Sallie Mae / Student Loans Customer Service
www.salliemae.com

I became disabled in July 2005. This year, I finally got disability and received a good amount of backpay. I owed my landlord for back rent, which was the agreement we made, she would let me live there, as long as I paid her back when I got my disability.

I paid her through my banks electronic payment system, bill pay, but I accidentally sent it to Sallie Mae instead. I owed them about $1,300, which was on a loan that had been deferred because of my hardship status. I sent them $4,000, which was the amount that I was supposed to send my landlady. A few days before I sent it, I had requested a disability exemption from them, which means that they cancel the loan as long as I never work again, which, unfortunately, is going to be the case. My bank said that if money was owed, there was no way they could get the money back that I'd sent electronically... GRRRrrrlll.

When I contacted Sallie Mae, everything was fiiinnneee. Yes, they would send the full amount back as long as I wrote a letter explaining the details. I immediately wrote the letter saying that I'd transferred money to the wrong account, etc., I called them weekly asking what was going on. I was told several times that the whole amount would be credited back to my bank account. Well, low and behold, about a month went by and they had taken out the amount that I owed them. When I called back, I talked to yet another supervisor who told me that I would soon be getting a letter explaining the reason why they took the money. The "letter" came a few days later and it basically said, thanks for paying off your student loan we appreciate your business. UGH!!!

Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were. ~~ Cherie Carter-Scott