Consumer complaint received 2016-06-22
Product: Student loan — Non-federal student loan
Issue: Dealing with my lender or servicer — Don't agree with fees charged
Company: Dream Center Education Holdings (CA)

I have being doing tons of research on schools that commit loan fraud by way of predatory lending, misleading information about loans, inflating graduation success numbers, the inability for credits to transfer, students unable to find a job in their field ... etc. The same thing that happened with XXXX, and XXXX happened with the Art Institutes. The figures and interest rates for these loans are so ridiculously high, and somehow, my low income family was able to easily obtain these loans without it being explained to us. I have XXXX Private student loans. Some with interest rates as high as 14.5 % to the tune of {$120000.00}. The balance increases every day. I also have around XXXX Federal loans, for around {$60000.00}. My mom, ( my co-signer ) also found out that she has another loan, in her name for {$30000.00} ... when she was supposed to be my cosigner. She and I were lead to believe that we were signing papers each quarter to release the funds from our loans to the school. We did not realize that each time we were signing up for a new loan. XXXX students that attended the Art Institutes are going through the same thing. At first, I was trying to stay on top of these loans. I signed up with automatic debit, and was paying every month. I lost my job last year when my fiance and I had to move from XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX because he was transferred at his job. When I was unable to pay, the harassing calls became hourly, every day. In the past few months I have been headed towards default, and the calls became soul crushing. XXXX would not only harass me constantly, but they would insult me as well. They would tell me I was n't a good designer, and that 's why I could n't find work, they would tell me I was lazy and irresponsible, and treat me with complete disrespect. Just recently, I had a supervisor on the phone from XXXX, and he was trying to contact my mother because I was about to go into default. I said she could n't be reached because she was at work and could n't be disturbed. Not only that, but she was in the same place as I was, living paycheck to paycheck and could not help me with these loans ... they wanted around {$1000.00} a month. When I said again, that I did not give them permission to contact her, he put me on hold saying he was going to get another supervisor. When we finished the call I had a voicemail from my Grandmother, saying that they contacted her looking for my mother and asking for her information! My grandmother is in no way affiliated with my loans. She is not my co-signer or even my co-signers mother. This has gotten to a point where it is affecting my XXXX health. I understand that I have to pay for school. But what I do n't understand, is how it could possibly be so much. I went through my paperwork from the financial aid office and found out I had around {$20000.00} in grant and scholarship money, but I can not for the life of me find out where it was applied. I graduated in 2011. I understand I have high interest rates, but what I do n't understand is how {$20000.00} plus {$120000.00}, plus {$60000.00}, plus {$30000.00} equals 4 years at college.