I'm seriously debating for several reasons. One, they deserve it. In the arena of overall scum in certain fields they are at the top in the student loan business. Two, the client is a friend but who is also willing to pay me which is always a nice addition to helping a friend. Three, there is certainly a problem here. However, I know Sallie Mae crushed someone at the USSC level so of course I worried about. But it's an interesting thing to deal with.
Without getting into specifics, do you have a good cause of action?
Let's say, hypothetically that Sallie Mae has done the following to a person who is hypothetically talking to attorney to see if anything can be done:
1. Accepted payment but never provided any documentation where that payment has gone.
2. Agreed on the phone with a person to put them in a specific payment plan, take the money, and the day after taking the money have a different person call to say that the program doesn't exist and they can't do it and they owe more money immediately or yada yada collections.
3. A day or two after the call telling the hypo person that the program was wrong, yet another rep calls to tell them that the payment was received in the program and thank you for the payment.
4. Calling neighbors to collect who aren't family or friends.
5. Threatening on the phone as per usual.
6. Have refused to provide a documents showing the current balance of the loan(s) and where the payments have gone.
7. Some general other usual collection stuff
8. Being an overall assinine company that seriously deserves to be slapped in a courtroom with a big fricken paddle that resonates the sound througout the courthouse like a comedy sketch.
Hypothetically is any of that enough to at least begin the process of demanding, if nothing else, the proper documents on the history of the loan(s) and where the money has gone and just what payment plan is being used, is available, has been reviewed, is not correct, is correct, etc....
Small follow up -
ever subpoena the phone records for the "this conversation is being recorded..." I never have which is odd, but never had to. It might be worth it here.