Consumer complaint received 2026-04-29 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: Maximus Federal Services, Inc.
State: LA

Complaint narrative:
I am filing a complaint regarding inconsistent servicing practices, lack of transparency, and refusal to properly document or escalate an issue with my federal student loan servicer, Aidvantage. I recently contacted Aidvantage via chat to set up autopay on my federal student loans. My account currently displays a due date of XX/XX/year>. However, I was informed that I can not enroll in autopay because my loans are not considered to be in repayment under the XXXX plan. At the same time, my account is : Displaying a due date Potentially accruing interest Accepting manual payments This creates a situation where my account is financially active, yet I am restricted from using a standard repayment tool ( autopay ). When I asked for clarification, the representative stated that this restriction is per the Department of Education, but also explicitly acknowledged that : There is no borrower-facing documentation explaining this policy It is not written anywhere a borrower can see Borrowers are expected to search studentaid.gov independently for information the servicer could not provide When I requested escalation and asked for the specific written policy or regulation supporting this restriction, I was told : There is no escalation path available The issue could not be formally reviewed I then requested that a formal complaint be logged and reviewed by a supervisor. The representative refused and stated that it would not be treated as a formal complaint, only informally notated on my account. After ending the chat, I contacted Aidvantage again and requested a transcript of the interaction for my records. I was told that they are unable to provide a transcript of the chat. Why this is a problem : This situation reflects multiple concerning servicing issues : Lack of transparency regarding borrower restrictions Inconsistent account status ( not in repayment but still active ) Restriction from using standard repayment tools without documented policy Refusal to log or escalate a formal complaint Refusal to provide a transcript of account communications This makes it more difficult to manage my loans responsibly and creates unnecessary risk, particularly if interest is accruing while I am unable to automate payments. Desired resolution : I am requesting : Clear, borrower-facing documentation or official guidance explaining why autopay is restricted in this situation Clarification on whether this restriction is a Department of Education requirement or a servicer/system limitation Access to autopay or a recurring payment option while not in repayment, OR a formal explanation of why this is not permitted Review of the servicers refusal to log or escalate a formal complaint Clarification of policies regarding borrower access to chat transcripts and communication records Additional notes : I have retained a detailed record of the chat interaction, including statements from the representative indicating that the policy is not documented and that no escalation or formal complaint process was available.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation