My problem with SLM Financial is very frustrating. I came out of default on my loan (which I didn't know I had at first) in May and my first payment was scheduled for July. I have paid faithfully (sometimes even more that required) up until December when things got weird.
It was a normal payment week and I dialed the number I usually dial to make my payment and I got a busy signal. I told my self ok something is probably wrong with their system and I'll call back tomorrow. Tomorrow came and the same thing happened, busy signals, so I began to use multiple numbers and none worked. This went on for 2 months!
So here I am going through the motions and no one from SLM contacts me until February... Statement date the 19th of 2009. On the statement it has a location as well as a telephone number. I noticed that the location on the statement was different from where I usually sent my payements but I didn't think too hard about it, atleast they made contact right?
Wrong, shortly before I received the statement my wife and my self were layed off from our employers and we took a good financial hit. So I call the number to explain my circumstances and they tell me that I am paid up and my account with them is closed and I should contact the New York State Higher Education Service Corporation whom the account was transferred over to. I said no way, I haven't made a payment in close to three months but I had been out of default since 2006 and there had to be some sort of mix up.
So I go through the motions for about another month and that's when I get another statement that says I still haven't paid and my past due amount is increasing. I say no problem, I know this fine establishment will help me in my time of need seeing as my job has been eliminated and I can't afford the monthly payments by decreasing my payments until I can catch up, right?
Wrong, I couldn't get in contact with them again. Another number and another dead end. So I decide to contact NYSHEC whom I was redirected to in the first place to see if they knew anything about this matter. Nope. They told me that my account with them was paid in full and that Salliemae now handles my account and were nice enough to give me a phone number (which I already had). Now here I am in the middle of an account both sides say I do belongs to the other side. So I said I would try my luck with SLM again and maybe they found their error and we could move on, right?
Wrong. After going back and forth with one the representatives I say I want to speak to his supervisor and he tells me he is the supervisor, so I tell him I want to speak to whoever is higher than you because I need better clarification in this matter. So Mr. Willis, I will not say his first name, gets on the phone and procedes to tell me their is nothing he can do to sustain the situation and the best thing I should do is just pay what I can even though my amount due will increase. Wow!!!
And that leads me to today. I was able to make a payment in April with no problem but when I tried today I got the same busy signal and run a round when I finally spoke with someone (all the way in India!) who tried to give me the NYSHEC phone number I repeated back to her almost in sync as she said it to me. This is a bad company whose right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.
0 comments