Consumer complaint received 2016-04-10
Product: Student loan — Non-federal student loan
Issue: Can't repay my loan — Can't decrease my monthly payments
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY (OR)

Back in 2003, I returned to college at XXXX years old to change careers from working XXXX and went into court reporting to get a better paying job and hopefully help secure my eventual retirement. Advancing my XXXX degree in XXXX XXXX would not offer enough pay to offset school loans and why I decided to try court reporting school at the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX, Oregon because they said the job started out paying {$40.00} to XXXX upwards to a XXXX figure income eventually and the course would be completed within 2-3 years. I had already attended art school for a year, but figured I still had enough financial aid to cover 2-3 more years and therefore signed up. 
In short, I and about 10-15 other students sued the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for breach of contract after finding out the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX said on average, it takes 5-7 years to complete the course and we won a judgement against the college 's insurance company. Of course, the insurance company denied culpability, our attorney dropped out not having resources to fight an insurance company, and none of us have found any attorney willing to take on the contested judgment. After 4 years of court reporting school, I ran out of financial aide and had to quit school. 
Now, although I was able to get out of my counseling job paying {$13.00} an hour after 12 years of service with that agency, now as a sales consultant I am paid {$15.00} an hour and have about {$100000.00} in student loan debt. I recently consolidated my Federal loans and waiting to hear approval for an income based repayment plan, but XXXX and Wells Fargo do not offer alternative affordable payment plans. I sent in copies of all my bills, a payment stub, a copy of the judgement and a letter explaining everything to XXXX and Wells Fargo, but say that according to their rates, I should be able to make their payments. In attempting to avoid default and have been a month behind for at least the last 4 months, I found a roommate to share expenses a month ago, but with moving expenses and new apartment deposits, I am still struggling with being able to make payments. 
Wells Fargo suggest that once my federal loans get finalized, I should apply for a forbearance to catch up with them, however at the rate of both XXXX and Wells Fargo expected payments, I will run into the same problem once that forbearance is done. And their lack of willingness to work with students shoves the interest rate accumulation to the federal loans when doing a forbearance. 
Both XXXX and Wells Fargo call me, on average, 4 days a week, XXXX times a day and while I am at work. Despite my repeated explanations to them that I can not take phone calls at work and repeated explanations are given each week, they continue the repetitious calls until I make a payment and then a week and a half later it starts all over because by then I am a month behind again. 
I am now a XXXX year old woman and under incredible stress with all of this resulting in XXXX car accidents last year sky rocketing my insurance rates and still with attempts to reduce my living expenses, I have been depleting what little retirement I had from my Mutual funds and IRA to be able to meet living expenses. At this rate, there will be nothing left way before I get to retirement age. My immediate concern is that XXXX and Wells Fargo will eventually garnish my wages despite everything I am trying to do. I have just basic living expenses and no car payment or credit card bills and still ca n't meet their school loan payments. Apparently, obtaining a legal judgement is only as good as how much money you have to fight big corporations holding vast wealth. I do not know where else to turn and desperate for help.