Consumer complaint received 2017-01-26
Product: Student loan — Non-federal student loan
Issue: Can't repay my loan — Can't decrease my monthly payments
Company: Navient Solutions, LLC. (FL)

I co-signed XXXX XXXX XXXX loans for my son who started college in XXXX. He is the primary borrower. While in college, I paid {$25.00} a month on each of the loans. I can only assume the payments went to interest as after repeated demands we never received any documentation how the payments were applied, and I could never get a straight answer over the phone. I made such payments from XXXX to XXXX. A few years ago, Navient assumed the loans still paying {$50.00} a month on both. In XXXX my son stopped going to college. Six months later, regular payments became due. My son was making most of the payments and I believe had a forbearance at one point. My son last paid XXXX. He repeatedly called Navient asking that they reduce his monthly payments to a sum he could afford as he was moving out renting a room and could n't afford {$350.00} a month combined on the loans. He consolidated a few smaller federal loans which he is still paying but Navient said we needed to qualify for hardship. Problem is my husband ( second not my son 's father ) has his own student loan debacle with XXXX federal loans ( he took out for his daughter 's college ) where he applied for eligibility to a public service loan forgiveness program he learned about at work. Servicers were switched without his consent when he merely applied for eligibility. Payments went from {$140.00} a month to {$890.00}. We ca n't afford that and now the consolidation process is being dragged out so he 's in default. ( that 's a separate complaint my husband filed ) I then called Navient and gave them all of our information regarding income and monthly expenses to see if we qualified for a reduction in monthly payments. My son already gave them his expenses. We were told we would qualify for a reduction. When he spoke with Navient including supervisors, however, they kept repeating the same talking points that they needed to hear from me. I called them yet again and again saying I had no financial updates. On XXXX, I lost my job. I have been in the same profession for 42 years. I called Navient advising them of loss of income trying to work out a reasonable monthly payment repeatedly as has my son. We were told we definitely qualified for hardship. I was again told to have my son call to renegotiate the monthly payments. He would do that only to be told they needed to hear from me, AGAIN. Navient dragged this out that now it 's 3 months behind and we are now reported to credit reporting agencies. This is XXXX good faith negotiating on Navient 's part. No one looked to shun payments ; only to make them reasonable. While I am home looking for work, taking online classes, going to interviews, attending work studies, etc., Navient is calling my home phone and cell at least a dozen times throughout the entire day starting at XXXX until late at night. They never had any intention of renegotiating the loan to something affordable under the circumstances. I received my first unemployment payment this week for {$XXXX} gross which includes two weeks of unemployment without taking out taxes. They see repayment of their loan as a priority over food and a roof. My XXXX credit rating is shot. I have never defaulted on a loan my whole life. My son wants to finish school but ca n't afford to run into a similar problem with another provider in order to finish his education. I said to Navient mortgage holders work with their customers if they fall behind putting what is delinquent on the back of the loan while lowering the interest rate thus the reduction in monthly payments, and even the IRS will work with you yet privately owned Navient commits unethical collection practices in harassing families, failing to negotiate in good faith and failing to disclose where payments are applied. I would completely discourage everyone from using any student loan servicer.