Seven years ago I went to The Art institute of Seattle. In order for me to be accepted I had to sign the Sallie Mae loan papers, even though my employer was paying 100% of my tuition. They said it was just in case my employer didn't pay. I went to school full time for two years. Every quarter I would ask how much I owed, and I would bring a check from my employer for the full amount. After I stopped going to school I received a bill from Sallie Mae for $17,000. The only conclusion I came up with is the school must have double billed, and I had all the receipts.
I just let it go, it was such a big problem, I guess I just thought it would go away. I didn't want to go through the hassle of having to prove that my employer paid it all. I thought I would have to go to court.
Today, I sat down to deal with this whole issue of proving my case to Sallie Mae. They told me to get a financial history report from the school. I did. What I found out was The Art Institute billed Sallie Mae before the end of each quarter so by the time I went into pay for the new quarter I only owed half the bill. Of course I was never informed that Sallie Mae was paying for part of my tuition. My employer was paying 100%.
Sigh! It is my fault, I should have paid better attention. Do the math girl.
So, I want to get rid of this debt, that I never should have owed, but now it's too late. Does anyone have any experience with Sallie Mae and possibly me making an offer to them for paying part of the student loan?
Now, this is my background. I'm unemployed, or so it seems. My mother just died. Nothing is in my name right now. Creditors have this bill up to $21,000. I would like it to go away before things are in my name. I own a small business with a business partner that I am not married to. This business I started this year, so no taxes have been filed yet. The IRS let Sallie Mae take my 2009 tax refund. I am willing to pay part of this debt, but not all of it. Any suggestions?
