Student loan fun!

I got a notice in my mail box the other day stating that I had a registered mail letter waiting for me at the local Contact. Of course, I couldn't pick it up until after 1pm the following day, and I worked the following day until 7pm (they close at 6), so it was relegated to today. I was excited, because I love surprises, but nervous, because scary things usually come registered mail.

I head down there this morning, then tear the letter open as I am walking back home. It is a letter from Scotiabank Student Loans, claiming that I am way overdue with payments on one of my BC student loans, and they are going to forward the account to the Government of BC if it isn't dealt with immediately. WHAT!?!

I make monthly deposits into my bank account, and they are supposed to take that money out of my account automatically. This is the way we've been doing it for the past 2½ years that I have been making payments. I didn't ask them to change this, and they didn't send me anything telling me that they were going to change this either. I was maybe a couple days late one month, but I figured that they would just try again a couple days later, or at the end of the month take a double payment. You'd think that they would at least send me something telling me that they weren't going to take any more money out until I contacted them.

So, in a total panic, I call the number on the letter head to find out what the hell is going on. They give me another number to call to fix things up, so I call that and speak to a very helpful woman named Jody. She tells me that I shouldn't panic. She can just do the payment manually and get things fixed up. She asks if the money is there in the account, and I say "Yeah. I make monthly deposits to pay it." She says not to worry and I breathe a sigh of relief. After I hang up, I read the letter thoroughly for the first time, and realize that it says that the total amount of the loan is due, not just the 3 montly payments that haven't been processed. I call back in a panic and ask to speak to Jody again. I explained what the letter said but she said that I don't owe the total amount just now, it is just a letter sent out to get a reaction! It got a fricking reaction, alright, I almost had a fricking heart attack.

I am really upset by these bullying tactics. I called a few weeks ago to change my address and they didn't mention anything about owing 3 months of payments (a grand total of $120, in case you are wondering what amount they were willing to go medieval on my ass for). I think that is the kind of thing that you should mention when someone calls to change their address. I'm obviously not avoiding them or trying to skip out on payments if I call and give them my new address and phone number...

So, after the threatening letter from Revenue Canada for simply making monthly payments and not contacting them to set up a payment schedule, and this one from Scotiabank, who knows what other scary governmental things I have misunderstood. I guess there's always our medical premiums...