Consumer complaint received 2017-09-27
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Problem with customer service
Company: AES/PHEAA (NC)

I am a XXXX XXXX XXXX and I have been making payments on my loans to count towards the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program for 5 years. As a XXXX, I often take courses to keep up my XXXX license just as I did this past summer of 2017. I took a three hour graduate course and I was not notified that XXXX XXXX would place my loans in a deferment which I did not ask for and I continued to make my monthly payment as this was going on. I was not alerted of the deferment until XX/XX/XXXX and the deferment started on XXXX XXXX, 2017! If I was alerted in XX/XX/XXXX, why did the deferment start in XX/XX/XXXX? Once I received an email, I called XXXX XXXX and they sent me a waiver form to fill out so that the deferment could be lifted. I faxed it in three days later on XXXX2017 and instead of taking it off immediately, I found out that my loans were then placed in a forbearance which I also did not ask for! Finally, on XX/XX/XXXX I after a 15 minute wait, I was able to speak with XXXX and she bluntly told me that it did n't matter when I sent the waiver into them, that my loans would not go into repayment until they decided to do so after they reviewed my request. All she wanted to tell me that that my loans were in repayment for XX/XX/XXXX. I was never notified of the deferment and then asked for it to be removed, it seems that XXXX XXXX does things on their own time schedule. Now because of their slow turnaround time, I have missed out on 5 payments that I actually paid that will not count towards Public Service Loan Payment Credit. I honestly believe that this was done on purpose to keep me in debt longer as I clearly stated each time that I spoke with them that I did not want a deferment or a forbearance because my payments were not counting towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness. If the original deferment was to  end XXXX17 and I asked for it to be removed, why did XXXX XXXX then no only remove the deferment promptly but added a forbearance which prolonged the amount of time I was not receiving credit for payments under XXXX XXXX? 

To add to the problem, I received an email yesterday from XXXX XXXX stating that my Income Driven Payment Request was denied. No details, just an email stating it had been denied. My husband and I filled out the online forms to have our tax forms sent to them back in XX/XX/XXXX. He is away with the military for five months and I do not get to talk to him on a regular basis. So I do n't know when he will be able to fill out his portion of the online form again. I ca n't afford a higher payment. I think that XXXX XXXX has been improperly factoring in my spouse 's income and preventing me from re-certifying for the ICR/IBR/PAYE plans. 

I asked what I should do and XXXX was not helpful with details. I need to be in an income based repayment plan so that I can make my loan payments and stay in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. I asked if the deferment and forbearance could be removed retroactive to last XXXX 2017 so that the payments I made would count towards PSLF and she told me there was no way that would happen. It has been very frustrating to say the least when dealing with XXXX XXXX  and their incompetence customer service representatives.