Clear Start Today CFPB Complaints

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2000 Latest Complaints
Date Received Timely Response Product Issue State / Zip Submitted Via Tags
12/18/2019 Yes
  • Student loan
  • Federal student loan servicing
  • Dealing with your lender or servicer
  • Keep getting calls about your loan
  • TX
  • 76126
Web
I received an illegal robo-dialed phone call from a company that offered to assist me with rolling my payments for a loan into the Federal PSLF program. I spoke to two individuals, one who answered the call after I followed the prerecorded message to 'press 1 to speak, ' and a supposed 'loan specialist ' who spoke about my loans and talked to an 'underwriter '. He asked for my FSA ID, which I provided, and reset my password ( which he communicated what it was to me ), then overviewed my loans and sent paperwork to me via email that I could digital fill out and asked for a payment method. My loan was going to be placed on forbearance for 4 months while they intended to collect {$990.00} across four payments. I brought up a few times about my confusion as to why I would get a loan payment letter from the federal government in the mail upon completion of my sign on and he said my loans were just going to be rolled into a new program. I switched my repayment program once already and I never got an email or printed mail about the loan being paid off. He assured me I wasn't privatizing and that they were handling the paperwork for recertification and loan forgiveness. I told them I would think about and we ended the call. I couldn't find any information about the company but they hit the marks on numerous articles about PSLF scams. The company was called Clear Start Today. Their address is ( supposedly ) : XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, CA XXXX or another address is ( supposedly ) : XXXX XXXX XXXX # XXXX, XXXX XXXX, CA XXXX I should also mention my phone flagged the call as from XXXX and was different from the callback number I was provided. Called from : XXXX Callback provided : XXXX I got a text from : XXXX The paperwork they wanted me to fill out was loaded with legal agreements and a power of attorney contract. There were typos and the address information didn't match up between the website and the paperwork. Some of the forms didn't directly match up with those provided by the agencies they intended on communicating with.
03/23/2020 No
  • Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
  • Debt settlement
  • Fraud or scam
  • FL
  • 32174
Web
I faxed personal information regarding a loan forgiveness consolidation program on XX/XX/2020. They also charged me a fee to consolidate my student loans of XXXX and they asked for my account information that way they could directly take the money out of my account each month. I have been in contact with them over the last several weeks asking if they ever received my faxed paperwork with my personal information for doing the loan forgiveness program. they told me they never received it and the fax number that i sent it to was actually the department of education. The number that i faxed it to was on the paperwork that the company had provided to me. I even spoke with a supervisor to ask what would be done about them getting my paperwork and information. The supervisor told me that they would contact the department of education and ask them for the paperwork. That was over 2 weeks ago and no one has called me back to update me. I called them today and received the same answer that they were going to contact the department of education and get my paperwork from them. They said due to the coronavirus it might take sometime but i had processed my paperwork long before the spread of this virus. Also i always get the same answer that someone will contact me back and update me on the status of what's going on with my paperwork but no one is doing that. I have to call them only to find out that nothing is still being done on my account. The name of the company is clear start. They informed me that they are a third party company that helps students consolidate their student debt and can enroll them in a loan forgiveness program. You just have to pay them an upfront fee of XXXX for six months. They also said that they would contact my federal loan company directly to inform them that they have taken over my student loans.
10/23/2019 Yes
  • Student loan
  • Federal student loan servicing
  • Struggling to repay your loan
  • Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan
  • NJ
  • XXXXX
Web
On XX/XX/2019, I spoke with XXXX from Clear Start Today - XXXX x XXXX. She explained that the best program to consolidate my loans would be to pay {$240.00} x 4 months to lower my monthly payments for {$140.00} / month for 240 months and for one interest rate. I thought this money would go towards my student loan payments not a fee to consolidate my loans. I gave my XXXX card over the phone to make the first payment and then set up monthly payments going forward for the XXXX of each month- 3 payments have been processed. I e-signed a document for the client agreement on XX/XX/XXXX and proof of income was sent on XX/XX/2019. On XXXX XXXX, I got an email about an FSA ID that was created. On XX/XX/2019 I received an email and phone call on the XXXX stating my payment was declined and confirmed payment over the phone again using my XXXX card for the third payment. I was told this program was specific for my federal loans however I was notified by my loan provider that starting XX/XX/2019 my private loans were put into forbearance and that my auto deposit from my bank account was stopped however I never authorized this information.
06/04/2020 Yes
  • Student loan
  • Federal student loan servicing
  • Struggling to repay your loan
  • Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan
  • FL
  • 32809
Web
I received a call from a clear start on XX/XX/20 saying that i can join an income based student loan forgiveness program which i accepted. They said i would be charged {$240.00} a month for 4 months than it would be {$78.00} a month. I recently contacted my student loan company and they informed me that i was scammed by Clear Start because their is no fee for income based repayment plans.
07/26/2022 No
  • Student loan
  • Federal student loan servicing
  • Dealing with your lender or servicer
  • Trouble with how payments are being handled
  • ID
  • 83346
Phone
09/18/2020 Yes
  • Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
  • Debt settlement
  • Fraud or scam
  • IN
  • 46071
Phone Older American
03/03/2020 No
  • Student loan
  • Federal student loan servicing
  • Dealing with your lender or servicer
  • Received bad information about your loan
  • OH
  • 45503
Web
02/25/2020 No
  • Student loan
  • Federal student loan servicing
  • Dealing with your lender or servicer
  • Received bad information about your loan
  • AZ
  • 85653
Web