Sallie Mae

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january2000

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I'm at a loss as to what to do. In 2000 me and my newlywed hubby decided to consolidate our student loans (he had two, I had one). The school he was attending at the time (a computer training school) gave us Sallie Mae.

In 2004 I became divorced and had to place the account in forbearance to buy myself a little time to start making payments as I had just returned to the workforce and was now the single parent of two children learning to live on one income. I had made numerous requests, but was never told I had run out of forbearance requests. One day, many months after having faxed my forbearance documents to them and thinking the account was not due yet, I receive a phone call from a Sallie Mae collector claiming that the account was past due and if I did not pay a very large lump sum the student loan would go into default. I explained that the account was in a forbearance, but she insisted it was not. I asked for a deferrment because I did not make much money and received little to no child support at that time, but I was denied. When asked why they didn't send me a payment voucher or notice stating the account was due I got contradictory information 1) they didn't know where I lived (BS, they knew exactly where I lived--I hadn't moved) and 2) they sent it to my ex's address (despite me repeatedly informing them they needed to direct all correspondence to me).

Every time I would call them to discuss the account I was given the run around--no one wanted to deal with me, it was like trying to pull my own teeth with a pliers! They claimed they were reluctant to give me info because I was not the primary on the account (I was just the co-signer) and sometimes I was even told the account didn't exist--a few times they could only pull up the loan information after I dug out the ex's SSN.

After being so completely frustrated I gave up being proactive for a while and never heard from Sallie Mae again. It wasn't until I checked my credit report prior to buying a house in 2006 that I saw PHEAA/AES reporting two items on my credit. By the time I chased this down and figured out who the heck they were the account had been moved to DCS. PHEAA/AES never once contacted me, yet they were quick to report on my credit report and the only reason I knew DCS had it was because they called me in late 2006 demanding full payment.

This account has now gone back to AES who still continues to pretend I don't exist. I have made complaints to the PA Attorney General, the California Attorney General and the FTC.

After all is said and done I believe Sallie Mae fraudulently forced this account to go into default by not informing the forbearance was inactive, by not sending me payment vouchers or statements, by switching up account numbers which gave the impression the account didn't exist and not sending anything via mail claiming I was past due on a payment long before it was "out of control" past due when the rep called me all to capitalize on various fees they can charge and interest they can earn on those excess fees and I have no way out because federal student loans are not dischargable via Bankruptcy. Had Sallie Mae not done this I would be making monthly payments to them--instead I'm still trying to figure out who the heck I'm supposed to pay and in a reasonable amount while they continue to swap from one place to another and report two loans (it was consolidated--should be just one) defaulted so as to maximize the negative drop on my score that much more.

I am wondering if there are any other options for me at this point. I don't think I should have to pay the mounting "fees," penalties and collection costs because I was and am willing to pay it--I've been trying to pay it for years, I just couldn't come up with the lump sum they proposed when I thought the account was in forbearance.
 
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