One of my student loan companies made it REALLY hard to try to get help.
One of my loan “servicers” ACS (MEFA) will robo-call me, and anyone they have a number for, regarding my account. (I’m almost positive they violated the Fair Debt Collection Act with how these calls went, but that’s a whole other issue.) I’ll return their call, and the representatives have NO CLUE why I was called. Like, no notations in my account why I was called. I’ll also speak with them, and no one will note my account that I spoke with them, or what we discussed, so I’m back to square one with EACH rep I speak to. C’mon now, even my cell phone company can note my account with things I talk to them about. Sprint is more useful than ACS, and with how notorious cell companies are, that says a lot.
Another grievance with ACS, I sent them paperwork a month ago about modifying my payment terms, sent them a huge packet certified mail with my income and expenses. They required I enroll in automatic payment withdrawals (which I did…) and they’ve already withdrew one of my payments that I can’t afford. I haven’t heard anything about my application, save for a letter saying I was denied because I wasn’t enrolled in the auto-withdrawal. (On the exact same day, I received a letter from ACS confirming my enrollment in the auto-withdrawal.) So, I called, and they told me my application was still being processed. So, now I’m afraid that I’m stuck in auto-withdrawal limbo with payments I can’t afford, while they take their sweet-ass time to determine that I don’t make enough money to afford my $237 a month payment, when I have two other monthly loan payments.
In contrast, I sent my modification paperwork to my two federal loans (serviced through Nelnet) and I’ve been approved, my past due retroactively put into a hardship forbearance, and I start repayment on March 1st, giving me two months (I applied in January) to breathe. All the while, getting an e-mail when I was approved, so I knew what was going on. I got faster service on my FEDERAL loans, the GOVERNMENT, who knew??
I’m trying to do the honest thing and try to pay for my education, but this lender, man, they make it HARD. I’m not looking for puppies, rainbows, and a kiss on the forehead. I’m looking for communication, and a reasonable amount of time to get an answer on my application. I’m looking for a system where I’m not asking why someone called me. If you call me, you should know why when I’m returning the call. Is that so much to ask for?
