So now I'm out of school, struggling, and I'm supposed to be making these monthly payments. If you've been following along at home you'll notice that my $233 minimum monthly student loan payment is significantly more than my food stamp allowance. So it's been fun on those months when my cups have run dry deciding between food and making my student loan payment. Especially when I look around at my friends who have all simply not paid. Funny thing about not paying... nothing bad seems to happen to you. I've not seen their assets seized. I've not seen them smote down. Hell, no one even calls them asking for money. So why not just tell AES to screw off?
Well, I have good credit, for one. Selfish? Totally. But true. I have good credit and I don't want that fucked up. But also, there has been this little promise they have dangled in front of me. When you log into the AES website, you see all your different loans, how much you have left, what the APR is, etc. And there, down at the bottom are these little countdown clocks: "rate reduction in 36 consecutive payments" or "reimbursement in 24 payments."
The thing is, they never said what the actual "prize" was. It was just there, all enigmatic, counting down each month. And so long as you never missed the payment, you won the prize! What a great way to get poor twentysomethings to actually make all those pesky payments: if you don't screw up, young grasshopper, you will be rewarded with less debt!
So yes, I accepted the challenge, I went without food and fun to make those payments. And now it is May, 24 months later and I have won the first round - I have made all 24 consecutive payments. Winning! Let me collect my hard earned reward:
Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me!? That? That is your BIG REBATE. A rebate you dangled in front of me for TWENTY FOUR MONTHS OF UNINTERRUPTED PAYMENT? You convinced me to not eat for THIRTEEN FUCKING DOLLARS AND SEVENTY FIVE CENTS?
Color me a little miffed. I mean, it's like rubbing salt into the wound of being poor. I still would have paid you. You didn't have to give me a "break" on $13.75 as though you are some benevolent master. Honestly, that makes me feel more shitty than the fetish club. I mean at least there I get $20 for getting manhandled. AES can't even put out a 20.
I mean do that math. $13.75/$2,750 = .005. Ok, so my 24 payments was worth .5% of my loan?
Fuck you, AES.
They were harassing me via telephone for a while there although the payments were being made on time. Asshats. But congrats anyway.
ReplyDeleteAES is the scum of the earth. I beg anyone seeking a student loan to go ANYWHERE else. ANYWHERE ELSE. You're just a line item on an expense report to them.
ReplyDeleteThey will default on your loans even if you are a student.
ReplyDelete