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. (MT)

In XXXX, I attended XXXX ( XXXX ) in XXXX, PA and took out student loans worth approximately {$50000.00}. Upon graduation in XXXX, working as a cook for {$8.00} per hour, Navient insisted I begin to pay back my loans at a rate of {$900.00} per month. As a single mom I could not afford to pay that amount. Every option Navient presented me with for repayment was absurd. One option for interest only loans dropped payments to {$850.00} which I still could not afford. I applied for loan consolidation with Navient, which would have lowered my loan repayment amount. However, my request was denied as a result of my credit. I was baffled because the same company which issued the loans based on my credit now denied me the ability to repay them at a lower rate because of my credit ; which had not declined since the initial loan. Navient stated I did not have a sufficient credit history. I tried to add my husband as a cosigner on the consolidation but was told they did not allow cosigners. Discouraged I talked to a lawyer about bankruptcy but was told it would not apply to student loans. I was left with no other choice except to defer the loans. I decided to go back to school in hope of one day making more money to pay back the loans. In the meantime the loans capitalized and my loan balance grew. It seemed I would never be able to dig myself out of the debt. In XXXX XXXX, because of a gap in school ( I had finished my XXXX and had not began XXXX. ) ; I had to begin repaying the loans. I had worked hard over those few years to build my credit so consolidation would be an option only to find out they no longer consolidated private loans. When Navient said I had to begin repaying they gave me 2 options : principle plus interests payments and interest only payments. After continually explaining I could not afford the {$1400.00} payments I was told there were n't any other options. Miraculously after much determination and pleading I was transferred to a representative with the Rate Reduction Plan. With a prescreening interview I was eligible for the program and payments were {$420.00} per month with an interest rate of 1 %, only to be bumped out of the program a few short months later. Navient did not explain to me with an " in school '' status, I would be moved out of the program. Once removed from the plan, Navient continued to collect payment at a much high interest rate of 13.25 % ; I was not informed of the change. When I requested a refund, it was denied. I was told I would not be able to rejoin the program until XXXX XXXX which was one year from the initial sign up date and my loans capitalized even more. Once I graduated with a M.A. my payment went up almost $ XXXX monthly. With the program I will still eventually end up back at a {$1400.00} payment after the rate increase each year. I now owe a lot of money in federal loans as well because I had to avoid defaulting on the Navient loans by returning back to school. I am able to pay smaller amounts on the federal loans. I currently pay almost {$600.00} in loans to Navient which is extremely hard on our family. As a military spouse it is difficult to find employment because we move so often but I must continue to pay. In XXXX, I owed {$120000.00} culinary school, I currently owe {$110000.00} not including XXXX ( fed ) for my XXXX and XXXX I must reapply every year and based on my debt to income ratio I have to pay a much higher rate in the future ; there is an automatic % 1 increase regardless of debt to income ratio. Each year calling back for renewal brings a lot stress as Navient representative are rude and exert their authority. I have been threatened to be dropped from the plan for ridiculous reasons. It 's a very scary and intimidating call. It seems Navient has in every way made it possible to raise my principle balance and nearly impossible to actually pay if off. This is my story, there are like me.