Date Received: 2023-10-13
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX I first contacted MOHELA to see how I could lower my repayment and still have the payment qualify for PSLF. I was advised I should move to the standard repayment plan saving over {$100.00} per month, and I requested the switch. When the statements finally came out in the beginning of XXXX my payment had not been adjusted. I called on XXXX and spoke with XXXX, he also seemed surprised it had not yet been processed, and said within a few days it should be completed and I can view the adjustment online. On XX/XX/XXXX this has still not been updated. I attempted to call their customer service line again and requested the call back option. It has now been almost 4 hours and I have not received a call back. I found a fax number for MOHELA and submitted my request/complaint there on XX/XX/XXXX, but I have no faith in their customer service at this juncture. Please assist in helping my payment get lowered prior processing on the due date of XX/XX/XXXX.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: WV
Zip: 254XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-13
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: Applied for IDR SAVE repayment plan in XXXX and the status has been 'under review ' for months now. I even tried resubmitting it and have received no correspondence from Mohela about this application. I have emailed them and received no response as well. I have received my payment amount now and it is not on an IDR plan and the payment is too high and they are giving me two different payment amounts due now as well. One is {$200.00} and the other is {$400.00}. I have attempted to call them and been on hold for hours just for someone to answer and not be able to hear me when I talk and then hang up. It is unacceptable customer service. My application should have been processed by now and I should not have to be doing this but the customer service should have expected a large rise in calls and should make sure they have the ability to hear people after they wait hours or call the number back if they can not hear the customer.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: WV
Zip: 25404
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-13
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: Mohela is struggling with providing accurate repayment plan and amount and an incorrect amount is due today, XX/XX/XXXX. Mohela put half of the loans on administrative forbearance but did not put the other half of the loans on administrative forbearance. They stated they will be doing this, but when? A payment is already due and I can not pay it. Mohela needs to expedite putting all the loans on administrative forbearance until they can produce an accurate billing statement. More details of the history below : XX/XX/XXXX : I submitted a recertification application in XX/XX/XXXX with XXXX XXXX. I was recertifying income ( {$0.00} income ) for loans that were on the XXXX program already ( Loans # XXXX ), and I was requesting my remaining loans ( Loans # XXXX ) to also be on the XXXX program. Upon submitting a PSLF form, the loans were moved to Mohela. Mohela ignored the recertification and did not add the remaining loans on XXXX. I have messages from Mohela representatives in which they seem confused about the type of loans they are, and finally when I speak to someone they state they ignored the recertification and guessed my income, therefore stated I was not qualified for income based plans. I discussed this with The XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX who reached out to Mohela to inform them that all my loans qualify for XXXX. Mohela agreed. XX/XX/XXXX : A Mohela supervisor called my spouse ( 3rd party authorized person ) to confirm that all the loans qualify for XXXX and that the payment is {$0.00} based on the last recertification. They stated this will take time but that the changes will have to be made manually. XX/XX/XXXX : In calling Mohela to check the status of the loan, every person can see this note - manual changes need to be made to the account. However, the changes have not been made. Per Mohela they have been processing the recertification form from XXXX XXXX since XX/XX/XXXX. I have a letter from them stating half of my loans are on Administrative Forbearance ( which I did not request ) and the other half of my loans ( the ones that deserve to be on XXXX ) are not on Administrative Forbearance and they have a payment of {$3500.00} due on XXXX. This bill is based on loans # XXXX on " standard repayment '' and not XXXX and in addition not based on the income at my recertification. The Mohela representative told my spouse they can put loans # XXXX on forbearance while they make the changes and to call back in XXXX business days if not completed. XX/XX/XXXX - Loans # XXXX are still not on forbearance. Mohela representatives are stating that I need to just wait. Every phone call takes XXXX hours to complete due to hold times. After requesting a supervisor my spouse waited an extra hour and they hung up on me before being able to discuss the issues. XX/XX/XXXX Loans # XXXX are still not on forbearance. In addition as of XXXX my XXXX application was CANCELLED. The representative was not sure why. Apparently they are still working on the manual changes and pending administrative forbearance. They claim I do not have to pay, BUT I believe that unless these loans are in administrative forbearance I am NOT PROTECTED from non payment. I am unable to make this payment but if I do not make the payment it will be reported negatively on my credit score. Action that needs to be taken : Mohela needs to process the recertification form prior to the XXXX bill due date. All loans # XXXX need to be on the XXXX plan XXXX The payment should be {$0.00} due to income at the time of recertification. If they can not not complete this by the bill date, all the loans should be on administrative forbearance until they get it done.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: CA
Zip: 91773
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-13
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: MOHELA has mischaracterized my XXXX consolidated Direct loan as XXXX separate loans : XXXX XXXX Consolidation Unsubsidized XX/XX/XXXX {$1400.00} ' and XXXX DL Consolidation Subsidized XX/XX/XXXX {$14000.00} ' This is entirely incorrect. They were consolidated into XXXX loan ( it was a 'consolidation ' of XXXX loans! ) XXXX XXXX XXXX ( subsidized ) loan. I have *never* had an unsubsidized loan of any sort : I had XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX, so there is no way that after MOHELA 's XXXX I should now have XXXX separate loans, XXXX unsubsidized. This mischaracterization only appeared in the last couple months and was not at all present when I consolidated the loans in XXXX or the intervening months. I have contacted MOHELA numerous times about this matter, including in writing, and they refuse to address their egregious error or respond specifically to me about it. I am attaching the screenshot of how the loans appear and a copy of my ( successful ) application for consolidation from XXXX.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: IL
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-13
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: MOHELA is my student loan servicer. They received an autopayment for my first student loan payment after the " pause '' on XX/XX/2023 directly from my bank account. Today, XX/XX/2023, I was notified by MOHELA that my loan was placed on XXXX XXXX. I did not request this nor did I miss a payment. I tried to call them and I was alerted of an XXXX minute hold time on their automatic phone line. I stayed on hold for XXXX minute and then I was hung up on. I tried to contact them through the studentaid.gov phone number and I was on hold for over XXXX minutes and then my phone 's battery died. There is no email or direct messaging available for MOHELA. I sent a secure email through their website and I was notified that they will get back to me in 15 days. Meanwhile, my loan will accrue interest for those 15 days! I refuse to pay this amount since I can completely afford and pay my monthly loan amounts. I am also in XXXX, and I believe time in forbearance does not count towards XXXX.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: NY
Zip: 125XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-13
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX, my account was placed on forbearance without my authorization. No letter was sent to my email. The only notification was buried in my online account messages on their website. The last email I received from them was on XX/XX/XXXX regarding my Auto Debit notification/confirmation. I recently submitted a Public Service Loan Forgiveness certification, but the form submitted did not request a forbearance, just to credit the time to my account On XX/XX/XXXX, my loan due date, I checked my checking account and saw no pending or cleared payment. That is when I logged into their website and saw {$0.00} due and no payments pending. I dug around and found a message in the message box ( the message box showed no messages ). In the box I found one message that looked unopened. This is where I found out about the administrative forbearance. So, I called MOHELA and spoke with XXXX # XXXX when their office opened. I asked why my loan was placed in forbearance without my authorization. I was told the accounting team believed they had miscalculated a number of people 's payments due, and rather than charge the amount due shown ( possibly less than what is due ) and sort out their mess and consult people, they placed all those accounts in forbearance without any authorization or notification. XXXX # XXXX submitted a request to remove the administrative forbearance ( takes 5-7 business days ) and advised me to make a manual payment online today. By doing that, this month would hopefully count towards my Public Service Loan Forgiveness and by next month the auto pay should work again. But that is dependent on their accounting team sorting out their math issues by next month. When I repeated for clarification exactly what they had just done to me and a number of other people, XXXX # XXXX did state very clearly that MOHELA made the request to place my account into forbearance, without my authorization and without consulting me. It was MOHELA that made the request, not me. I made the payment online and got a receipt online that I downloaded, but I had to wait nearly 6 hours to get the receipt emailed to me. Then, at XXXX ( PT ) XX/XX/XXXX, I finally received an email from MOHELA telling me my account was placed in administrative forbearance. Just more proof they did this without my consent.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: OR
Zip: 97301
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-13
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan
Subissue: Problem with your payment plan
Consumer Complaint: XX/XX/XXXX Contacted Mohela, asked to be placed on XXXX as soon as plan was unveiled, submitted income certification. I had previously been on XXXX for my XXXX loans, and graduated from XXXX school during COVID pause so my XXXX loans were on LEVEL, thus they changed ALL of my loans to XXXX XXXX Payment on website updated from XXXX to XXXX, {$250.00}. ~ XXXX Payment on website changed back to XXXX, {$1300.00} ... this should not have happened and I have no idea why it did. XX/XX/XXXX Contacted Mohela, told them I can not make that payment, place me on XXXX. They said they could see the error on their end and they would expedite getting it fixed. I said if it does not get expedited on time place me on ADMINISTRATIVE FORBEARANCE. This was communicated THREE TIMES over the course of the phone call. They obliged and said they would accommodate my requests. XX/XX/XXXX I didn't see any changes during this time on my account so I contacted Mohela, they told me administrative forbearance was never placed. I told them I had asked 3 times to be put on it on XX/XX/XXXX. They initiated forbearance but told me it was too late for it to be applied to my payment due XX/XX/XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX {$1300.00} taken from my account
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: NV
Zip: 89139
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-13
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: I am still in my program. I called MOHELA and spoke with a representative. I asked if I can pay off my interest as I begin to accrue it, now that it has begun again. They said yes. Since I am not yet having to pay my loans back, the payment I make will go towards my interest. I make the payment in XXXX for the interest amount. I go to make XXXX payment and realize XXXX payment when towards the principle not the interest. I call MOHELA for day and days and nothing but a 3 hour wait. I am working during the week I can not be on the phone for 3 hours. I understand that I can call and speak with someone and pay over the phone and pay my interst that is accruing DAILY. But I can not get ahold of anyone. Meanwhile my interest is ballooning. This is PREDATORY. If there was an easy way for me to pay my interest this would not be a problem. WHY IS THERE NOT A WAY TO PAY MY INTEREST ONLINE? HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE THAT I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER MY LOAN? I wrote a memo with special instructions for a payment and mailed in through the postal service with special instructions to put the check written to MOHELA towards my interest then any left over towards the principle. I will have to incur the expense of {$5.00} ea month so that I can guarantee my interest be paid each month. I also emailed MOHELA and have not erceived a response. My interest accrues daily. I have a plan to keep in manageable by paying it off monthly. IF I HAVE NO WAY TO PAY IT OFF MONTHLY. I will no longer be able to manage it and get into debt that I can not pay off and I will be crippled. THIS IS PREDATION. and if I am experiencing it so are SO MANY THOUSANDS OF OTHERS.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: CA
Zip: 948XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-14
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: I set up auto payment months in advance. On my due date they sent a letter at XXXX saying my auto payments were approved. In that letter it said they wouldn't auto debit until the next month, which could have caused me to miss a payment. Today, I got another letter saying I'm in administrative forbearance, which I didn't request. Now I have to watch and make another payment manually because it won't end until after my next payment is due. This is unacceptable. I'm on pslf and would never want missed payments or paused payments. This is shady at best. Literally on my first due date and again before my second due date. They're messing with my future.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: AZ
Zip: 85303
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-14
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-13
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: I believed that my student loan payment may have been incorrect but decided to try to pay the incorrect amount anyways but the website does not let me pay due to error in the website. I have a screenshot, that is time stamped, available if required for proof. I tried calling MOHELA numerous times only to be placed on hold. I did not receive my student loan payment information until 3 weeks prior to the date it was due for repayment. So not only have I been unable to speak to anyone from MOHELA for the past month ( because I called before I received the letter in the mail with my payment info ), but I have been accruing interest on my loan when I am now unable to pay it and will be past due on my payment. I do not understand why this is such a mess when the loan servicer should have anticipated this months prior to repayment.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: MA
Zip: 02138
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A