Consumer complaint received 2019-09-30
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company: AES/PHEAA (NY)

I have been trying to repay student loans used when I attended XXXX XXXX 's University back in XXXX, in XXXX, NY. Collection of the loan ended up in the hands of American Education Services. On XX/XX/XXXX I spoke with a customer rep, whom made a repayment plan with me over the phone. I was to make 24 payments of {$44.00}, then 45 payments of {$120.00}, and finally a one time payment of {$420.00}. I started making the payments of {$44.00} every month as agreed. I'd call in to make my payments, so come to XX/XX/XXXX the balance went o {$120.00} and it was paid in full. I spoke to a rep. around the same time to ask why the amount was less than agreed and was told " calculations changed so payment had to go up. '' I tried to discuss the agreement made in XXXX XXXX and she stated that there was no previous agreement and this was due to " new calculations. '' Then since I was insistent I was told I had been apparently been paying in surplus. I knew I had to start the 45 payments of XXXX around this time, so XX/XX/XXXX I paid that, and also in XXXX even though the amount was less. Then the recording would say I only had a total amount due of {$24.00} or {$25.00}, etc. I would continue to make high payments. On XX/XX/XXXX balance said {$15.00} and I paid XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX said balance was {$22.00} and I paid {$100.00}. On XX/XX/XXXX balance now said {$54.00} and I paid that in total. On XX/XX/XXXX when I called in, there was no total balance due recorded, so I paid {$50.00} and so forth same amount paid monthly. Cut to payment due on XXXX XXXX, XXXX, now recording said I owed $ 131.and cents, but I paid {$50.00} as I have been paying and then a couple of days later received an email saying I was past due and if I didn't pay amount due I'd risk account going into default and I'd be reported to credit bureau. I called to ask why I was receiving such a harassing email and they said I didn't pay the full amount. I tried to explain the repayment plan agreed upon back on XXXX XXXX and that they weren't honoring it, and the customer rep. said that the new balance was what I agreed on. I told her that I had never made such an agreement except for the one back in XX/XX/XXXX, which they weren't honoring it. I asked to be mailed of my payment history from the time I started with American Education Services ( AES ) until present, and she said she would send it to me in a the mail. Since I only paid {$50.00} on XX/XX/XXXX, and while I waited for this information to come in the mail, I paid the remaining balance so that it can bring my account " back to current. '' I then received a reminder email on XX/XX/XXXX reminding me my payment is due on XXXX XXXX : Balance due : {$130.00}. Same date, I called AES and spoke to another customer service rep. # XXXX, to inquire why I was being charged different amounts and not what was agreed on XX/XX/XXXX and when I called earlier in the month to inquire about my account, I was told yet another different story of how the new amount was what I had agreed on, yet I never did. He placed me on hold because he said he did see a lot of changes to the account. He then came back several minutes later and mentioned previous payments were low due to me being on deferment. I told him I never asked to be on deferment. He sounded so unsure but continued to say that it was why the past amounts were different and I had been over-paying. I said my agreement back in XXXX XXXX had to do with a repayment plan called Select 2 option and I had not requested to be placed on deferment. I then spoke to " customer specialist '' # XXXX whom refused to honor the XXXX XXXX agreement, saying the new amount was due to calculations and this was determined to be a more suitable payment plan for me. ( Yet new different information of changes being made to my account w/o my knowledge or consent. ) I asked why it was done w/o my permission and I had never agreed to that b/c I had spoken to another rep. in XXXX whom offered me a repayment plan and that is what I had been paying towards. He continued to say they make changes more suitable to the account so that amount is paid off, and that amount " was near the same neighborhood '' of previous amount. I proceed to request a history of all my past payments to AES and also the agreement that should show up from XXXX XXXX and it's details and also the agreement that he says is now on the account as a repayment plan option. He mentioned this was done back in XXXX. I said I spoke to no one in XXXX and he said notices were mailed to address on file and I said that was not true b/c I did not receive anything in the mail from AES and all was done via phone, even my payments. I proceed to request my history of payments again, along with interest imposed throughout the period, and the agreement made in XXXX XXXX and the " new one '' he was now mentioning. " Customer Specialist '' stated it can take up to 7-10 business days to arrive and if I didn't pay due amount my account would go into default, collections would start, and my credit would be reported/affected. On XX/XX/XXXX I received a notification emai " your paperless enrollment has been updated as requested '' not sure why I received that email or that I requested any changes to " paperless enrollment ''. I checked Mail Box on XX/XX/XXXX for the first mail supposedly containing my history of payment requested earlier this month, but I was not sent a history of payment. I was sent something I don't understand fully what it is, but that shows what my previous loan amounts were and other info.with money amounts I've never seen. So AES did not honor the request for my information, as requested. I've yet to see if the history requested from customer specialist on XX/XX/XXXX, will be any better, but still waiting on that to arrive. These loans are more than 12 years old and they have not decreased in amount. I feel AES is mishandling my account and making me pay more than I should for as much time as possible.