So it appears I'll be fighting the student loan companies.

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Saturday June 29, 2013 · 2:28 PM PDT

2013/06/29 · 14:28

This morning I checked my email and received one from a company called Nelnet. This company claims that they will be my "student loan servicer." What this apparently means is that they will be collecting my Stafford loans on behalf of the US Department Of Education. I was surprised by this, so I decided to call the DoE. Their automated system confirmed what the email said. My loans have been 'transferred' to Nelnet, I suppose? I'm not sure how that works. But after all the horror stories I've heard about private student loan companies, I figured I should look them up.

I'm glad I did. Nelnet is a shady company. They have multiple complaints on Pissed Consumer and RipOff Report. People report constant overcharges, mystery charges, ridiculous interest rates and incredibly poor customer service. Nelnet were also sued under the False Claims Act by a former employee at the DoE for artifically increasing their returns using a weird loophole in the law. The case was settled out of court.

This is absolutely ridiculous. I've called the DoE and left them a voice message and also contacted them on their website, to let them know I do not trust this company and wish to make alternate arrangements. No, I'm not naive - I know they'll probably blow me off. The fact that they weren't barred from doing more business with the government after that little "ripping off the government" thing shows how in bed with the DoE Nelnet is, I suppose. The truth is, I don't care. I am not inclined to work with a company that seems this untrustworthy. This is not a refusal to pay my loans, only an expression of strong doubt about paying them because of their unsavory reputation.

Which is why I'm writing this diary. I have no idea if I can win this fight, but I'm going to fight it as well as I can. I do not trust this organization, and I have no idea how I can keep them out of my life, but I have a feeling I'm about to find out. I'm going to record anything I learn and discover here, so that maybe others can use that knowledge to protect themselves as well. We're stronger when we work together, after all. I'm also happy to accept feedback and maybe attorney recommendations if you have them.

Here we go.

Poll

77 votes Show Results

What's my first move?

77 votes Vote Now!

What's my first move?

Consult an attorney

31 votes

Keep reaching out to DoE to see if they'll bargain with me directly

20 votes

Reach out to Nelnet with my concerns

5 votes

Sell a kidney and just get this bullshit paid off

21 votes

The Libertarian Party is doing something sorta cool

jonnym

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Monday August 20, 2012 · 7:40 PM PDT

2012/08/20 · 19:40

I'm not a libertarian and I don't agree with 75% of what they believe in -- but the Washington State Libertarian Party did something kind of cool. Reason magazine points out they're suing to get Mitt Romney off the ballot in Washington. The LP claims the state's Republican Party did not follow proper procedure and officially nominate a candidate for Senate in 2010. According to state law, that means the Republicans no longer count as a "major party" in Washington. That makes Romney a non-major candidate and the rules are different for non-majors. They have to follow a whole procedure involving collecting signatures and stuff. Romney did none of that, therefore he legally shouldn't be on the ballot.

I'm not familiar with that state's law or politics, but I know libertarians like to latch on to ultra-literal interpretations of the law and argue that anything not conforming to that interpretation is invalid. Those arguments usually get thrown out of court. Plus, even if their argument has some legs, I'm sure a judge who's a registered Republican will throw it out for whatever reason they came dream up - or the local Republicans will "convince" a judge to rule against them. Still, it may cause a few headaches for Mitt's boys. Hell, maybe we'll get really lucky and the LP will win their case. Either way, I say good on you, libertarians.

Someone out there REALLY hates American students. (Updated)

jonnym

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Monday March 26, 2012 · 2:42 PM PDT

2012/03/26 · 14:42

After getting out of my English Composition class, I got a text that simply had a link in it:

http://studentaid.ed.gov/...

What I read shocked the hell out of me. The government's doing a complete overhaul of the student loan system. This overhaul includes raises minimum salaries for Pell Grants, doing away with subsidized loans, and a whole bunch of other things that amount to hurting students. On the surface they may not sound too terrible, but if you take them as a whole, you'll see how badly they're going to affect the future of college education in America. If you're like me and you need some time to digest government-speak, go ahead and read that link then come back so I can sum it up for you & give you my thoughts on the matter.

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