and reapplied for the third time on XX/XX/XXXX.  I have XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX emails confirming the application. I finally received an email that my IDR request had been approved on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. 

Following the approval emails, I contacted Navient on XX/XX/XXXX and set up a XX/XX/XXXX payment per my pay periods. I was informed by the customer service agent that my account was in good standing and fine. 

Unfortunately, that was not true. My account had been reported to the credit bureaus on XX/XX/XXXX. It is not clear why the employee told me my account was fine. I received an email alert and per a second phone call on XX/XX/XXXX, was informed that I had paid too late to avoid reporting. I told them everything above. They gave me a fax number to dispute and I sent all documentation and requested they remove the report from my credit. They declined. 

During this time period, I continuously applied for the IDR ( for which I was deemed eligible and was approved for the third year in a row ). I communicated with Navient via fax, email, and phone. I had been assured that my application would be approved soon and reporting to the credit bureaus was not a risk as I tried to solve what became an extremely frustrating and confusing issue. 

I had attempted in good faith since XX/XX/XXXX to resolve the IDR application issue and continue paying my loans. I can not afford what the payments would be without this program, hence not paying the high amounts while the IDR eligibility lapsed. I have worked quite hard over the last several years to build my credit and this reporting had destroyed it. 

SECOND ISSUE ( Began XX/XX/XXXX ) This pertains to my 3 private student loans. Of note, these were {$30000.00} when I first borrowed them in, I believe, XX/XX/XXXX. I never set foot in the University 's loan office, had no parental guidance, and had no idea about the terms. The loans tripled by the time repayment started and have been the bane of my existence since adulthood began. While my name is on these loans, XXXX XXXX XXXX - XXXX XXXX should practice better loan practices and education with their young students. 

That aside, my current issue with Navient on these loans started in XX/XX/XXXX. I called them in XX/XX/XXXX to report that my over {$650.00} loan payment ( I have three, separate loan bills ) were too expensive and I would not be able to continue paying. We spoke at length and found a program that lowered my payments to about {$470.00}. Unfortunately, I was only able to make a payment in XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. I then received phone calls and emails that my account was overdue. I understood this and called them. I called them several times. From what I understand, specific phone calls are both trackable through my account and are recorded. 

I called in to speak with Navient in XX/XX/XXXX and noted my issue, wanted to make a payment, and wanted to avoid credit reporting. We spoke at length and set up a payment around the time of my paycheck. She made no mention of credit reporting or that the amount was not enough to count as a payment. 

I received a voicemail from the person I had spoken a few days later and called back. The person I spoke to was busy, so I chatted with someone else. She told me that the amount I was paying was too low to count for a payment AND too late. On both counts, my 3 accounts would be reported to the credit bureaus. I balked and assured her the other employee told me I was fine. She was very sure I was wrong. She told me the other employee would call me back. 

Several minutes later, I received a call from the employee I had been working with. She told me that I had " never mentioned '' that I cared about credit reporting so she didn't see fit to tell me that the large payment we set up might as well have been lit on fire and would have no impact on my account. We then set up an over {$1000.00} payment that I was assured - 100 % assured from a Navient employee - was high enough to satisfy the back due amount AND was timely paid so that no credit report would be made. 

Today, I again received an alert that I had been reported on XX/XX/XXXX for 3 delinquent Navient accounts. I could actually scream. More importantly, I am so angry at this dishonest company that blatantly lies to me, has so much power over the details of my life, and is truly preventing my family from thriving. I work with them regularly, I call them frequently. These phone calls are long. I submit applications. These applications take me time and energy. 

I throw money at them that I do not have and make financial choices based on these loans and it doesn't matter, I make housing plans based on these loans and have limited options due to their incorrect reporting that they have twice lied to me about, and I have zero plans of ever buying a home based on my destroyed credit and my forced relationship with this awful company. 

At the end of the day, their consumer practices are probably illegal and I would like to report them. I have documentation to support my claim, though much of the communication was via phone call. As I noted, they are told me that they record phone calls and are able to see who I have spoken to and when. 

Thank you for any help with this huge issue. 

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