My situation is a little different as I was not ripped off, per se...
I got into a situation where my student loan went into default. The long story short involves an outdate email address and assuming that unopened letters from AES were reminders of the status of my deferment. I was wrong. My deferment was only for 6 months, not the year that I had assumed. My loan defaulted as a result of my negligence. I readily admit my fault and responsibility. I was facing wage-garnishment so I called AES to correct this and was met by some very terse and cold-hearted staff. I was required to pay $570.00 per month and I was being smacked with an additional 19% interest fee (Nearly $9000 additional punishment dollars). I asked, begged and pleaded for some relief or lower payment as this was most of my disposable income. I was told that these were the terms and too bad for my hardship. I figured that I could help myself by doing bi-weekly payments of $300 every 2 weeks. When I asked for the amortization, I was told that there was none available until I was rehabilitated out of default status. The judgement, cruelty, and complete disregard for the fact that this is a horrible economy and we are all struggling means nothing to these heartless people. I guarantee that no private company would be permitted to operate in such a predatory fashion. This is truly governmental tyranny at its worst. The worst part is, I agreed to their terms, never realizing how a mistake can destroy you. Not everyone who is late in payments is a dead-beat. But these folks hearts certainly have no care. Be very careful when dealing with them. I sincerely hope that if the people of PHEAA/AES find themselves in personal tragedy, someone treats them with more care and compassion that these folks have shown. Only then will they understand how cruel they have been.
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