For the second time this year, Sallie Mae's payment website has been down when I attempt to pay. When I attempt to make a payment over the phone instead, they tell me I have to pay a $10 service fee, and that they can't waive it.
The last time this happened, I made my payment the first day the payment site became available again. Sallie Mae charged a late-fee. When I called customer service, they said they couldn't waive the fee and transferred me to the payment processing center. The payment processing center told me they couldn't waive the fee, and that I needed to go back to customer service, but that customer service wouldn't help me until the fee was paid.
I asked to speak with a supervisor, who verified that the website had in fact been down and that there WAS NO WAY FOR ME TO HAVE AVOIDED A FEE under the circumstances. (I had to get this out of him by him to problem-solve a way out of the fee loop - he couldn't do it). He again referred me back to payment processing, so I asked for the supervisor's number there. The man I was speaking to said he didn't have the supervisor's number. I asked him who DID have the number for the payment supervisor, and this manager told me HE DIDN'T KNOW. I asked him to refer me to someone who would know who would know, etc...
Ultimately, I got the name and number of an executive who was supposed to give me a call-back, and he never did. I gave up and paid the stupid fee.
Now it's happening a second time - exactly the same scenario.
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