Consumer complaint received 2023-12-10 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan — Problem with your payment plan
Company: MOHELA
State: UT

Complaint narrative:
Complaint written to Mohela XXXX XXXX  : " I just came from the store getting groceries and the household goods with a full cart. My account balance was XXXX so of course, my payment did not go through for my goods. This is because the several times that I attempted to take myself off of auto payment apparently did not go through. And it isn't an option to message regarding this matter. And the last 2 or 3 phone calls that I had with an agent I brought it up, as I was panicked. I was reassured that it was only " pending status '', and it would not go through ... that things were still being sorted out. So knowing that my payment is coming due and that I was very broke this time of year, I had to make sure to divide the payment that I could afford- the save pmt amount I was quoted- ( or at least try to ) In half for this month to make sure that it was paid by XX/XX/XXXX in full .... So since i've already made a payment this month, I for dang sure did not expect to have you Guys still pulling a payment out!!! I do not authorize you guys to take any payments out of my account. You're unavailable by phone anytime I call, You don't know what you're doing enough to even give me correct information when I do reach someone, Can you left my family completely strapped with a XXXX balance for XXXX month. Thank god it wasn't the mortgage that bounced. 

Fix this and put the money back in My account. I am perfectly capable of maintaining payments on my own. Although now I wish I hadn't. And fix my payment amount to match what it was supposed to be doing the save plan... I can't afford these payments. 

XXXX '' ( Then I start my long three day shift the XXXX working nights... Have to handle this when I am able ) XX/XX/XXXX : after nearly 1 hour and being disconnected once, I was assured the payments were being refunded that were taken without permission and the autodebit is removed for sure this time, I heard the same Disclosure Read to me for probably the fourth time That I am not going to get the teeny little 0.25 % Reduction from the interest rate I'm already being charged if I choose to remove the Auto payments that they were forcing on me. I was supposed to have been placed on a Forbearance due to their processing delay. Not only should I never have been debited in the first place, I also never should have been charged or even Due before XX/XX/XXXX by their own record, and I was charged an inflated amount rather than the amount that I owed!!! 

I am told I can now expect my XXXX pmt not due XX/XX/XXXX for the corrected amount of {$170.00}... Which is how much it was supposed to have been anyway. I confirmed with the " advanced agent '' I was transferred to who was helping me, that the payment I had already sent them ( days before I knew about this ) Would just leave the second payment that I would send of {$86.00} to bring me current for XXXX payment. He confirmed that my refund Was submitted and will be processed, And I would be getting documentation That might have incorrect dates on it, But in the system he will have fixed it to reflect what it needed to to fix my forbearance So that it would show current that you're my refund can process. 

I will reset my payments I deleted from my bank to continue. 


XX/XX/XXXX : I received emails from Mohela at XXXX, and Rather than the documentation stating that that auto pays had been deleted and my money had been refunded, They were Confirmations that 3 more auto debits had been scheduled- entered XXXX!!! 

Which doesn't make sense because it's after They're ours of operation, So of course nobody is there to answer for it or fix it ( Not that they ever have or plan to!! ) And then I called my bank XXXX So I could file It dispute Against the Charges and block them from sure charges. Of course, they were also closed for Customer service, When the government treats you this poorly and violates you're rights .... and takes money that they are Given permission to and breaks promises To make it right, And instead Blatantly proceeds to do it again... 

Who protects us?! Where's the XXXX XXXX XXXX  That will take on good crooked federal agencies?? How's this allowed to continue? 
They did not have permission to debit my account, I made every attempt to correct it and to allow them time to correct it. Even after apologies and promises to fix it. I never saw that happen, and the only documentation I received since was plans to debit the account that they are not authorized access .... yet again!!

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief