Complaints

This profile includes complaints for E.C.S.I.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  E.C.S.I.

  1200 Cherrington Pkwy Ste 200 Coraopolis, PA 15108-4354

• 

  E.C.S.I.

  p.o box 1030 Coraopolis, PA 15108

• 

  E.C.S.I.

  100 Global View Drive Suite 800 Warrendale, PA 15086

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/24/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ECSI has continued to bill me even though I am a full-time student. They sent me a bill demanding payment in December which I paid. I then called them to tell them I have been a full-time student since October 2021. They told me I needed to fill out a form and have my school submit it to the clearinghouse so all entities could see I am still in school full-time. My school submitted the required paperwork per ESCI's instructions December 18, 2023. They also documented that I hung up on one of their representatives which did not occur. I still continue to get billed even though they have he ability so see the deferment document in the clearinghouse. I was told yesterday that I needed to upload the identical document but have it filled out by my school again because they will not accept the original due to it being more than 30 days old I asked repeatedly to speak to a supervisor because they keep giving conflicting instructions and continue to bill me knowing I am a full-time student. The rep I spoke with told me there was no supervisor available and was almost refusing my request. After I told him I was filing a complaint with the BBB, he became more accommodating. I will upload the requested document but do not trust this entity to conduct business in a professional manner.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/05/2024

  
  
  
  To Whom This May Concern:
  
  ECSI is the third-party billing
  servicer for student loans on behalf of the Medical University of South
  Carolina.
  
  We have reviewed Ms. *******’ account.
  She has a Nursing or Health Professions Loan. Ms. ******* requested deferment
  from 10/14/2021 to 09/30/2024. The deferment form did contain enrollment
  verification from Walden University, but the university only certified the
  borrower’s enrollment for the period of 02/26/2024 to 05/19/2024.
  
  ECSI has applied deferment to Ms.
  *******’ Nursing or Health Professions Loan for the period that Walden
  University has certified, however, without additional documentation there is a
  gap between the previous forbearance and this deferment. There is a balance
  presently due on Ms. *******’ account from the timeframe between that previous
  forbearance and this current deferment.
  
  Ms. ******* can file new student
  deferment paperwork, including certification of enrollment of at least half
  time in a qualified program that would cover the period of time during which
  this payment became due.
  
  If Ms. ******* would like to talk
  with us or has any other questions, she is welcome to contact our Customer
  Service Department at ###-###-#### or visit **************** and
  select ‘Chat with ECSI’.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ECSI

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/22/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My college, Purdue Global, uses this company as a service to distribute government loans/refunds. On 2/8/2024, the day my refund was to be disbursed into my account, my banking information was changed at 12:35 am while I was sound asleep. I immediately called ECSI and was accused of changing my own information. That makes zero sense. I am in need of these funds, badly. Customer service first told me it would be fixed in 3-5 business days. I waited, nothing happened. Then I was told 7-10 business days. On each follow up call I am told something different. Now I am told 90 days. Upon doing research I find out that this company has had multiple complaints for this very issue. Some consumers never received their money yet had to pay it back. Today I requested the employees name and ID#. She said her name was Susan but refused to give me her ID#. I could tell from her accent that she was not American. When I asked which location she was at I was told they are in The Philippines. So our Government loans are being handled by other countries. This is not acceptable. I need my money asap. If you are reading this as a consumer that they have mishandled funds and are interested in a class action lawsuit against thus company please contact me at ********@*****.com.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/29/2024

  
  
  To Whom This May Concern:
  
  ECSI is the third-party billing
  servicer for student loans and refund provider on behalf of Purdue University
  Global Campus.
  
  We have
  reviewed Ms. ********’s complaint regarding her refund and upon review, Ms.
  ******** originally set up a bank account on the student portal for her refund
  on 12/15/2023 with a bank account ending in 0017, Regions Bank. Ms. ********’s
  bank information was then updated with a new ABA number for Regions where her refund
  was sent on 2/9/2024 at 1:35 AM. This bank information was changed again on
  2/9/2024 to an account number ending in 7208, Regions Bank at 9:16 AM. Ms.
  ********’s refund was disbursed to the bank account that was set up on
  12/15/2023. Ms. ********’s bank returned the refund to ECSI on 2/22/2024 and
  Ms. ********’s refund was reissued to her as a direct deposit on 2/24/2024 to
  the most recent bank account that was set up on 2/9/2024 at 9:16 AM.  We reached out to Ms. ******** to let her know
  on 2/26/2024 that her funds have been reissued.
  
  
  If Ms. ******** would like to talk
  with us or has any other questions, she is welcome to contact our Customer
  Service Department at ###-###-#### or visit **************** and
  select ‘Chat with ECSI’.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ECSI

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/21/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Complaint Against ECSI Regarding Mishandling of Loan Account
  
  To Whom It May Concern,
  
  I am writing to file a formal complaint against ECSI regarding their mishandling of my student loan account. The details of my case are as follows:
  
  1. **Incomplete and Inaccurate MPN:**
  - ECSI acknowledges that the Master Promissory Note (MPN) provided by the university is incomplete and inaccurate.
  - Handwritten MPNs lacking proper security and account details have been presented, raising doubts about the validity of the entire loan.
  - ECSI has not provided a Master Promissory Note (MPN) for a specific portion of the loan, raising concerns about the validity and documentation of that particular loan segment.
  - The absence of proper documentation further contributes to the uncertainty surrounding the accuracy of the reported loan details.
  
  2. **Disputed Account Status:**
  - Despite recognizing the discrepancies, ECSI has marked my account as disputed with credit reporting agencies.
  - I am concerned about potential negative impacts on my credit profile due to ECSI's actions.
  
  3. **Cease in Billing and Continued Obligation:**
  - ECSI has ceased billing activities on my account but emphasizes my ongoing obligation to pay.
  - This contradictory stance is causing confusion and frustration.
  
  4. **Request for Resolution:**
  - I have requested ECSI to resolve the discrepancies with the university directly, as they handle billing on behalf of the institution.
  
  I request the BBB to investigate this matter thoroughly and take appropriate action to ensure that:
  
  - Removal of all invalid loans without proper MPN.
  - Any inaccurately reported information is rectified.
  - Negative impacts on my credit are addressed promptly.
  - ECSI is held accountable for the mishandling of my account and the discrepancies in the provided MPN.
  
  I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to a swift resolution.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *******
  *******@*****.com

  Business Response

  Date: 03/12/2024

  ECSI has responded to Ms. *******'s CFPB complaint. The most recent complaint CFPB ID was 240124-13096374. In that response, we stated the following:
  ECSI has reviewed the documentation provided and has determined the documentation provided meets the requirement of valid proof of debt, however, has marked Ms. *******'s account as disputed with the credit reporting agencies since Ms. ******* has indicated she does not feel the signatures are hers. In these circumstances, this is the only action ECSI can take until the matter is resolved between the university and Ms. *******. ECSI has also placed a 'stop' on billing for her account as she has requested to no longer receive billing statements. Although ECSI will no longer be actively billing Ms. *******'s account, she is not relieved of her continued obligation to pay on the loan. The cease in billing activities will not prevent the regular payment from coming due each month nor becoming past due should payments not be made. Please be advised, that if payments are not made when due and the account should become past due you may be subject to additional fees and negative credit reporting, as well as possible assignment to a collection agency. The 'stop' will remain on Ms. *******'s account until such time that Ms. ******* contacts ECSI, in writing, to resume billing. ECSI does not act as an intermediary in these cases. Ms. ******* will need to dispute this matter directly with the university.
  
  ECSI is no longer actively servicing the account for the school.
  
  Since ECSI's last response, the lienholder, Long Island University, has assigned Ms. *******'s loan to their collection agency for non-payment. Reliant Capital Solutions is now the servicer of the account. They can be reached at ###-###-####, or by mail at *** ***** ***** *** *** ** ******** ** ******
  
  
  Thank you
  ECSI

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/14/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  ECSI did not resolve the matter and assigned the loans that were not valid to collection agency. They reported incorrect amount to collection agency. These loans did not have proper MPN. The MPN has many mistakes indicating ECSI is a federal loan however ECSI is claiming to be a private loan. The MPN contains incorrect information and it’s hand written with alterations and is incomplete and invalid. Therefore, I do not have a loan with them. They made a mistake sending an invalid loan to collection agency. ECSI must take responsibility for their wrong incorrect actions.

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Additional message:

  ECSI has a master promissory note with me that says federal but they claim to be private. This resulted in loans being invalid and inaccurate. They sent the incorrect and invalid loans to collection agency. What can BBB do in this case.

  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* *******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/14/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  ECSI did not resolve the matter and assigned the loans that were not valid to collection agency. They reported incorrect amount to collection agency. These loans did not have proper MPN. The MPN has many mistakes indicating ECSI is a federal loan however ECSI is claiming to be a private loan. The MPN contains incorrect information and it’s hand written with alterations and is incomplete and invalid. Therefore, I do not have a loan with them. They made a mistake sending an invalid loan to collection agency. ECSI must take responsibility for their wrong incorrect actions.
  
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  Additional message:
  
  ECSI has a master promissory note with me that says federal but they claim to be private. This resulted in loans being invalid and inaccurate. They sent the incorrect and invalid loans to collection agency. What can BBB do in this case.

  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* *******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/21/2024

  Thank you for writing back to me. I’m not sure if Long Island University sold federal health
  professions with ECSI to a private lender or not, what I am sure is that they claimed these
  Health profession loans are federal and they had misleading, incorrect , incomplete master
  promissory notes for them. Long Island University will not provide any answer. They
  mentioned to ask ECSI about the situation and ECSI mentions to ask Long Island University
  regarding this and the issue doesn’t get resolved but gets passed on. Both Long Island
  university and ECSI sold the loan to collection agency in order to not deal with the issue and
  they added 10,000$ to the total amount before sending it to collections agency without
  explanation. I wrote the information you requested here for the complaint although I’m not
  sure if the complaint could resolve the issue.

  
  My name is : ******* *******
  My phone number is: **********

  
  Business I’m completing a complaint on: Long Island University (Brooklyn and Post campus)
  and ECSI

  
  Date: 2018-current

  
  Description of issue: Long Island placed ECSI loans on my student account stating the loans
  are federal and made a federal master promissory note with me. Later, ECSI claimed these
  loans are private and no longer have federal terms and conditions apply to them. Upon
  re-reviewing these MPN terms and conditions there are many mistakes and alterations found
  to the original MPN such as referring to the loan as private on 1 page and federal on other
  pages. These loans do not have proper MPN and are not valid. I have a written
  communication from Long Island university directors stating the loans are federal. This is
  misleading and not clear. This caused mistakes and made the entire loan invalid.

  
  Furthermore, the handwritten MPN seems to be altered raises a great concern as to validity
  to these loans amounts, type and etc.

  
  resolution : proper resolution would be to either make the full 29K loan amount to Federal as
  originally promised on the original MPN or remove the full amount as it’s not valid without
  proper MPN. Other resolution is to contact collection agency and drop the incorrect 38,000$
  reported to collection agency by ECSI and Long Island University. selling a loan without
  proper MPN , with incorrect amount and invalid to a collection agency does not resolve the
  issue. This is not the right way to deal with an invalid loan.

  
  Best regards, ******* *******

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  On Fri, Mar 15, 2024 at 3:07 PM ******* * <********@*****.com> wrote:
  The MPN they provided is misleading and completely incorrect causes the whole
  loan amount to be invalid. In the MPN, they stated to be a federal loan. Federal
  loans run by education department and have set terms and conditions such as
  Save plan and other options. After my graduation, ECSI claimed these loans to
  be private without Save plan and without any terms and conditions that applies
  to federal loans. I do not have any accounts with them as originally I never
  signed up for an account with them. The following loans were placed by Long
  Island University on my account with false, misleading handwritten agreement
  terms and conditions stating these loans are federal both in MPN and in written
  communication via email from director of enrollment services (I attached these
  documents below). Long Island University blamed ECSI for misleading
  information and ECSI blames Long Island University and they pass the issue to
  each other without resolution while they sent a large incorrect amount that I
  never agreed on and was never aware of to collection agency. The entire loan
  amount, terms and conditions is invalid based on the incorrect and incomplete
  MPN. If you could let me know what BBB could do in this case, I would
  appreciate. Thank you

  Business Response

  Date: 03/27/2024

  ECSI no longer services Ms. *******'s account for Long Island University.
  Any issue will need to be addressed with the university or their collection agency.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/20/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This organization refuses to provide me with my 1098-t tax statement for tuition costs relating to my college education. I paid $1300+ in 2023 in tuition fees. When I sought a 1098-t, I was directed to the website to this company. The website loops me around and logs me out and does not provide the tax form. There is no chat or phone service available (or accessible). My college, Santa Monica College is legally mandated to furnish me with my 1098-t and has outsourced this responsibility to this company. I may be separately be complaining against the college, though it is a public institution. I am demanding a copy of my 1098-t tax statement issued to me without any hindering online requirements.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/29/2024

  
  
  To Whom This May Concern:
  
  ECSI is the third-party tax
  document servicer for 1098-T forms on behalf of Santa Monica College.
  
  We have reviewed our records for
  the school. ECSI printed and mailed all students’ tax forms before the IRS
  mandated January 31st deadline. We have verified that Mr. Parker’s 1098-T was
  mailed to the address supplied on this complaint.
  
  If Mr. Parker would like to talk
  with us or has any other questions, he is welcome to contact our Customer
  Service Department at ###-###-#### or visit **************** and
  select ‘Chat with ECSI’.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ECSI

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/18/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have a student loan that I am paying through this services. I have updated my information multiple times to initiate an autopay in order to make on time payments. The autopay feature on this website does not work and I have been past due multiple times due to this. I have tried to access the website and am usually met with an error means unable to proceed to the payment page. This error message happens on all internet browsers. So I am unable to make payments. I have tried calling the company and using the chat feature online but I have only been able to speak with a person on one occasion to help set up my auto pay again. The issues with being unable to pay my balance is having a negative effect on my credit score.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/29/2024

  
  
  To Whom This May Concern:
  
  ECSI is the third-party billing
  servicer for student loans on behalf of University of Mississippi Medical
  Center.
  
  We have reviewed Ms. *******’
  account and determined that she set up recurring payments for her account on
  two separate occasions. Both times, the payments were systematically removed because
  of payment rejections from the banking institution due to insufficient funds.
  
  The first of these recurring
  payments were rejected on October 25, 2022 and November 24, 2022. The second of
  these recurring payments were rejected on September 25, 2023 and October 25,
  2023. When these payments were rejected by the banking institution, ECSI sent a
  letter to Ms. ******* informing her of what had occurred.
  
  Our records reflect that the
  activity on Ms. *******’ account has been reported accurately to the credit
  bureaus.  We have verified that no error
  in reporting has occurred and we will continue to report the factual credit
  history on the loan. 
  
  If Ms. ******* would like to talk
  with us or has any other questions, she is welcome to contact our Customer
  Service Department at ###-###-#### or visit **************** and
  select ‘Chat with ECSI’.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ECSI

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Heartland ECSI has been destroying my credit by reporting inaccurate information. I made multiple attempts to upload supporting documents for the student loan that I have with them and their system continued to have issues preventing me from submitting my documents. I had to call them multiple times until finally, a representative suggested that I upload my supporting documents under another economic hardship which I did and it was successful. After not receiving any response on the status, I checked their system and noted that the economic hardship deferment was approved. I called them to request that they make the correction to my credit reports as their reporting continues to destroy my credit. They stated that they would need to continue reporting the account as delinquent until 30 to 60 days. I requested that they send me an email of the approval so that I could send it to the credit bureaus myself, they agreed but failed to do so. When I asked them about the notice, they claimed that they emailed it to me, I told them I did not get anything from them, checked my spam folder as well, and requested that they resend it, but they failed to do so.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/23/2024

  
  
  To Whom This May Concern:
  
  ECSI is the third-party billing
  servicer for student loans on behalf of Yeshiva University.
  
  We have reviewed Ms. *****’ account
  and have identified that an entitlement was posted to her account on February
  13, 2024. The entitlement applied to the account covers from November 2023
  until May 2024.
  
  Our records also indicate that the
  credit reporting was updated for the same period to show as current and in good
  standing. Information reported to the credit agencies may take 60 days to
  update.
  
  If Ms. ***** would like to talk
  with us or has any other questions, she is welcome to contact our Customer
  Service Department at ###-###-#### or visit **************** and
  select ‘Chat with ECSI’.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ECSI

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/10/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing to file a formal complaint against Heartland ECSI regarding the mishandling of my direct loan consolidation process. In October, I contacted them, and Destini assured me that no further action was required. November, ****** notified me that my loan consolidation had processed.
  
  However I received a bill from
  Ecsi in December. Upon contacting ECSI on December 29, Gayle informed me that they had not received any payment and instructed me to fill out a form. Contradictorily, ****** stated there is no such form but payment has been issued. In subsequent conversations with Destini, her unprofessionalism was apparent, and she was unable to verify my disbursement date due to her lack of knowledge of what a distublment date is. I explained to her what it was and asked her to verify the loan, which was the same date given to me by ******. She then proceeded to tell me how they have no consolidation information from me and if they did I would not have a balance written in caps. When I asked her not to speak to me in caps she condescendingly told me to have a nice day and disconnected the chat. I called ecsi and spoke to another rep and was told there was nothing on file but asked if I can verify where the check was sent because they've been having problems recieving checks to their physical address. Confused by the constant misinformation. I asked for a supervisor for not only the attitude but the lack of knowledge of the previous rep destiny but for also receiving a variety of answers and not one solid answer.
  When I requested a supervisor, I was told to call back later, only to be informed later there were nosupervisors were unavailable and to wait 24-48 hours. After a week with no response, I called back to say and was told a supervisor attempted to call me on the 29th which contradicts my call history. There has been no response from the supervisor. ****** acknowledges payment yet ECSI is uncooperative.This ordeal has resulted in confusion & misinformation.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/31/2024

  
  
  To Whom This May Concern:
  
  ECSI is the third-party billing
  servicer for student loans on behalf of Hampton University.
  
  We have reviewed Ms. ******’s
  account and contact history. We see that Ms. ****** informed ECSI that she
  intended to consolidate her Federal Perkins Loan with ******. However, ECSI has
  not received a loan verification (payoff) request from ******. Additionally,
  ECSI has not received any payment (or payoff) on the account since September
  2023.
  
  In prior contact with Ms. ******, ECSI
  has suggested that she contact ****** to identify if her Federal Perkins Loan
  with the university was included in her consolidation. If ****** has
  consolidated her Federal Perkins Loan, they would be able to provide the
  documentation to show that it was included and would also be able to track
  their payment.
  
  ECSI, to date, has only received
  documentation from Ms. ****** showing that her William Ford Loan was included
  in her consolidation. The William Ford Loan and Federal Perkins Loan are
  different loans.
  
  ECSI is here to help. If Ms. ******
  would like to talk with us or has any other questions, she is welcome to
  contact our Customer Service Department at ###-###-#### or visit
  **************** and select ‘Chat with ECSI’.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ECSI

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/31/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  I hope this message finds you. I am
  writing to express my deep concern as my previous complaint regarding the loan
  consolidation remains unresolved. On January 25, I provided Team Lead Shawna
  C******* with the only documentation I have available - my William D. Ford
  Federal Direct Loan Consolidation Loan Application and Promissory Note under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program retrieved from the
  federal government’s student aid website. 
  
  Moreover, it is important to note
  that The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program is a federal
  student loan program under which eligible students and parents borrow directly
  from the U.S. Department of Education at participating schools. Direct
  Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, and Direct
  Consolidation Loans are types of Direct Loans. This is quoted directly from the
  student aid website.
  
  It is also crucial to emphasize that
  the application includes a federal Perkins loan falling under category F, not a
  William Ford loan. I have independently verified this information with ******.
  I have also specifically verified with Heartland ECSI representative
  Destini, who confirmed that the Perkins loan and its disbursement date align
  with the details provided to me by ******.
  
  In the same email sent to Shawna
  C*******, on January 25 I communicated that I had contacted ******. As
  requested by previous reps at Heartland ECSI to provide a mailing address to where the payment was sent because Ecsi has been losing checks sent to their physical address. When I
  spoke to ****** supervisors on three separate occasions, they verified payment to
  ECSI but were unable to specify the required documentation and asked me to ask
  ECSI what was needed because they stated that the payment was sent electronically via EFT. I've
  even spoken to supervisors and representatives at ****** in the consolidation
  department and they've verified that the Perkins loan from Hampton was included in the consolidation. They requested a direct loan consolidation summary letter and asked that I
  allow up to 6 weeks from December 29.
  
  Despite repeated requests made
  during previous phone calls to Heartland ECSI and email sent on January 25, I have yet to receive a direct
  answer regarding the necessary documentation to prove payment. The uncertainty
  persists, and this lack of resolution is particularly concerning as the loan
  remains in default and has adversely affected my credit.
  
  I have called ECSI numerous times
  and sought assistance from a supervisor, yet to no avail. I am requesting a
  clear and direct response on the required documentation and the next steps to
  resolve this matter promptly and to remove this from my credit report.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/18/2024

   

  Good Afternoon,

  I acknowledge receipt of ECSI, but I must express my frustration at the excessive lengths it took on my end to reach a simple resolution and their lack of accountability. I still lack clarity on the steps to pay off the balance and remove it from my credit report.

  I attempted to make a payment online for the balance that I was advised was due. However the amount due says 0.00 due and there was no option to pay.

  Now that ECSI has conducted proper due diligence in locating the payment rather than dismissing my concerns. Hopefully when I call in a representative will be able to provide assistance with this matter.

  
  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/01/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My Perkins Student loans were just sent to this loan servicer and I was told to wait for mail notice from them with details before I am allowed to get account and billing information. I did not receive this until almost the end of December, where there are the holidays and their letter says my due date is January 1st 2024?! The letter itself says generated on 12/05/2023, no timing given on when it was mailed but due to the holidays once again I didn't receive it until close to Christmas. Less than 30 days notice for a payment is completely unacceptable, but considering how busy the holidays are for everyone including the postal service this should not be allowed. Also it's impossible to login to their website for the first time -- it keeps rejecting it as I do not have a PIN/password setup and must contact Customer Service... whom are not open on the weekends and have been closed for the holidays on all the days I attempted to contact. They also do not have a payment option on the phone, it says to mail or pay online...which I am unable to even access. My account number is 87053223. The resolution from them should be as follows:
  Push the due date to at least middle or end of January 2024 to give ample time to setup an account to pay. Ensure they are giving at least 30 days from the RECEIPT of the letter of account statement -- and make sure the due date does not fall on a holiday essentially making it impossible for anyone to be reached via customer service.
  Do not report a late payment to credit -- I will be paying close attention to this and if I see this come up I will be contacting a lawyer and the Dept of Education immediately. I'm currently in process of refreshing all my student loans and ensuring prompt payment to build my credit back up.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/08/2024

  Hi, Can you please cancel the complaint I made previously, complaint ID ********, as I was finally able to reach someone at the company to resolve the account and billing issue. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/21/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ECSI has always given me headaches. From losing requested mail to contradictory requests all the time.
  
  First, I submitted a deferment request for my student loan in September 2023 and was told they carefully considered my request, but they could not grant it due to it being the wrong loan type. I thought maybe I just submitted the wrong form, so I sent in a new form for being on gov assistance and sent proof. Next, they told me, "Your request will not bring your account current. Complete a General Forbearance with start date 9/2023 and end date 11/2023 and submit together." So I submitted the General Forbearance form using the dates they provided just to be told that my request for forbearance was denied due to an ineligible loan type.
  
  What makes no sense is I've had a couple of hardship forbearances in the past with this exact loan, and I've used the same forms every time. What is up with ECSI? For almost a full decade I have had nothing but issues with them. Every other student loan I've had has never given me an issue once and took care of everything extremely fast.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/01/2023

  
  
  To Whom This May Concern:
  
  ECSI is the third-party billing
  servicer for student loans on behalf of Clarkson University.
  
  We have reviewed Mr. ******’s
  account and his application. The type of loan on his account offers a hardship
  deferment, however, the original request did not cover the period in which
  payments were due. The correction email instructing Mr. ****** to ask for
  General Forbearance to cover the entire period should have stated “Hardship
  Deferment” instead of “General Forbearance”. We apologize for the inaccurate
  correction that Mr. ****** was asked to complete.
  
  ECSI requests that Mr. ******
  submit a Hardship Deferment with a start date of September 15, 2023. If Mr. ******
  would like to talk with us or has any other questions, he is welcome to contact
  our Customer Service Department at ###-###-#### or visit
  **************** and select ‘Chat with ECSI’.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ECSI

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ECSI took over the Student Loan Servicing for a loan that had been taken out several years ago in college. I really never had an issue with the previous servicer or ECSI until earlier this year (MAY 2023). ECSI suddenly stopped sending statements for the required payments (via mail) and the I had to call that month to confirm loan status and prevent them from charging any fees (they confirmed there was an issue on their side and to just send a double payment the next month with no penalty, which I did.
  
  In September 2023 the same issue arose. Thinking the issue was with mail delays, I waited for several weeks until calling in early October 2023. When I spoke to them, they said that the address had been deactivated in their system but advised a new bill would be issued and a double payment would be acceptable. When the October bill never came, I again called back to confirm the status of the statement (10/24), I was then told that the system had flagged the address as bad and they had to again reactivate it. At this point I requested a payoff amount, which I was given, with the expectation that a statement would be issued and I could proceed to pay in full. Again, a week later (10/30), I called again because no statement was received and to see if there were any issues (same result - promises to call back, statements etc). I called today as we submitted a check with the payoff amount that I was previously given and just wanted to confirm if I would receive a receipt for the final payment. I was told that no statement would be issued and given another small sum to produce, with no explanation why the number changed / why that number was given to me.
  
  Couldn't speak to any supervisor, nor could I get anything emailed to me confirming any of this information (every time I called it was some new excuse).

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2023

  
  To Whom This May Concern:
  
  ECSI is the third-party billing
  servicer for student loans on behalf of Gustavus Adolphus College.
  
  We have reviewed Mr. ******’
  account. In January 2023, Mr. ****** contacted ECSI and updated his address to
  ***** ********* *** *** ************ ** *****, however, indicated that he
  wished to have statement sent to his old address. ECSI’s mailed monthly
  statements are not forwarded. On September 5, 2023 the United States Postal
  Service returned the monthly statement previously sent as a bad address with no
  forwarding address available for update.
  
  ECSI does offer electronic
  statement notifications emailed, however, Mr. ****** had not selected this
  option. Additionally, all monthly statements are available online at https://**************.net after
  creating and linking the school’s account to a student’s profile.
  
  As of November 13, 2023 a payment
  was received which left a small balance on the account. The small balance was
  adjusted to show a payment in full on the same day. ECSI’s records indicate
  that Mr. ****** account is satisfied and was reported as such.
  
  If Mr. ****** would like to talk
  with us or has any other questions, he is welcome to contact our Customer
  Service Department at ###-###-#### or visit https://**************.net and
  select ‘Chat with ECSI’.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ECSI

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/22/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  
  Correct, billing address was specifically
  requested not to be changed, only the address on record for residence.
  
  January 2023 – There was an issue where ESCI
  defaulted to residential address, which was confirmed to be the incorrect
  billing address.  ECSI acknowledged this
  and changed it back.
  
  May 2023 – Around May 2023, the statement’s
  were not delivered to the billing address. 
  Statement was not delivered, for whatever reason, ECSI was contacted.  After calling to discuss, a double payment
  was submitted the following period.
  

  <Summary of previous complaint>
  September - October 2023 – Again, statements were
  not delivered to the billing address.  Early
  October 1st Call was made to confirm statement would be sent out for
  September and October, plan was to just pay the remaining loan amount.  I was told that the rep would follow up and
  confirm receipt after a week.  No follow
  up call, nor statement arrived.  October
  24th, called again and was told that the statement address on file
  was actually blocked in ECSI system and that the rep had unblocked and
  statements would be sent for full loan payoff. 
  A week later, on October 30th (3rd call in the
  month), I requested the full pay off amount and confirmed I did not want to set
  up an online account, but rather pay the bill off.  I was given an amount for payoff and again
  told that a final statement with payoff amount would be sent to the unblocked
  address.  A check for the final payoff
  amount was sent.  When funds were
  confirmed deducted from the account, I called to confirm if anything remaining was
  needed and to have a digital copy of the statement sent to me, or at the very
  least payoff confirmation sent via mail. 
  I was told that while the payoff amount had been received, there was a
  remaining balance.  I was not able to get
  any explanation for this remaining balance (I had not been able to see a statement
  in several months).  I was simply told
  that I would need to submit another check within a few days, but if it were
  received late, further interest would accrue. 
  
  Given all the times I had been blatantly lied
  to, I asked to speak to someone who could breakdown the last several months received
  payments, interest and any other fees.  I
  was told they were not available and that no time could be scheduled to speak
  with them.  I was explicitly told on multiple
  occasions that they had waived any “late” fees, arising from their billing
  statement not actually arriving.  This
  was proven to be patently false and a lie.
  <End of Summary>

  As I was growing more weary of the lack of
  information or service from ECSI, I contacted Gustavus Adolphus College to see
  if there was any information I could gain from them.  I explained the situation and was informed
  that they would waive the remaining amount outstanding.  It turns out, several times over the course
  of the months when a bill had not been sent directly to the billing address,
  late fees had in fact been issued.  This
  goes completely against the conversations I had with the ECSI service reps on
  every occasion. 
  
  reference:  On 10/30 – I was told the payoff amount
  (803.10)

  On 11/14 - During call to confirm if payment was received and to get an
  official payoff statement, I was told the remaining balance was $9.60.  This amount is exactly 2x their $4.80 late
  payment fee (for the months of September and October, for which they did not
  send a statement and for which they also said was waived).
  
  The only recourse in this matter had been
  contacting the institution who issued the loan. 
  Something that makes me question why it took 1 email to solve with the
  institution, what a client service rep couldn’t explain on the phone.  I imagine the rep was unwilling to outright say
  that the remaining balance was late fees (of which they had just minutes before
  confirmed were removed).
  
  This whole process seemed like a “GOTCHA”
  tactic to not only force borrowers to pay late fees for bill they never received,
  but to also force borrowers to sign up for ECSI's web-site.  No doubt, they sell the data they glean from these
  profiles to make a profit, but to also cut down on their own printing costs,
  something they assumed when taking over the position of servicing the loans on
  behalf of the institution.  This complaint should serve as a record, should other borrowers have a similar issue, to act as an example of their coercive and deceitful communication.  If this was by chance, a unusual error (though it happened multiples times in a single year for me), I'm happy to close the complaint with the caveat that it stands if a similar complaint is raised in the future.  Better that borrowers are aware that, should issues arise, they should contact the institution right away.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ********* ******