Thursday, August 14, 2008

Hey look! Trollers!

Yeah, apparently the good ol' boys (and possibly girls, too) from Sallie Mae are out in force today, trolling for those of us who are posting about our issues with their underhanded tactics.

They're trying to claim that we lead extravagant lives, refuse to pay our bills because we're irresponsible, and that we should have read the fine print to begin with.

They tell us that we need to simply buckle down, quit paying for that brand new car we just purchased, and give up the house we just put a huge mortgage on, and lead decent, bill-paying lives - oh, and pay up and on time to Sallie Mae because we should have known better than to expect we could get away with not paying our bills at all.

I don't know about anybody else, but I don't have a new car. Hell, I don't even have *A* car, let alone a new car. As for the house, I live in an apartment that my now-husband had been living in when we got together. He's been here now 8 years... and we don't intend on moving not because the rates are good, but because moving is above our means.

The fact of the matter is, these wonderful trolls are telling us everything that we have told ourselves while we beat ourselves up, trying to figure a way out of the financial mess that we've gotten into. Regardless of who signed the paperwork, and who agreed to do what, the bottom line is, we are stuck with high interest rates, exorbatant monthly payments, and no recourse to lower them because the company is having too much fun collecting from our sorry butts to even think of assisting us.

We have had to choose between paying rent or paying our student loan. We've had to, at times, choose between paying for food or paying our student loan. We aren't talking about the payment on the brand new Jag, or the new 4-bedroom house. We're talking basic necessities that Human Rights activists have been lobbying for years to get people in third world countries. Housing, Food, and basic medical care. When we must choose between one of these things and paying a student loan, there's something wrong with the system - especially when we could do all of it IF we were allowed to work out a more reasonable payment plan than $500-$700/month - and 80% of that being interest!

Honestly, I hope that Sallie Mae is paying these people a good amount of money for surfing the net in hopes of bullying us more. And I hope that somehow, that money helps salve their conscience after they read what their own company has done to thousands upon thousands of us without a lick of remorse. And I hope that someday, somehow, revenge in the way of sweet, sweet Karmic justice, will serve a HUGE helping of crow to these people for even THINKING that this was an ok job for them to follow through with.

Meanwhile, I'm going to set comments to members only - it means that you will HAVE to identify yourself before you can post. While at times I have found these trolls to be amusing, it is tedious and tiresome at this stage.

~M

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sallie Mae is causing me soooo much stress. My loans will be coming out of forbearance in a few weeks. I have called and written back and forth several times explaining that I cannot make the minimum monthly payments of almost 2000 per month. I don't even know doctors who can afford that. I have begged and pleated for a plan that I can afford so that my loans will not go into default and they have offered me nothing. With acception of reminding me that when they do go into default I will be charged fees and the interested and the capitalized interest on those fees. Basically to ensure that I will never ever be able to afford the monthly payments. I'm so stressed about it I feel sick. I don't know what to do. If anyone has any advice I would greatly appreciate it. They were so nice and assured me when I applied for the loans that they would work with me to pay them back. That was obvisously a scam. As know they won't help me at all. They won't reply to my concerns now but I'm sure when they go into default they will suddenly be able to get in touch with me.

Marcy said...

Bless you for having names and emails of these people at Sallie Mae....I was having a hard time searching for them on the net. The people at Student Acceptance Corp. won't stop calling me and they're calling for my ex-husband's children I haven't seen in 10 years!!

Marcy from Fort Worth

mominhell said...

OMG!! It is such a relief to know that my daughter and I are not the only ones being harrassed by Sallie Mae. They have been rude, most unhelpful and quite incompetent. We can't even get anyone to talk to us in a respectful, helpful manner. It is appalling how they do business.

Anonymous said...

has anyone sent a cease and desist letter to sallie mae but are still being contacted? i have and my lawyer is interested in a class action but i need to find more people that this has happened to. it is against the law for them to contact you after you send the letter. send it return receipt so you have proof it was received.

Spiffy said...

Its such a relief to know that I am not alone! Its true- I have to make choices between gas for the car or groceries and rent vs. paying my sallie mae loan. And they start calling if you are ONE day late with your payment. I was on the phone with a rep named "Joseph" last night and he HUNG UP on ME when I told him I wouldn't make a payment over the phone- he hung up before I was able to explain that my payments were already set up to be drafted from my bank account hence why there was no reason for me to make a payment by phone. He hung up on me! I was so infuriated!

I've only just started doing research on Sallie Mae- I feel so stupid for not researching them beforehand! I really feel like my school failed to assist me in making an informed financial aid decision- I would never have chosen Sallie Mae if they had provided me more options and information.

Tyguy said...

I feel your suffering. Sallie Mae has screwed with me so much. Once they took double my payment and refused to return the 2nd half for weeks on end until I called a lawyer and told them they were being sued.

RaeAnn Roca said...

Wow. This site is an absolute God-sent! I just got off of my monthly phone call with Sallie Mae. Every time I think I am ahead of the game with them, it turns out Candice or Rosslyn decided not to "read the rest of the page" and decided not to tell me of specific loans I had and thus needed to make payments on! It happens every month and I can't understand why Sallie Mae is still allowed to operate a business this way! I'm told that it isn't anybody elses problem that I "don't pay my bills." It's just so frustrating and I'm literally at my witts end. I hope to find some solice in this site.

dbyf said...

Is it possible to file suit against Sallie Mae? They approved me for loans when I had minimal income. I had hoped to be working as soon as I graduated, but I have had a series of unexpected health problems that have required numerous surgeries and hospital stays, and it's not over yet. Sallie Mae will not hear it. I have offered my medical records in an effort to reduce payments temporarily; but they said they don't need them. I have no idea what I can do. I am not avoiding them; I send them what I can, but they still put me into delinquency. I have every desire to pay them, but I need my payments lowered. What can we do? Does anyone know a lawyer in NJ?

Unknown said...

I am here with you all on Sallie Mae, I just signed up for forbearance but I think regardless they are up to something as they have been calling people I know saying that they cant get a-hold of me, and I spent the last 3 of weeks talking to someone almost daily as i tried to get the correct forbearance form. If they do not put it through there is not anything I can do. I had lived underground in the past and surly can do it again, they can call my Internet phone number all they want and send mail to my PO Box but I will not give them my psychical location ever.Get a Skype phone number and PO Box for correspondence with Sallie Mae.

Unknown said...

I am in school half time right now. They are trying to hit me up for 1 months payment for January because of winter break. It is a joke. I told the young lady she was a snake. Then she said she was going to put down on my file that I refused to talk about payment options. But I said "no, you are not even answering my question" Got hung up on. These people are vile human beings. I wonder if they have loans with the company that they have sold their souls for. Actually, I should see about employment opprotunities with Sallie Mae. Maybe they will wipe my slate clean. Or better yet, when I do get a job there, I'll use my work contact information and they can contact me at a call center for Sallie Effing Mae.

Unknown said...

I was finally contacted by a collections agent to set up a payment plan, or settle.. now I couldn't pull $3500 out of my butt to pay them, of course.. so I set up for a payable amount, since I finally have a job that I can afford to do so with (most of the time) and the day the first payment is supposed to come out, it doesn't. I call the collection agent, they tell me Sallie Mae closed my account 7 days after I set up the agreement and now have it again. How can they even do that? It's not right, and I know when they call me they're going to want WAY MORE than I can afford, or try and take me to court. And it's not like I have a car of my own, I live with my boyfriend in HIS apartment. I am worried they're going to start harassing my mom again, and I feel bad enough for not paying before, but I COULDN'T AFFORD TO PAY THEM.
This is going to be an even bigger nightmare than it was before.