Consumer complaint received 2017-01-20
Product: Student loan — Non-federal student loan
Issue: Dealing with my lender or servicer — Trouble with how payments are handled
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC. (IL)

I had taken out XXXX loans with XXXX/Navient for college. After graduating and getting a job, I was able to make payments to Navient no problem since I was still living at home and had no other financial obligations. About 6 months ago I found out I was going to be transferred from XXXX, XXXX to XXXX, XXXX for work that following month. Considering I would then have to pay rent and have other financial obligations, I contacted Navient to look into other payment options so that I could afford to live on my own in XXXX and still be able to make my loan payments. After explaining my situation I was told by a Navient representative that I had to actually be experiencing financial hardship for the to even consider other payment options and should call back once I was in XXXX struggling to make payments. My father, also my cosigner, got on the phone with them and told him the same thing, and that once I was experiencing financial hardship they would have to look into HIS financial status next to see if we qualify for other payment options. Basically, we had to fall on our face in order for them to even consider. They then recommended that we pay {$150.00} to put the XXXX loans into forbearance so that I can get situated in XXXX without having to worry about the loan payments. Desperate, I paid the {$150.00} to get a brief period of relief. 3 weeks after paying the forbearance I received a notice that I had a payment due in the following week. I called Navient confused and they then told me that XXXX of the XXXX loans was not included in the forbearance because it was not past due at the time, and that the rep that helped with the forbearance failed to mention that at the time of payment. Their solution to the problem was for me to pay an additional {$50.00} to include the loan that had been left out, basically wanting me to pay for their mistake and lack of communication. At this point we were seeking a home equity loan to pay off Navient completely as we were sick and tired of the lies and lack of help we received from them. My loans were past due by about 2 months and I was paying what I could to chizzle away at the past due balance. Both me and my father each received 3-6 phone calls a day from Navient from various phone numbers at ridiculous hours of the morning-night all of which were robot voice recordings. I could no longer stand the harassing calls so I called Navient again to let them know that I was paying what I could as I could not afford the full monthly payment and was looking into equity loans to pay Navient off in full. The Navient rep then suggested that I do another forbearance for {$150.00} until I get the home equity loan set up. We finally got the home equity loan and Navient has been paid off. But I have never felt so helpless and financially stuck. Navient 's pushed for short term solutions for what would and could have been a long term issue with paying them back. I should not have had to pay twice for loan forbearance within a 3 month period. Not only that, but the Navient reps never documented any conversations that we had when we called in with problems. Lastly they failed to provide important details about the forbearance payments.