Consumer complaint received 2026-01-22 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan — Can't temporarily delay making payments
Company: HEARTLAND PAYMENT SYSTEMS INC
State: SD

Complaint narrative:
I was enrolled in a " Deferment '' status to obtain my XXXX XXXX. I had to re-submit a form to reinstate my deferment for my current enrollment in a XXXX XXXX. I have now submitted the form a total of 8 times and spent countless hours both speaking with representatives on the phone and submitting their requested documentation. Every time I submit an application, I call and verify what information is needed, and every time they deny for an entirely different reason.Although all other aspects of the application were the same, I would receive a new denial they had not informed me about before. This was frustrating but I was compliant and resubmitted again. Now that I do have all requested information, they are repeatedly questioning the validity of the documents and the way in which I am submitting the forms although I have verified many times over that both are submitted exactly in the way they require. I have spoken to multiple customer service agents at XXXX as well as a specialist. I have been reassured many times that what I am submitting is correct, only for it to be rejected again. The customer service employees and the individuals that review the applications are two different groups of people, and I am unable to speak to the document reviewing staff directly which has caused major confusion, as they do not communicate well with one another and often do not know what each is communicating as a requirement. I am going in circles being denied for a signature that was valid two applications prior, or being denied for submitting the application materials in an incorrect format despite being told to do so that way many times over. The customer service agents will confirm with me after the denial that it was done correctly and to just submit again, but I am denied each time. At this point I am left with nowhere to turn. All of the documentation I have submitted is accurate, valid, and verified, and I have nowhere to turn at this point. I am making no progress. They are not helpful and seem to be intentionally delaying my application. I am concerned this will go into default as I wait for this approval. The first application I submitted was in early XXXX and I have been working every week immediately following the denial to resubmit the correct forms to no avail. 

I will include a copy of my application materials as well as my most recent denial emails. Verification of what is needed was over the phone as their chat does not work and that is the only way to contact them. No email is allowed. They should have record of conversations to corroborate my attempts at providing them the info just as they requested. The most recent denial is for a " wet signature '' which is impossible when submitted via scan to their website. The university does not hand sign any third party documentation per their website and registrar 's office. This signature was deemed acceptable and not flagged in all prior applications. The forbearance documentation was submitted per a request over phonecall by a XXXX at XXXX customer service who told me because they did not properly document the start of my prior deferment ( it occurred when they assumed ownership of the university 's accounts ) that a forbearance form should be submitted for that exact point in time, as a deferment can not be submitted retroactively. They asked that I submit both forms together in one PDF under the deferment submission category specifically but have denied me twice because of that. Now I am being denied again for not having the deferment for that 6 month window despite submitting that forbearance form a third time and having this conversation with the customer service team that this is the only way it can be accepted. If I can provide any further information please let me know.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation