Consumer complaint received 2025-04-09 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer — Trouble with how payments are being handled
Company: MOHELA
State: MA

Complaint narrative:
I am seeking assistance in removing a processing forbearance that MOHELA placed due to an income recertification application I requested canceled XXXX  months ago. 

I applied for XXXX under the temporary waiver in XXXX. At that time, I was placed to pay as you earn ( XXXX ) With a Monthly payment of XXXX with MOHELA. The date I was initially given for recertification of my income was XX/XX/XXXX. Despite processing at that time being delayed, I was told by multiple reps at MOHELA That I still needed to submit income recertification through XXXX, And absence to do so would place me on a fixed standard repayment plan at over {$2000.00} per month. I submitted my tax information and income recertification on XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. I received an email from MOHELA On XX/XX/XXXX to notify me that my income recertification deadline was pushed to XX/XX/XXXX. Around that time, I called MOHELA and was on the phone for over XXXX hours, speaking to you an XXXX representative. The purpose of this call was to cancel my recently submitted recertification application, so I could remain on my XXXX plan since the deadline to recertify was pushed. After XXXX hours, I was assured multiple times that this application would be cancelled, and I would remain on my current XXXX  with no interruption, and that this application would not under any circumstances be processed. I requested documentation from the agent that this was processed and our notes from the call, but this was not provided to me. I have been paying my regularly scheduled amounts of XXXX since this call with no indication that there was a problem, so I thought it was cancelled as I requested. I submitted my employment certification form to XXXX XXXX weeks ago, and all of my months paid towards XXXX have been counted up through and including XX/XX/XXXX with no issues. 

A letter on XXXX said my next payment of XXXX was due on XXXX. Then, I received an email from MOHELA XX/XX/XXXX to tell me I was just placed on a processing forbearance while we review your XXXX  application. Somehow they had gotten hold of my canceled recertification and without my permission, decided to nullify my previous conversation to have this canceled. I spoke with XXXX representatives on XX/XX/XXXX at MOHELA. The first XXXX told me she put in a request to cancel the application, and that I would be removed from processing forbearance in XXXX business days as I requested. The second rep told me the first rep did this correctly on her end, and she could see in big red letters cancel next to this application. She also said it would take XXXX business days to come off the forbearance and revert to my XXXX plan as I originally requested. She said I could speak with an advanced agent who could expedite placing me back on payment. I was told the cancellation would not go through until processing on XXXX  applications reopens. 

On XXXX, I wanted to speak to an advanced agent who get me off the forbearance. I was concerned with this not counting towards XXXX, and I just wanted to be back in repayment. The first advanced agent hung up on me. After another XXXX hours waiting on hold, the next one told me all of the information I was previously given was incorrect. At first I was told I could not enter repayment at all while this was in process. I was then told that all of the other calls I had last week still did not request the application to be canceled. She even told me the rep I had from last XXXX entered my cancellation request as a reconsideration even though I specifically asked for it to be canceled, and it is because of this error why the app was still showing up. After being placed on another hold, I was given entirely different information : that my XXXX application will be canceled in XXXX business days, and that waiting for processing to open was not required for this to be canceled. She said she could not take me off forbearance before this was done. I reiterated again that I want to come off the forbearance I was incorrectly placed in, go back to my XXXX payments, and have my application definitively canceled. She said she could not do anything else. I asked why I was receiving so many conflicting pieces of information, and she could not answer this. I wanted documentation to support this, or the directives they are given, and I was told they could not give me this. I asked to speak to a supervisor for clarity, and I was transferred to a line where I waited on hold for another XXXX hours just to find out I was transferred to the basic agent line and not a supervisor. I waited another hour to speak to an advanced agent and request a supervisor, but this call was dropped. I repeated this process another XXXX  times today, all calls were dropped and I never received clarity. I spent XXXX hours on the phone to never talk to someone who could explain why I was in this situation, why I was being prevented from entering repayment, or what this means for my loan/XXXX  status. I was told I would be back on repayment in XXXX business days, but again, I received conflicting reports that I can not enter repayment due to processing pause. 

I am left confused, frustrated, and appalled at the service I am receiving. I am seeking help to once and for all cancel my XXXX XXXX income recertification, and to be taken out of a forbearance I should have never been placed in. My income recertification has now been pushed to XX/XX/XXXX, and all I want is to be on my XXXX plan and making {$220.00} payments that count towards XXXX. Please help.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation