American Education Services

I am 25 years old and have accumulated over 100k because of higher education. I am paying three loans now that can not be under deferment, which is perfectly fine. Last year, when these three loans kicked in, it was understood that either my cosigner or myself can make a payment. I have contacted AES about this and they said that is perfectly fine: "Cosigner can make a payment through his account and it will go towards the loans." I have followed their order in thinking this was fine. My dad then later posted my payment through his online banking to the AES service of the correct amount and a few days before the due date. A couple of weeks later, I kept getting harassing phone calls on my cell and primary number, along with letters and calls to my cosigner. They called me to discuss that my payment was not made and I am delinquent for "x amount of days". I kept arguing saying that my cosigner had posted the amount to the service thru his online banking and in return they would reply: "We don't have it and it will probably take a few days more if it was done my online banking."

I kept getting these harassing phone calls for at least a few months. I do not understand why the hell they are calling when I'm indeed paying my loan off. I was finally sick of them calling me, so I returned the favor and started harassing them and questioning them on why they keep harassing me about my payment if the amount posted from my cosigner was paid. I continued to tell them that I have online proof from my bank account that shows that the money was taken and they continue to say this line: "It's ok if your cosigner pays and it will be put towards the loan amount." I then asked if I should make the payment myself in order to avoid this harassment and they continued to say, "No, either you or your cosigner can make a payment and it should affect anything."

After several months of my dad making several of the payments and getting the harassing phone calls, I finally got so fed up and I called AES. After four or five months, a lady finally told me that I should be making the payments through my account to specify the loan amount. I had then explained to her that I kept asking everyone from customer service about paying thru my account and then they said no, it would be fine whoever makes the payment. She then informed me from now on to make payment thru my account to assure that the payment was made.

Fast forward to three months ago: I decided to continue my master's program here in NY and applied to several loans in which I got declined. I questioned the reason why because I have a great credit score and pay everything on time. I got my fourth decline from my bank and started crying when I started thinking maybe I won't be able to pursue my master's degree. I later called one of the banks, which told me that my credit score has been negatively reported and my credit isn't great. I then got worried because I know my credit score was in the 800s. I discussed this with my dad who later confirmed that my score was good. I later called another bank who later told me that AES had negatively reported me to the credit bureau. I didn't understand why and I called AES who then gave me the run around, blaming that it was my fault.

I continued to tell them that I have been paying on time and they failed to tell me that my loan payment had to be paid thru my AES account. Yet again they didn't want to take any blame and kept saying that it was my fault for failing to pay. Last month, my dad made a $200 payment on my loan thru his account and told me that he had done this. I later called AES and told them that my dad made the payment through his account and so it will be there in a few days. They told me that they would make a note, but I constantly still got harassed again. A week later, I went on my AES account and saw that a payment of $200 was made by the co-signer and saw this message: "You are currently in delinquent for 15 days." I didn't understand because they took the money and said they received it. I checked the payment history and saw that AES has posted the $200 to my federal loans that are not in repayment till 2013. I immediately called and screamed, saying that they had no common sense and can't put two and two together when they saw a delinquent loan account and $200 paid. I later realized that before, when my dad would post money on my account, AES took it upon themselves to pay my loans that were in deferment and not those that are "in school payment".

Due to their unprofessionalism and lack of sense, my credit score along with my cosigner (dad) has been affected. They have no remorse and can't admit that they messed up and are ruining a student's chances of furthering her education. This is the worse education service and something has to be done! They ruined my life and my future. I am forever going to have this under my credit report and I can't do anything about it. AES is horrible and has unprofessional service.

Forcing Me To Pay My Loans While I'm In School - My name is Chris and I am currently finishing up my MA at Buffalo State College. I have been attending this institution since Fall of 2011. For the entire duration of my schooling at Buffalo State, I have never once dropped below half-time status, so when AES contacted me last year to inform me that I would have to begin paying on one of my loans, I was completely dumbfounded. It has always been my understanding that for as long as you are attending a university of higher learning, maintaining at least a half-time status, you will not be forced to pay on your student loans - they'll be in a deferment status. While trying to achieve a degree that will give me a better chance at finding work, I am now being penalized for seeking higher education. I have been paying on one loan for over a year now and as of a couple weeks ago, AES is now forcing me to pay on at least two other loans. I work part-time and live on my own. My family is not in the financial situation to help me with these payments and I am finding myself in a panic right now, thinking that I may have to give up putting gas on my car for work and school in order to pay these loans.

I contacted AES a year ago to inform them that I was in school. I sent proof of enrollment, to which they simply replied I am not entitled to deferring my loans any further. I am twenty five and have been in school since I was eighteen. I have never heard anything from any financial loan officers throughout all of this time that would ever give me the impression that I would have to pay on my loans while I was in school. I feel that this is extremely unfair, given that I haven't even been allowed the opportunity to seek employment with my degree yet. I have lost my grace periods on these loans, which will hurt me immensely while I seek employment and honestly, I would love to consider going for my PHD, but I am now viewing this through the lens of complete and utter impossibility. How will I be able to go through what may very well be another four to seven years of schooling, while having to work for the university to secure my financial support, making nothing more than maybe $5,000.00 a year and afford paying these loans and any other bills that I may have? How will I eat? Where will I sleep? And how exactly will I be able to live?

I contacted AES and explained to them that I was in school still, at the appropriate status, and that I sent another proof of enrollment, to which I was told to simply pay or fill out a form that would cut the payments in half for a year then the payments would go up to where they were originally plus the half that I cut out. I had to go through Google to find a document archive for AES in order to find the in-school deferment form because they do not make it readily available on their site. I feel that what they are doing is unethical and completely unfair. I would love to know how many other students are in the same situation as me. I am currently finishing my thesis and preparing for my comprehensive examination. This is a time of great stress, but is also a time of fantastic pride or at least it should be. How can I be happy about where I am, when I'm not even being allowed the opportunity to think ahead to the next step in my life's journey? I have many dreams and I have many goals, but now I am finding the doors and windows of opportunity being nailed shut before me.

Why is it that my friends who are students, who have been attending school as long as myself or longer, do not have to pay on their loans? They aren't all personal loans and they aren't loans that asked for you to pay the interest while you were in school. They are simply common student loans! I have loans through Chase bank that are as old as these ones and I am not being asked to pay on those although I have noticed that AES has bought some of them as well and they are in grace period status! I cannot even begin to understand why I am in this situation and furthermore, I cannot even begin to understand how this company can be so unwilling to work with students to find solutions to these issues. I need help with this issue, but I have no idea where to turn to for help. I assumed that this would be one of the first steps to finding a solution.

I hope that someone can contact me with advice on the situation. Maybe I have been misinformed by financial aid counselors throughout my years of higher learning? Maybe AES is correct? I truly feel that American Education Services has wronged me though and I do wish to find a solution to these pains. Any guidance and advice will be greatly appreciated!

This company has harassed me and my wife on a daily basis. I asked that they stop contacting me by phone. I never done business with this company and they continue to call several times a day. I want them to stop calling me I do not have a debt owed to them.

I have paid $37,000 to AES over the course of five years and yet the principal of the loan has only reduced by $1,000. Also, when I consolidated my loans in 2006, both AES and ACS, another student loan servicer, claimed to be the new servicer. We agreed that I would make payments to ACS. I made payments to ACS for six months in 2006. None of those payments were applied to my loan and, unbeknownst to me, AES accrued interest on my loan. I am now asking AES and ACS to provide the promissory notes and other agreements. I do not understand how the principal could have reduced by only $1,000 after five years of payments totaling $37,000.

I am receiving mail and phone calls from this organization saying that I owe them money for something I'm not sure of. They say that I stopped making payments in 5/11. The truth is I've never made a payment to them because I don't know who they are. I have just received something regarding my tax returns. This is going too far. If you can help, please contact me.

If I could rate this company lower, believe me I would. I co-signed on two loans for my son's tuition. Because of a divorce and misunderstanding as to which party was responsible for paying which student loan, the National Collegiate Trust loan was turned over to AES for collection. I contacted Kim with AES on May 9, 2011 and worked out a payment plan for $200 per month toward the loan. This amount was to be lowered after three months, but I continued, in good faith, to send the $200 even after the three month period ended.

My son and I have now started to receive harassing phone calls throughout the days and nights from Rebecah and Valerie, indicating that the money I am sending isn't enough, and that the last payment received ( December 9, 2011) had been applied toward the September 2011 payment. They are threatening to start assessing late fees, and with taking legal action against us, despite the "good faith" $200 monthly payments I have been making faithfully since May 2011. I spoke with both Rebecah and Valerie today (19Dec11), and advised them that there is no additional money available to apply toward these loans, and that I wanted to continue making the $200 payments. They both insisted that my efforts were not good enough. The only alternative I have is to stop paying anything and letting the account go into collections.

I contacted AES again, after having time to calm down, and spoke with Priscilla who indicated that she agreed that something is better than nothing, but that the only thing she could do, would be to lower the monthly payment to $50 per month for three months, allowing the interest and late penalties to continue accruing. I advised her that I did not wish to do that. I want to continue paying the $200 amount as I have been since May 2011. The only thing that she would do is document the account.

I advised AES that my son and I will no longer accept calls from AES, and that if they actually attempted a block party, involving outside parties into this issue. I will sue. I suggested that there isn't a judge out there, who wouldn't look favorably to our situation, being that we have been paying $200 per month since July, in good faith effort to pay the loan.

My experience, as well as my co-signers, with AES has been nothing short of bullying and harassment. On several occasions, we have been harassed to the point of taking our phones off the hook or we have debated on changing our phone numbers altogether. My co-signer went bankrupt in 2010, and the hope of finding a decent paying job out of college seems dim at times. As a result, I do not make much money and I am late on my student loan bills about half the time. And when I am late, the calls do not stop, no matter how many times I talk to them and let them know when payment will be made.

On one occurrence, AES bombarded my co-signer and I with rude phone calls saying we were delinquent and threatened a negative hit on our credit reports. I have been late on my payments before, but could not understand the relentless harassment this month. I found that this month's annoyance and bullying was due to AES not applying my payment evenly to all my loans, and one was "delinquent" by about ten dollars. I paid the extra ten dollars to get them to leave us alone.

On another occasion, when my student loan account was current, my cell phone got shut off temporarily due to simply me being broke and paying other bills with my money instead of my phone bill. AES wanted to harass and annoy me during this time, apparently, because a piece of my mail got returned, and when they could not get through to my cell phone, they called my co-signer to harass and annoy her. My mother, who is my co-signer, told them she had no other way of getting a hold of me, the address on my mail was correct, and that it was temporary shut off. But they called her 4 to 7 times a day until my phone was put back on, and called my references as well.

Today, my mother's house was called seven times by AES. I called them this morning to make sure they had received the paperwork I had sent over a week ago for forbearance. The man was rude, just like most of the customer service agents I talk to over there, and said that, "They had not approved or denied the forbearance" and "They are contracted to call as many times as they want." I don't know how this is possible when the law lists repeated phone calls from a "regulated person" within the company as a form of harassment. After that phone call, which was at 9:00 in the morning, we received seven more phone calls from them until 9:00 at night.

The collection and loaning practices of AES needs to be investigated. This is clearly harassment and the stress these people cause my co-signer and I is harsh and unnecessary. I have read many complaints on AES, and I know they have several complaints not only to Consumer Affairs, but also to the BBB. Some of these complaints frighten me on the legality of my own loan, with many people reporting fraudulent interest rates and practices when AES takes over their student loans. When I can get on my feet again, I will contact a lawyer on the behavior of this company and the circumstance of my loan.

AES has poor customer service. Their representatives do not try to help towards a solution. I have called this company several times wherein I have received rude and unprofessional service.

I will list just 2 recent phone calls. I am a co-signer on an account and was trying to obtain information on how to get my name removed from the loan. I was told that I could not because the original loan payment had been adjusted (the monthly payment was reduced). I advised that I was not aware of this. They told me the borrower did not need my permission or signature to get the payment reduced. I asked how and was told that they just don't and my name would not be removed. The representative went on to say that removing my name is actually a courtesy, not just given. The tone was very sarcastic, as if I was a delinquent for even signing for a loan.

I called another time, a week later, to inquire why the payment I mailed was not applied to the account, even though my bank showed the payment had posted. I was told that they didn't have the payment initially but then, they "researched" and found out that they didn't know what account to apply it to. What? I listed the account number on the check. I informed the representative that the reason I mailed a check was because a co-signer cannot make an online or automated payment. She made a smart comment that they could. I explained that I had just got off the phone with the online technical help and he verified that I could not. She didn't apologize, just continued to make rude comments.

I take my debts and bills very seriously and this company has a problem with how they handle business. They will call and harass you when the borrower misses a payment but then you can't make one as a co-signer, unless you talk to a live person M-F. They will threaten you that your credit will be affected but let the borrower make decision without your knowledge on the account.

I really wish something could be done with the way they treat customers and handle business. I understand rules and regulation govern any company/business but there is a way to speak with people. If customer service is your job, you should learn how to talk to the public.

Since August of 2007, I have been sending postal mail stating that I am not the co-signer of certain student loan. I happened to find out the co-signing fraud when I spoke to Burt, disbursement and distribution rep, when I requested that "stop payment" on a check that was issued. We confirmed the check had not been cashed. I faxed the request for American Education Service (AES) to stop payment immediately and not approve any student loans in the future. I asked that all checks or any other loans be stopped now. I stated again, I did co-sign for one student loan for Wilie **. I did not sign any other student loans for this student, and certainly not for a Tamika ** and will not do so.

I was told my Mr. Burt that the check would be stopped. I received confirmation via phone call and I have fax confirmation. About a month or so later, American Education Services sent postal letter confirmation that an investigation was being done. I have received no more information and not other correspondence from them. I did annual credit check in October of 2007-2010. Listed are student loans with me as co-signer in the amount of $178 k. My credit is a mess and I cannot get mortgage. The reply is that "my debt ratio is greater than my income". Prior to this co-signing fraud, my credit was 650-700, a good rating.

I am requesting assistance from Consumer Affairs to help me correct this fraud. I have written to American Education Service ever since I was informed that there would be an investigation to get an update. But I got no response. I have also complained to Grambling State University via phone conversation, as it's the university that the college students are attending. And the financial student aide submitted or helped with application for funds. I asked Grambling State University student financial aide rep how could one student get more than 7 loans in one year. And I asked American Education Service rep Mr. Burt the very same question. Each stated that this could not happen and if so, there would certainly be an investigation. This may be true, but no one has done so thus far.

Grambling State University finance (student loans) representative referred me back to American Education Service, the distribution provider. They could not discuss a student's loan with me. This was repeated several times, as I stated I was the person being defrauded as co-signer. I again wrote to American Education, giving them this information. Still, I got no response at all. Yet, I still get this delinquent bills and letters from collection agencies. I explained that these bills are not mine as I did not co-sign for them. No one is listening. And I am still getting these bills with me as co-signer.

Calls from American Education Services and collection agencies are not going out to my sister Carol in Camden, NJ regarding Tamika ** and Laura ** (me). She called me. I told her to tell them to call me. I also told her to call Do Not Call (I gave her the 800 number). I told her to just follow the instructions given and then give them the name of company/institution calling and their phone number. Today, Saturday January 29, 2011, I received another such bill for Willie **.

I have called him (Willie **). He responded with a very dirty and negative e-mail. I then called his mother (my sister). And she responded with Willie owes me an apology and they would handle it as it was some kind of mix up that was over 2 years now. I have e-mails saved of me asking my sister and her son to correct this mess. I also told them that signing someone else's name is a federal offense. I do not know where else to turn. I e-mailed the FBI on the fraud hotline and gave the same information I am submitting to you. I have not received a response. I guess they think I am some kind of nut. I just do not know how, who, or where to turn for assistance. I now submit my request to ConsumersAffairs.com for help.

I enrolled my son in the Allentown Business School in fall 2005. He was only in this school for about 3-4 months. After the school said that transportation and board will be provided, I signed and took a loan. But transportation wasn't provided. He was moved from one apartment to another. Many times, he will have to stay at a complete stranger's place. After three months, I took my son out of that place. I had to drive from New Jersey to PA, a three-hour ride, sometimes late at night because my son didn't have a place to stay.

Now, I am paying over $19,140.00 on a school loan. We did not use that money. The school went out of business. More than $130 is being taken monthly out of my checking account. I have called several places to see what I can do. I can't afford a lawyer, but I know that I don't owe this money. I need help. I have been trying to talk to them but it is like talking to a brick wall. I have been paying this for all these years. Please, who can I contact about this?

I have had two student loans with National Collegiate Trust, which turns out to be American Education Services. I have been paying since the loans started in 2004. I have had financial burdens off-and-on throughout the years for various reasons, but on an average I have been making steady payments. I had noticed that my balance owed never seems to go down and inquired about this in the past. I received a "song and dance" and will admit I believe them at the time. Something about how it starts off slow due to interest owed but will increase in chipping away on the principle soon etc.

This past month I could not make a payment and have been harassed by phone, mail and emails. I called and spoke to customer service and ended up speaking with a supervisor who would only give me his first name of Mitch. I asked to speak to him to file a complaint about how I was treated and he was no better. He and the rest were rude, disrespectful and downright harassing, threatening to turn my account to a collection agency if I did not pay by the end of the phone call, etc. With this latest encounter I am pulling paper work out looking at the balance even closer, and now very concern that I might be a victim of fraud by this company. I plan on sending them a certified letter asking for records on my account from 2004. Is this the right move - what should I do?

I do not understand what your problem is. On several occasions from the beginning of my repayment until now, you have caused my account to be delinquent by misappropriating my payments and applying it to another account. I informed you by phone and mail and asked that you correct the problem on at least three occasions. On my last call, your representative Betty told me that nothing could be done. She would not remove any late fees or penalties. I saw my balance increasing while I was making regular payments. I now believe you are doing this on purpose and violating my trust. Any relationship that existed with you has been made null and void by you.

The following is what you have been doing to me. First, you sent me a bill with the balance that I supposedly owed. It stated the amount due as $75.06. Second. I paid $75.06. Third, my next bill stated I only paid $30.97 and was delinquent. Fourth, I called your office and talked to Betty. She said that the rest was divided among my son's loans which were also delinquent. What! He had just renewed his forbearance and had the letter you sent that confirmed this. Fifth, I also mailed you a letter stating that I have zero confidence that you are capable of managing my account. I said that I would make no more payments until you corrected my account and you refused to correct it. Sixth, instead, you chose to put me in collection and never corrected my account.

At this point, an audit of my account is required and a written account to me is required. I believe someone in your employ is stealing money from you at my and many others' expenses including your expenses to attempt to collect what was an account in good standing. Seventh, it is now impossible to send you a payment because you do not apply it to my account. I do not trust you because you have done this to me repeatedly. Eighth, there became no reason for me to try to make payments when you were not applying my payments to my account.

An internet search shows 1,130,000 complaints against your company so I know I am not the only one you are doing this to. I am retired and travel full time. I have no time to try to keep your company honest. I should be able to trust your company to keep my account correct and you have proved that you cannot be trusted.

American Education Services is continually harassing me even though I make weekly payments of $100. I recently received my credit report and have noticed that since November 2008 the amount due continues to go up instead of down although I have paid $8845.35.

My son, who is now deceased had three student loans with this company. The very first loan I co-signed for him. The 2nd & 3rd, I did not. An investigation was conducted by a company representing AES who concluded I was the victim of fraud and not responsible for loans $23. I am constantly harassed each and every day to render payment on loan #2.

I've sent them their documents that stated I was a fraud victim and still they continue to collect on a debt I do not owe. They have ruined my credit by continuing to report negative information to the credit bureaus. They are rude, hostile and very unprofessional when they phone my residence. I have made phone calls and submitted documents supporting my claim and am now at my wits end. I do not know what more I can do to assist them is updating and or correcting my files.