Student Assist Plus

To Whom It May Concern, Student Assist Plus reviews all complaints to ensure we are providing the highest-level of customer service. We reviewed the complaint and found that her complaint was made to the wrong company. Student Assist Plus is...

a member-benefit program only. We do offer fringe benefits such as credit monitoring, identity theft monitoring, assistance with tax preparations and recertifications, etc. The monthly cost is $29.99, which we have never debited from Ms. [redacted]. Student Assist Plus accepts referral business from many different types of companies some of which may offer the type of service Ms. [redacted] is referring to. Our company name has never changed. Her issue lies with another company and confusing the two. We do not have $699 of Ms. [redacted]'s money.  We wish her the best of luck and hope her complaint finds the right party. Thank you, Dispute Resolution Department Dispute Resolution Department

This company is amazing! [redacted] went above and beyond anytime I had a question, concern, or need. He not only assisted me with my needs, but helped me get my payments so low that I can actually start saving money each month now! I had over $23k that I needed help with and I'm so excited that I'm now in the process of getting into their other programs as well. Totally use these guys!

My experience with agency representative was very pleasant. I was very nervous and my stress level was up and the agent was able to help me and calm down my nerves. I really feel a lot better after speaking with you guys, I can't thank you enough.

Hello [redacted], Thank you for your email. We have fully refunded all months of your membership with Student Assist Plus. I do...

apologize that you were not sold properly on the membership program. We do not wish to confuse, harm, or force any client into our program.  We receive referral business from companies that assist borrowers in the consolidation process. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us and we are committed to improving our company in every way possible. Again, I apologize for your troubles and will remove all of your information from our system. Thank you, Dispute Resolution Department

The people there are prompt and are helpful in getting problems solved. They are willing to make sure that my loan process is easier.

Hello Ms. [redacted], 
Thank you for your reply. Please note that your full refund is currently processing. There were only three successfully paid transactions toward your membership. Since two months have been refunded, please allow 2-3 business days to see the remainder of the refund to reflect in your account. 
Thank you,
Claims Department

I had significant trouble getting my re-application approved by Fed Loan Services. After multiple application rejections for confusing and obscure reasons, I was faced with a pending loan repayment $318 higher than my previous, and with a lower income. I called Student Assist Plus, and [redacted] promptly conducted a three-way call to Fed Loan Services. Within a short time, he'd managed to negotiated a more reasonable lower monthly payment and got them to accept my original IBR documents.

We have contacted the client and have provided her with the correct company to redirect her complaint to. Although Student Assist Plus is not responsible for her specific request, we apologize for any misunderstanding or dissatisfaction related to services she may have received from the affiliated...

company. A manager has reached out to her in order to help her find resolution but have not been successful.As a Student Assist Plus member, we would like to continue to servicing her account if given the opportunity. We wish her the best of luck and hope she gets the resolution she is looking for.

I have had a lot of headache dealing with Fedloan Servicing. I opted to utilize Student Assist Plus and have not regretted it for a moment. Right now I am dealing with some issues with FLS and Yair A. at SAP has been fantastic. He is very responsive and gets issues resolved quickly. For anyone who can manage to get through their schooling with no debt - do so!! For the rest of us, I am thankful there is Student Assist Plus. I can't imagine dealing with the FLS nightmare without them, and Yair.

[redacted] was an amazing help to me in my situation.

Student Assist Plus does a very important job if you are not a responsible person and can't turn in paperwork by yourself. However, if you are capable of signing some papers and faxing/uploading them to your loan borrow you don't need to pay Student Assist Plus. When I called to cancel they told me my loan would no longer be a income based repayment plan. I called Navient and they said that Student Assist Plus can not change my repayment plan. They swear up and down that you need to pay them $29.99 a month or you will be charged more money from the loan collector. It is nearly impossible to cancel your account they try to guilt you into staying. I paid for a year and got no benefit. When it came time to resubmit my documents I did it on my own before they even told me I needed to. If I were you I would just set a reminder on your calendar when to resubmit your documents and save yourself $29.99 a month.

I signed up with Student assist plus as a thired party to retain services in Oct 2015 under the forgiveness loan. At the time I was told that I was approved under the government forgiveness loan, which meant paying $233.00 (under co GCS) for the first two months and $29.99 per month every month under a co name of( RAM) for a processing fee I then would have to pay on time monthly payments of $207.00 (GCS) every month for 10 years and the rest of my $79,000 student loan would be forgiven. 1 1/2 years later after trying to retain statements for my tax's I found out that student assist plus did summit my paperwork to the fed loan BUT due to my household 5 people and income being less than $29,000 a year my monthly loan was actually $0.00 monthly and that there has never been a payment of $207.00! Student Assist Loan has been pocking my monthly payments that they have been taking out directly from my bank account. When I called to speak to a representative (Willi) he was extremely rude and condescending and hung the phone up on me. I had to put a stop payment through my bank and have the last 1 1/2 years of bank statements printed out showing what they have taken vs what was not applied to my fed loan. I have been scammed $6,000. I have contacted federal trade commission and the Revdex.com along the the attorney general to fight for a reimbursement. If you look at the reviews above, the Student Assist Loan is either blaming another party or simply states the issue was not with them.
I have two years of documentation along with every name of representative I have spoken to. PLEASE DO NOT go with this company, you can go through the same process with Fed Loan at no cost and get your loan lowered or be eligible for the forgiveness and not be scammed.
I have already spoken with the Student Assist Loan (Willi and Michael) today. I look forward to speaking with you again tomorrow and so on until refund has been made.
Have a blessed day.

All [redacted] wanted was more and more money. Every time I called them they threatened me. I sent [redacted] the letters and told him the situation and he was able to help calm me down as well as explain why I didn't need to pay the money [redacted] was trying to trick me into paying. Student Assist Plus has been great, but [redacted] made me feel so comfortable with the process and explained everything so I really understood"

[redacted] was an amazing help to me in my situation.

Review: This email follows a letter I have sent to complain about service I recently received from student assist plus—how my account ended up in their hands I am not sure how. I originally called Advantage student loans on 7/9/2015, to find out how to deal with my student loans. [redacted] came on the line and explained the service the company would be providing me would “drastically” reduce my student loans and I spoke with her several times about the paper work needed. Taxes, SSN, Driver’s License, banking account number. I sent in all the requested paperwork. The debated my account on two occasions for 349.50 on 7/17/2015 and 8/21/2015. I have not received any type of service from the company. The company states they are now called student assist plus…now making me suspicious of their services because I have not received anything including counseling services from them but have had them deduct money from my bank account and request multiple things to be faxed to them. I have had to sign a large document and continuously fax new information to them, or refax “because they never got it.” I and have spoken to two supervisors (both very rude) and asked for a refund as I have not been provided any services on their behalf. Both sated they do not provide refunds cause they have been working on my file. A few days after talking to the supervisors I got an email stating they “received your cancellation request.” I Did not verbally or write for the cancellation request I requested a refund for the money paid prior to cancellation or I would get a lawyer and Revdex.com involved so no one else has to go through such horrible experience. No information can be given on how much my loans will be or other information. I have been left in the dark with this process and now want my money back because I am not getting any help and have my loan company’s calling me nonstop.Desired Settlement: NO LOAN COLSOLIDATIO OR PAYMENT REDUCTION HAS PERFORMED AS THEIR SERVICE CLAIMS TO PROVIDE. Because I do not want to spend any more time on this problem I expect a full refund for the withdrawals. I explained to them I would make my family, friends, and Business Bureau about this experience. Also explained if I did not get a refund I would be consulting a lawyer. I write to the Revdex.com in hopes this starts the refund process. I work very hard for every dollar earned and thought I was doing the right thing to get my student loans on track.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern, Student Assist Plus reviews all complaints to ensure we are providing the highest-level of customer service. We reviewed the complaint and found that her complaint was made to the wrong company. Student Assist Plus is a member-benefit program only. We do offer fringe benefits such as credit monitoring, identity theft monitoring, assistance with tax preparations and recertifications, etc. The monthly cost is $29.99, which we have never debited from Ms. [redacted]. Student Assist Plus accepts referral business from many different types of companies some of which may offer the type of service Ms. [redacted] is referring to. Our company name has never changed. Her issue lies with another company and confusing the two. We do not have $699 of Ms. [redacted]'s money. We wish her the best of luck and hope her complaint finds the right party. Thank you, Dispute Resolution Department Dispute Resolution Department

Review: I received a vague ad in the mail claiming that Student Assist Plus offers student loan law benefits that result in major discounts of student debt, and in some cases, total loan forgiveness. I called the number on the ad, and was told that based on the income information I provided, that I qualify for total forgiveness under some Obama law. I agreed to pay three payments of $233 over the next month-and-a-half to redeem my total forgiveness benefit. However, upon further research, I found that this company is not associated with the U.S. Department of Education, or any other legitimate program. There are also numerous other customer complaints online about them. Based on this information, I believe Student Assist Plus to be a scam. Luckily, I have changed my account number, filed a fraudulent claim with my bank, and put a stop payment on the first draft they withdrew from my account this morning. I also called Student Assist Plus and canceled my account with them, and asked for a refund. They have processed my request, and said that a refund should show on my account in ten business days, but because of their lack of credentials, I am not willing to take any chances or trust that they alone will refund my money. I am relieved that I spoke with my bank first to protect myself in the event of any added attempts by Student Assist Plus to withdraw money with no true and lawful benefits attached.Desired Settlement: The most immediate settlement I want is my $233 back. However, in looking at the big picture, I want businesses like this dismantled. If indeed they were legitimate, I believe they would have the credentials to back that up. We live in a challenging financial time, and it's way too easy for thieves to get away with stealing.

Business

Response:

Student Assist Plus reviews any and all complaints to ensure the

best-possible customer service is being provided to our customers. We reviewed Ms. [redacted]’s application however she is clearly mistaken as we do not offer

the service she discusses in her complaint.

Student Assist Plus is a member-benefit program that accepts

referral business from other companies. Just to clarify, we do not offer the

services Ms. [redacted] discusses nor do we charge a fee of $233.

We apologize for any inconvenience and have cancelled Ms. [redacted] from Student Assist Plus. She has not been charged our monthly fee of $29.99.

Review: I was contacted by a representative of Student Assist Plus several months ago. I spent over a hour on the phone, asking questions, going over details, and ultimately signing up. I was promised that by enrolling in the program, my Student Loans would all be consolidated and handled for me from here on out. I was also promised that the remainder of my student loan debt would be forgiven after a certain number of months. While on the phone, I went over every bit of information regarding my student loans, my personal finances in order to obtain an income-based repayment plan, as well as my banking information. I was told and reassured NUMEROUS times that once I paid the enrollment fee, divided into 3 payments, that my Student Loans would be taken care of unless I decided to cancel or did not provide the necessary documents. They even offered me a discount by lowering the number of months I had to pay before my debt was forgiven because I worked for a non-profit organization. I needed to make my repayment easier so this was perfect.

Now months later, I am finding out that Student Assist Plus has done NOTHING they promised! Not only are most of my loans in Default, but one has gone to Collections! I had no idea...my monthly payment continues to be withdrawn from my bank account and I just recently received "annual paperwork" to sign and I did. I turned in every document they requested, I paid every fee only to find out my LIFE, CREDIT, and FINANCES have been DESTROYED by Student Assist Plus! I have tried to call and email without any reply from them. I have paid over $1000 in enrollment and monthly fees to them and I want my money back and what "service" they provide to be cancelled immediately! I now need that money to help bring my loans out of default and to make some sort of payment arrangement with the Collections company. Nothing I can do with repair my credit, but a refund would help!

I am completely SICK over this. Please help me get my money back!Desired Settlement: I deserve a Full Refund for everything I paid, as I did not receive one single service promised to me. I want a refund for the 3 installment payments made for the enrollment and every monthly payment I have made since. I would also like a correction to my credit report since it has been damaged by the false promise of your services to handle my student loan monthly payments. I believe that Student Assist Plus should have to modify their advertisement, most importantly the script they use to sell this to clients over the phone. It is very misleading and many verbal agreements that are not clearly represented to the client. Finally, I would like an apology from the company. Student Assist Plus has made, an already scary financial situation, become an absolute nightmare. I have no idea who I can trust nor what step I need to take next in order to get my student loans back on the right track. This is enough to never want to seek higher education ever again.

Business

Response:

Hello [redacted], Thank you for your email. We have fully refunded all months of your membership with Student Assist Plus. I do apologize that you were not sold properly on the membership program. We do not wish to confuse, harm, or force any client into our program. We receive referral business from companies that assist borrowers in the consolidation process. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to us and we are committed to improving our company in every way possible. Again, I apologize for your troubles and will remove all of your information from our system. Thank you, Dispute Resolution Department

Review: Firstly, red flags should have gone up the moment I called this company to consolidate my loans. The gentleman taking my call had loud, distracting music playing in the background, highly unprofessional. That first call took over an hour to complete, with no real reason. For a few moments, while something "processed" on his end, we chatted about the weather of all things.

After securing me a "great deal" on the "low end" of the spectrum, I was to pay $599 upfront fee then, starting in September, a low monthly fee of $29.99 and all my debt issues would be solved. Too good to be true.

The first due date of that payment loomed closer and I hadn't heard a word from the company. No mailing with account number, how to pay or anything. Another red flag. When my due date finally arrived, I was shocked to see the money taken right out of my bank account! Absolutely not! I was appalled and felt I had been cheated and scammed. When I repeatedly tried contacting the company, the phone was never answered. It just rang and rang and rang. Calling my original loan company, I found out this company had no right to demand an upfront fee. I was cheated and taken advantage of, a victim of those praying on people who can not make loan payments.Desired Settlement: I want all of my money back, the $599 I paid upfront and my first payment back. I also would like all my account information wiped from their records.

Business

Response:

Hello Ms. [redacted] and the Revdex.com, Thank you for reaching out today. As always, great customer service is of the utmost importance to Student Assist Plus. We’re sorry that you were unhappy with the services of our company. We will take your suggestions and find ways to improve our services and knowledge of our products to our clientele. Just to clarify, our membership plan is only $29.99. The initial consolidation/upfront cost of $600 was for TFSC Group.TFSC Group connects us with borrowers that are on an income-driven plan. The reason is so that we maintain one’s recertification needs annually. Student Assist Plus is an optional service and clients are free to cancel membership at any time. Under the $29.99 Student Assist Plus membership, we provide our clients with assistance on document preparation for federal student loan payments. With all the confusing information regarding student loan consolidations, repayment plan changes, forbearance/deferment, forgiveness, and discharge programs, we act a resource for one’s student loan solution needs. We complete, review, assess, and submit paperwork on the client’s behalf to the Department of Education. In addition, we provide consultations over the phone on how to ensure the lowest payment possible will be rendered as well as be completed on time to the Department of Education servicer. Third party services are used all the time: the car wash, a gardener, a tax accountant, a babysitter, etc. In the same instance, some borrowers would prefer to use our services instead of doing it on their own. In regards to the representative at the Department of Education, servicers can misinterpret the services we provide because all of the facts are not being given. We are not a fraudulent company. We provide an invaluable service, should one choose to retain it. Along with our client’s monthly membership, clients are enrolled in the following services (depending on your enrolled program): -Tax Hotline & Preparation Services -Credit Monitoring -Identity Theft Monitoring -Roadside Assistance -Fitness Discounts -Doctor by Phone -Dental Discounts -Pharmacy Discounts -Everyday Savings (Grocery, Shopping, Dining, Movies, Auto Services, Rental Cars, and Recreation) These aforementioned benefits do not get as much recognition as it should due to misinformation. As you can see, the student loan solutions benefit is only one aspect of our program. Again, we do apologize that our membership program was not communicated properly as well as the frustration you encountered when speaking to a customer service representative. Per your request, all of your personal information was removed from our system and your one payment of $29.99 toward Student Assist Plus will be refunded. We appreciate your time in reading this. Thank you, Dispute Resolution Department

Review: Several months after I signed up with student assist plus I got a call from my college stating that they advise against me continuing this processes since I am currently enrolled in a masters degree program. I was also told as far as deferment is concerned, my loans were already deferred because I was still in school (something I already knew and even told the guy on the phone). One of the first questions the man I spoke with asked me was if I was currently in school or not. He should have known then that they couldn't really help me at the moment.

Now they have closed/canceled my account today BUT they charged me their monthly fee yesterday. I find it completely ignorant and plain wrong to charge me a monthly fee on a Monday and cancel my account on a Tuesday.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund of the monthly fee they charged me yesterday. AND I would also like the company to waive the $500+ fee for their services to be reinstated once I completely my masters degree.

Up until now I have paid them $500+ (not including the monthly fees I have been paying) for absolutely NOTHING, they have provided me NO SERVICES!

I do not feel like I should have to pay the $500+ again once I graduate and could benefit from their services.

Either I would like a refund for the $500 as well as the $29.99 OR just a refund for the $29.99 and a waiver for the $500.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern: Student Assist Plus is a membership-services company. For $29.99, we offer a subscription for a variety of benefits such as everyday savings, roadside assistance, dental discounts, etc.We do not charge any upfront document preparation fees as the complaint describes. Student Assist Plus accepts referral business from many different types of companies. Some of which may offer the type of service Ms. [redacted] is referring to. However, our company does not offer this service. We have contacted the client in order to assist her but unfortunately due to multiple conversations our customer service representatives were verbally berated with derogatory language and consistently hung up on so we were unable to resolve the claim.Due to the violent nature of the Ms. [redacted]'s interactions, we have decided to cease all initial communication for the safety and well-being of our staff. It is truly unfortunate that blame was incorrectly associated with our company. We value all of our customers and wish to always provide the utmost client care. We wish Ms. [redacted] the best and hope she finds a resolution to her issue.Thank you, Dispute Resolution Department

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

The response from the company is a completely false aligation. I have not spoken to a single representative on the phone since this complaint was posted. I did receive an angry email from one of their representatives on 2/1/16 demanding I remove this complaint because I was mistaken about the nature of their company. I told him that I'd look into his claims further when I got home and I'd check my bank statements to see if what he said was true (if it was I agreed to remove my complaint, if not I would leave it). He said this was fine with him and sent me some "proof" from his end. I did not however get a change to look in to my own documents since I have been in and out of the hospital dealing with my pregnancy. When I got my most recent message from the Revdex.com this morning I realized I had forgotten all about this complaint with everything else going on so I logged in to read the company's response. I have never spoken nor typed a single curse word or derogatory remark towards any individual who works at or for this company. I do not appreciate this company's attempt to defame my character by publishing libelous claims against me. I will happily provide my phone records as well as the email correspondence between myself and the individual I "talked" to in order to prove their statement in false.

Business

Response:

Hello Ms. [redacted] and the Revdex.com,

[redacted] of student assist Plus had assisted me in doing a 3 way call with [redacted], to place my amount in a forbearance and help me with all the paperwork and formalities. I would like to say thanks and it helped a lot.