Consumer complaint received 2016-08-02
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Can't repay my loan — Can't temporarily postpone payments
Company: Utah System of Higher Education (FL)

Beginning in XXXX 2016, I inquired about the annual process of renewing my 2016 IBR with XXXX but I was told that they were no the servicing company and that I should now contact UHEAA who was the direct loan holder. Subsequently, I spoke with a UHEAA representative who confirmed that my loans had been transferred to their company and was given a new account UHEAA number. I indicated that I needed the 2016 IBR application in order to file on a timely basis. I was told that they would mail it out to me. Unfortunately, I learned later that my local Post Office returned my UHEAA IBR application mailed to my Post Office Box to them as " Addressee Unknown '' even though it was addressed correctly and that is my postal address. When I did not receive the IBR application from UHEAA within a " reasonable '' timeframe, I called them up to ask what happened. It was only then that I learned that my local Post Office had returned the IBR to UHEAA. At that point I asked to speak to a supervisor and requested that I receive a copy of the officially postmarked " Addressee Unknown. '' My plan was to take that paperwork into my local Post Office and meet with the Station Manager. I was unable to do that because when I received the " promised '' paperwork from UHEAA, it did not contain the " Addressee Unknown '' documentary evidence I was seeking ; although it did contain the 2016 IBR application. Upon receipt, I called UHEA and asked to speak to a supervisor who then explained to me that their system does not save the actual returned mail - it 's simply scanned into their system as " Returned to Sender - Addressee Unknown. '' At this point I was anxious to complete my IBR application and send it in. When I attempted to fax the IBR to UHEAA, the fax machine repeatedly showed the line as " busy '' or " connection not made. '' After repeated unsuccessful attempts to fax my 2016 application to UHEAA, XX/XX/2016 I mailed my fully executed 2016 IBR application to UHEAA. Subsequently, I received notification that my IBR application was under review, however, the next letter I received from UHEAA indicated that they could not approve my IBR until they received further information. At that point I called UHEAA and spoke to a supervisor again since it was not clear to me what the delay was about. The supervisor indicated that UHEAA wanted more specific documentation of my income. I immediately complied with their request which included sending a copy of a recent paystub for my wife. Then when I did not hear anything back from UHEAA, I called them up but was unable to reach them on the phone. This was during a two week period XX/XX/XXXX into XX/XX/XXXX. At the time I chalked the paperwork delay up to it being close to the XXXX holiday period. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case : in XXXX when I could not get through on the phone to a UHEAA representative, I went to their social media pages and saw that on XXXX and XXXX it said that the company was experiencing a " business interruption. '' Alarmed by this news, over the next several days I kept trying to reach them on the phone. Finally, I called the Public Affairs Office of UHEAA and they were able to connect me. They told me that they had been " unaware '' of any business disruption or that customers could not get through on the phone lines. Cutting to the chase : UHEAA sent me a letter denying my IBR request indicating that they could not determine my income. This is despite the fact that my 2016 IBR paperwork was immediately approved by XXXX other lenders. Importantly, that IBR paperwork was approved with LESS information than what I provided UHEAA. At this point I feel that UHEAA is operating in an unethical manner and is not in compliance with the standard IBR approval process. Furthermore, I wanted to alert your office to the fact that this may represent a pattern of unethical behavior.