My Fiancé Robert was granted a refund on a Federal Student Loan for the payments he had made. It took a couple of years to get this done. He was being charged for a correspondence course, but it would have been impossible for him to have ever taken a correspondence course because he was never taught to read and write. But that is not the issue.
When I called the Federal Dept of Education the last time, I was told the "checks" were sent out already, and she began to giggle and said, "Wow, you are really going to get writer's cramp from these!" She continued with a bit of humor in her voice and started naming off the individual amounts.
Naturally I asked what she meant, and she said the refund would be returned in the same way it was received. Individual checks for each payment made. She said that was "policy". She told me a date they had been "sent out".
A couple of weeks went by, so I called back, spoke to a gentleman, and asked what "sent out" meant. He told me the funds would be electronically transferred to the US Treasury, and from there they would send the check.
So now I am confused. I ask him about what the woman I had spoken to before said about them being individual checks and he said, "No, the funds would be transferred to the US Treasury Dept and he will receive ONE check from them". According to this gentleman, it is not policy to send payment back in the way it was received.
Well, a couple more weeks go by, and yep, TWENTY individual checks came in the mail, from the US Treasury Dept. and all at once, not spread out, so whoever sent out the checks had to catch that there were twenty of them going to one individual. I can’t see the average person not questioning that, especially in the US Treasury Dept. After all, fraud happens all the time, so I am guessing that might look a bit suspicious.
He had received a letter telling him the entire amount he would receive. It showed one amount, not a list of twenty individual amounts. So this shows that they added up the payments, and could have transferred that one amount instead of twenty individual amounts, one for each payment he had made.
I suspect the US Treasury Dept is not responsible for the fact that twenty individual checks were sent. I am pretty certain the Federal Dept of Education transferred the funds individually, so that is how the checks got cut.
Since the woman told me it is "policy" to return funds in the same way they were received, and the gentleman told me it is NOT "policy", I am wondering if an employee was thinking I had called too many times, so they were going to try and be cute.
The bottom line... I was always courteous when I called, and I only called at my Fiancé’s urging, so I don't understand why someone would arrange for this to happen. I am certain my calls were recorded, so it would not be hard for the right person to investigate the validity of this story.
I feel that letting the entire population of the USA know that they are wasting your tax dollars in this way may bring attention to at least one reason why our deficit is so high.
Just imagine the difference in cost between the administrative costs alone for one check versus twenty checks. Consider time, paper for the checks, ink, electricity, processing, envelopes, and finally postage.
If they actually are in the habit of this, if this is actually "policy", then policy definitely needs a change.
When I called the Federal Dept of Education the last time, I was told the "checks" were sent out already, and she began to giggle and said, "Wow, you are really going to get writer's cramp from these!" She continued with a bit of humor in her voice and started naming off the individual amounts.
Naturally I asked what she meant, and she said the refund would be returned in the same way it was received. Individual checks for each payment made. She said that was "policy". She told me a date they had been "sent out".
A couple of weeks went by, so I called back, spoke to a gentleman, and asked what "sent out" meant. He told me the funds would be electronically transferred to the US Treasury, and from there they would send the check.
So now I am confused. I ask him about what the woman I had spoken to before said about them being individual checks and he said, "No, the funds would be transferred to the US Treasury Dept and he will receive ONE check from them". According to this gentleman, it is not policy to send payment back in the way it was received.
Well, a couple more weeks go by, and yep, TWENTY individual checks came in the mail, from the US Treasury Dept. and all at once, not spread out, so whoever sent out the checks had to catch that there were twenty of them going to one individual. I can’t see the average person not questioning that, especially in the US Treasury Dept. After all, fraud happens all the time, so I am guessing that might look a bit suspicious.
He had received a letter telling him the entire amount he would receive. It showed one amount, not a list of twenty individual amounts. So this shows that they added up the payments, and could have transferred that one amount instead of twenty individual amounts, one for each payment he had made.
I suspect the US Treasury Dept is not responsible for the fact that twenty individual checks were sent. I am pretty certain the Federal Dept of Education transferred the funds individually, so that is how the checks got cut.
Since the woman told me it is "policy" to return funds in the same way they were received, and the gentleman told me it is NOT "policy", I am wondering if an employee was thinking I had called too many times, so they were going to try and be cute.
The bottom line... I was always courteous when I called, and I only called at my Fiancé’s urging, so I don't understand why someone would arrange for this to happen. I am certain my calls were recorded, so it would not be hard for the right person to investigate the validity of this story.
I feel that letting the entire population of the USA know that they are wasting your tax dollars in this way may bring attention to at least one reason why our deficit is so high.
Just imagine the difference in cost between the administrative costs alone for one check versus twenty checks. Consider time, paper for the checks, ink, electricity, processing, envelopes, and finally postage.
If they actually are in the habit of this, if this is actually "policy", then policy definitely needs a change.