Consumer complaint received 2022-04-08
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Credit monitoring or identity theft protection services — Billing dispute for services
Company: HEARTLAND PAYMENT SYSTEMS INC (CA)

Complaint:
I graduated from XXXX in summer XXXX. All my student debt was in the form of federal loans. All except for one is managed by XXXX. I had 1 more managed by Heartland ECSI on behalf of XXXX. This loan was my smallest at about {$1800.00}. When the pandemic started, federal student loans were put on deferment ( and still are ). I was grateful that I could prioritize smart financial moves to build up savings, so I was not making payments as I did not have to. I received no notice from Heartland ECSI or XXXX that they had resumed charging interest and requiring payments. In XXXX of this year ( XXXX ) I went on to the Heartland ECSI website to verify my information because I was confused that I had heard nothing from them in a long time despite receiving regular updates from my other loan servicer. Upon logging in I learned they had been demanding repayment for months and I was more than 150 days delinquent on payment. All my contact information was correct but I had received no notice that I was expected to pay. At no point was I unable to pay this account and had I been aware I would have made the necessary payments with ease. The account was made current and I set up automatic payments of 4 times the minimum payment on XX/XX/XXXX. The entire account will be paid off in the next 3 payments. It was not until after I did this that I received my first correspondence from XXXX about this delinquent payment, in the form of a letter saying I will be sent to collections. This was received in the mail on XX/XX/XXXX and the letter is dated XX/XX/XXXX. 

Due to this delinquent payment, my credit score has been reduce by more than XXXX points. This is the only delinquent payment, or payment issue of any kind, on my entire report. Part of my plan in saving the past 2 years is I intended to purchase a home, however, with my credit score dropped so low I can not pursue this as it will sabotage my chances at a reasonable mortgage rate. 

I have called ECSI directly 5 times. On my first few tries it said I could leave my number and they would call me back in the order calls were received. I was never called back. On the XXXX try I finally got off hold and could talk to someone. The representative I spoke to informed me that once it was reported they could do nothing rectify it. I asked if a supervisor would be more helpful and was told again " there is nothing we can do '' and was not passed on to a supervisor. The only option I was given was to call XXXX, the entity they reported the late payment to, on a number the representative provided me. This number sent me to the XXXX credit report request line and had zero option to speak to a person or contest the delinquent charge. I did end up making an XXXX account to dispute the flag on my report, but without any further input from XXXX or ECSI, XXXX has zero ability to remove the flag. 

Heartland ECSI failed to notify me when payments resumed, has drastically damaged my credit score of nearly XXXX prior to this incident, and has been unwilling to work with me on resolving this issue that serves no purpose but to hurt my financial situation to none of their benefit.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation