I was given a referal by a Co-worker of mine to call a Student Loan advocate to get on one of the many Obama Student Loan Relief programs. My co-worker gave me a number of a man by the name, Jospeh Edwards. I proceeded to call him shortly after. Even with a degree in Criminal Justice I should have known better, but because of the amount of student loans that I current have I wanted to take action as soon as possible. When I got in contact with Jospeh Edwards, like any con-man he very keen and insistant upon about providing his services for the sake of saving me money. Keep in mind, I had not done my homework to know that there are serveral programs out there for different suitations and income levels. Jospeh Edwards only spoke to me about the income based repayment plan where you pay the same amount each month(unless you income changes) and after 10yrs. whatever is left of the remaining balance will be ratified and you will owe nothing. Sounds good right! sign me up. Joseph said that I need to make a down payment on my account so I can show the student loan people that I was serious about paying off my loan and so that he could get started on my account. Jospeh gave me an amount of $692 and told me that was based of the kind of plan that I have and so I gave him my acct information and decided to do a one time payment as supposed to several over the course of a month.
Flag #1. He asked for my entire SSN# instead of the last four numbers like most accredited debt collectors. But again I gave it to him because my co-worker said she had just started paying back her loans. Next he asked for my birthday and said your last name is ***** right and I said yes.
Flag #2. He asked for my mother's maiden name and at the time I thought, "that sounds like a security question but again I gave it to him. After pulling up my information, Informs me that I have 10 different student loans the total amount and said that I was in default. Jospeh then took some income information and said he was calculating a possible amount for a payment plan.
Flag #3. Jospeh explained to me what would happen if I didn't get out of default. He said that he needed to apply for my debt consolidation loan as soon as possible so my account can get out of default and I can rebuild my Credit. Joseph told me that garnishment was about to happen and that they can take up to 40% of your income and that's when I told him that I thought in the state of Michigan it was 15%? and he replied, "yeah, anywhere from 15 to 40%!!!!!!!
That's when I knew something was really wrong. Later on in the privacy of my own home I beganto do my research about the different debt relief programs. I did not know about studentloanhelpdirect.com/disclaimers.html and realized that the man by the name of Jospeh Edwards was not actually a Certified and Professional student loan debt relief account customer service rep from an accredited student loan vendor but was actually a person off the street who entered in my account info on studentloans.gov which is the national database for those whom have ever taken out a student loan!!!!!!! This complete stranger that I knowingly gave all of my information to simply logged on to the site that most people don't even know about, and was going to apply for a student consolidation loan and or program pretending to be me!
I am asking for a refund in the amount of $692 because upon going unto StudenLoads.gov I immediately signed up for a consolidation loan.The Second thing I did was send who I've come to know as Joseph Edwards an email informing him that I no longer require his services as I have already completed a student loan consolidation loan on my own behave. Not only did I recieve any form of acknowlegdement and I have tried to contact the number from which I have directly to him on and it goes to a pre-recorded message that says to call the main number and simply leave a message and someone will get back with me. I have also tried to call a woman by the name of sarah who has left me voicemails asking me to sign the electronic pen and her number goes to her voice mail.
I understand that I gave him my bank info that same day and it was electronically processed. I all want is for the sum total of $692.00 transferred back into my account. I know that him nor anyone in this agency perfrom, start or complete any task, job, and or payment plan on my behalf because I did not give Him nor any of his contituents a copy of my Tax Return nor did I sign the electronic pin with my signiture agreeing to pay for any of the services that he provided. I did not sign anything giving him nor anyone else the authorization to file for a consolidation loan and or repayment plan in my place and on my behalf.
StudentLoanHelpDirect.com Was Great!
California,#2Consumer Comment
Thu, September 11, 2014
I had all of my student loans consolidated with studentloanhelpdirect.com and had a great experience. They did exactly what they said they would do. They quoted me a monthly payment which I accepted and gave me a nice amount of money that would be forgiven. I'm glad to see that this person got her refund because based on my experience, they are a very reputable company.
SLHD Joe Edwards
Los Angeles,#3REBUTTAL Individual responds
Tue, September 09, 2014
We have contacted Mrs. Green (Matrice) to resolve this case and have issued a $692.00 refund to the client. Mrs. Green agreed to all of the terms over the phone and disclosures were read to her prior to accepting her CHECK-BY-PHONE payment.
This misunderstanding has been RESOLVED.
#1 - SLHD requests verification of identity in order to verify the loan balances and lenders information. DOB and SSN are required, however the client is given the choice to login and download the information themselves.
#2 - The Security question helps us to access the loan information, however the client is given the choice to login and download the information themselves.
#3 - If your loans are in Default - Unless you object, the loan holder will use the 15% IBR formula to determine your reasonable and affordable payment amount. This does not mean that you are eligible for IBR. You may be able to get into the IBR program, but only after you complete the rehabilitation program.
***Disclaimer from website and service contract***
SLHD is a private organization and is not a government entity. Student Loan Help Direct is a Document Preparation and Tracking Service. Our free Federal Student Loan Informational session will identify what Federal programs are available for you and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Our service is only for the Preparation & Tracking of your Federal Student Loan Consolidation Documents. Consumers may choose to complete their own consolidation documents based on the federal programs and are not obligated to use a third party resource such as SLHD. SLHD does not facilitate the negotiation of a debt, the settlement of a debt or the altering of a debt it’s services are only for the assistance and completion of federal student loan program documents. ***SLHD will not pay your student loans for you or on your behalf. Document Preparation Services are not available in some States. ***Results May Vary and are Solely Based on The Federal Consolidation Program You Choose.
#4Author of original report
Wed, September 03, 2014
It is sad that we had to get to this point. When I filed this report my intention was never to bash this company seeing as I have never recieved their services but what I am saying is that when I decided to take it upon myself to explore other options and do it myself they were not so understanding. As soon as I left the e-mail stating that I no longer required their services I should have been immediately refunded seeing as their website claims to have a 100% money back guarantee!!! I hope this report doesn't stand in the way of the next person getting the financial relief assistance that they need. I would have liked to delete the report altogether but since they do not remove reports this incedent shall remain as is, a lesson learned on both sides.