First let me say if you or a family member have had problems with the US. Dept of Education and Diversified Collection Services (AKA DCS), I would be interested in hearing from you. Maybe we can start a class action, or get the contract yanked from them.
I had a student loan which was supposed to be discharged when I became disabled. Years later, and in a new state the US Dept of Ed- which had my current address decided to send forms to a Doctor I had not seen in 4 years. The doctor had stated I was no longer a patient. All this transpired without my knowledge. Subsequently, it was put back as a current debt and delinquent. ( I found this out last week after 5 years)
I began to get letters from DCS. I explained that the debt was discharged, but they told me if I did not comply they would start proceedings to take away my disability check. So I reluctantly began a rehabilitation process.
Struggling for 9 months to pay. I did so.
On the 9th month, when I went to pay, the guy Joe Bedford out of the Texas office had said no one was at the thrid party verficiation office that day because it was close to the holiday. He directed me to go online and pay.
I attempted to do so, the website froze up. So, being after business hours, I called, left a message and waited for a return call.
The next day, when I did not hear back I called him again. Explained what happened, and he took my payment via phone, had another worker verify my payment information and said he would not be able to process it until the 26th of December 2007. So I kept up my part of the agreement.
On or about the third week of January, I get a letter stating my December payment was not made. I called them back, by this time after Christmas I was not sure what my funds were like. They wanted the December payment he never processed. Getting paid once a month is very hard to budget for expenses I thought were already paid.
I was honest I said I did not get paid again until February, and I would have to see what funds and available balances were, but I was extremely upset my payment was not made when I originally planned.
After checks cleared, I went to pay in February. They informed me because I was late, I had to start over with the rehab process. They took no responsibility whatsoever. And they told me that person had since left the company.
I contacted the office of the Ombudsman for the Dept. Of Education.
The first time the Ombudsman had no record of my ever filing for a discharge. I was told by DCS, there was nothing that could be done, and my loan was close to being placed in a status where that took my disability check, so they made me pay again. But not giving up, I tried the Ombudsman office again.
At first it was like chasing my tail. When I finally did talk to a real person, she said she was going to help me.This time, she said I see you applied to have a discharge and she was going to talk to them, then help me get it discharged.
Our last conversation - she told me 'Well you were late with two payments, December and January'. She admitted she never spoke to DCS. She went on to tell me that the reason it was not fully discharged was that they sent a letter to my doctor, and I was no longer his patient. No one ever told me this, and I had not lived in that state almost 5 years. They were aware of that. I think the Ombudsmans office is not helping. DCS by the way, is calling for payments again. They expect me to pay on it another 9 months to go into the loan rehab program. What a JOKE.
I also found out that DCS was awarded the contract to collect on Student loans by the US Dept of Ed., but was involved in a scandal in Texas regarding campaign contributions with some Congressman Tom Delay- google that.
How is it that a crooked company gets a contract to bully people on disability? Why is it that my credibility is questioned when it comes to a payment agreement, and they with a past history of dishonesty are no accountable?
If you or anyone in your family is having problems with them, I would love to hear from you. Email me, and put DCS Problem in the Topic line. Maybe we can do a class action, or get some help here.
sfm61350@sbcglobal.net
