Or, in other words, customer service via mandatory services. I’ve been struggling with Direct Loans in order to get a recent payment to apply to a specific loan (which I was told I could do, by Direct Loans). I won’t go into the details, but basically an unsubsidized loan found its way into my balance (they accrue interest from the moment you get them, rather than starting 6 months after graduation). I decline every single one, but nonetheless, I have one. So I made a payment to get rid of it, as well as the interest it had gained. That payment was made on January 23, 2007. Guess what? I still have that unsub loan balance, along with more interest. Anyway, it’s been 5 phone calls and 6 emails later, and it’s still there.
Somewhere along the “submit a payment to a specific loan” path, there is a flaw. And while they act like they care, they don’t. Because they know I don’t have a choice in the matter; it’s officially out of my hands. All I can do is keep emailing and calling, only to hear “we will re-submit the request” each and every time. It’s no different than any other service that ultimately leaves you with no choice but to suck it up. Take the Post Office, for instance. They can be as rude as they want to be, but you still have to stand in the line extending 100 feet because they are the only one’s who can mail your package. Sure, you could leave, but where does that get you? Irritated with a package that didn’t get sent.
These attitudes and inefficiencies may not always be intentional, but there’s definitely no effort (or incentive, really) to fix them. Either way, I still have to pay my loans back plus interest, and I’m sure I’ll be standing in that Post Office line again. Oh well, I suppose—there will forever and always be annoyances with customer service.