Consumer complaint received 2024-02-27 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Federal student loan servicing
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan — Problem with your payment plan
Company: MOHELA
State: WI

Complaint narrative:
MOHELA 's repayment calculator is confusing and inconsistent. It is unclear what my total loan amount is and it is unclear what my loan amount is. 

Documents Received. On XXXX I spoke with MOHELA representative who was able to answer a limited amount of questions about my loan. Notably, they were unable to answer questions about accrual of interest or my account being updated. They assured me my account was updated. Following our conversation I attempted to recertify my income to enroll in the XXXX  program. However, I was unable to do this due to what appeared to be inconsistencies from MOHELA in my total loan amount and interest that was accruing. I decided to wait for the letter that the MOHELA representative assured me would be sent as they were not authorized to make any decision or modification on my account. 

On XXXX interest kept accruing on my account and I received no letter from MOHELA as indicated. This is incredibly frustrating because it has been impossible to self-certify my account. So I got my tax documents together and did the manual certification process. 

On XXXX I received another billing statement from MOHELA and no letter as expected per the XXXX phone conversation with their representative. Upon logging into MOHELA I see a black " IDR '' document that is " Processing '' on " XXXX/XXXX/1014. '' This document is black. I did not submit this document and made no attempt to submit this document. This " received date '' does not reflect either the XXXX or XXXX attempts. The XXXX attempt with my tax info is noted in the documents received attachment provided. 

On XXXX I moved forward with the XXXX  self-certification application in hopes this would result in my account being updated. However, the loan principle and amount indicated by MOHELA has been inconsistent in different places of my web portal. 

Repayment Calculator. Following a conversation with a MOHELA representative I attempted to update my income as instructed. However, the self loan recertification system is faulty and made it impossible to properly certify my loan amount. Notably, the system reflected that my " Total MOHELA Balance as of XX/XX/2024 is {$170000.00} with the info bubble reflecting that this is my total loan balance including principle plus interest. MOHELA does not provide any ability to change this amount or note deficiency. However, this is inconsistent in other areas of MOHELA. Notably, a lower loan amount results in a higher monthly payment for me under the XXXX program according to MOHELA 's calculator in my specific situation ( $ 215 monthly vs $ 224 monthly ). 

My intention all along has been to change from my current ( previous? ) IDR plan to the XXXX program once interest begun accruing on my loan. I did not receive notification of interest beginning to accrue on my account and my account was not updated until after XXXX after interest began accruing on my account. It also appears there may be errors in my account that may unfairly and unjustly result in a higher monthly loan payment amount for me under the XXXX plan. 

I am being unfairly and unjustly scammed once again by MOHELA who began assessing interest on my loans without updating my account. There still appears to be serious errors in my account and the MOHELA online portal system. It is unjust and not right that MOHELA is assessing fees or recertifying loans at a higher rate than otherwise due.

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