TAKE NOTES Write down what the servicer tells you during the call, and include details like your customer service representative’s name or employee ID number. After the call, follow up with your servicer by email or online chat to confirm what happened over the phone, advises Taylor. “Just say, ‘Hey, just confirming our conversation: This is what I said, this is what the representative told me,’ so you have something in writing just in case there is a discrepancy,” Taylor says. CONSIDER A DIY APPROACH — BUT ONLY IN SOME CASES Not up for a call? Most student loan servicers offer the option to contact them via email or online chat. But if you need personalized guidance right now, a phone call is still the best route, says Taylor. “It’s hard to predict servicers’ response time when you send an email,” Taylor says. “Other servicers may get back to you sooner, but what we’ve seen is that some servicers have a massive delay when it comes to responding to written communications.” In some cases, it might not be necessary to contact your servicer at all. If you’re confident in the step you want to take, you can most likely do it yourself online. For example, you can apply for income-driven repayment plans and check your loan status on StudentAid.gov, and you can request forbearance, set up automatic payments and access account history through your online servicer account. IF ALL ELSE FAILS, COMPLAIN If you can’t get the help you need over the phone with a servicer customer service representative, ask to speak with a supervisor. If that doesn’t work, consider filing a student loan complaint as a last resort. The notes you took during your servicer call will come in handy if you need to write a complaint. A complaint can help alert financial regulators to widespread issues in the student loan repayment system, like incorrect billing statements, misleading servicer advice or a wrongfully denied loan discharge application.
The article Calling Your Student Loan Servicer? It Pays to Prepare was written for NerdWallet on February 21, 2024.
ELIZA HAVERSTOCK is a writer at NerdWallet.
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