| rev:text
| - My review is based on my experiences with the financial aid department, not the quality of the classes (though those REALLY vary depending on the subject/instructor). Financial aid at this school is a nightmare. Out of 4 semesters, I have only experienced a timely and correct disbursement of loan funds for one.
The front-line reps at the financial aid center do not know what they are doing. Many of them don't even appear to understand how financial aid works. If you call 5 times about a late disbursement or paperwork error, you are likely to receive 5 different answers as to why it has happened. And in the end, the solution is likely not to be found in any of those 5 answers.
The reps do not listen to you. You could explain your problem as clear as day and they will simply put you on hold for 10 minutes and then present a solution that clearly indicates they have no idea what your actual question was. Even when they admit they don't know an answer, they will send an email with a canned response that proposes they solved your problem with a solution that does not apply to your situation.
This process is INFURIATING.
I recently started Spring classes. Normally, this would mean I would receive my 2nd loan disbursement by the 3rd week of classes. Instead, due to a paperwork error, the school split my Spring disbursement into 2 separate disbursements. My loan funds have never been disbursed this way, and according to Rio's own website this is not how the process is handled.
I called in about this, and the first rep I talked to simply ignored everything I said and simply stated that no one ever receives a disbursement until the 4th week of class. This is, of course, ridiculous and not how the process works. When I pointed this out, his response was, 'Why are you worried? You'll get it.' When I explained why I was worried, he simply said, 'Don't worry about it'. After the call, I received the typical email that says my solution was to wait.
I called back in. This time, I received a rare knowledgeable rep that understood why I was concerned and said there definitely seemed to be an error. When she looked into it (a.k.a., did her job) she said there was a paperwork error and they would have to resubmit which would delay my loans for a week. While this was not good news, it was at least an answer that made sense. She also assured me I would receive ALL of my funds and that they would not be in two separate payments.
Unfortunately, when I did finally receive my disbursement, it had been split into two payments and I was told I wouldn't receive the 2nd portion of my funds until my classes were almost over. So I called in yet again. This time I was again told this was a mistake and that I would receive the 2nd half of my funds within 5-7 business days. Guess how that turned out?
When I called yet again after the funds were not disbursed within 5-7 business days, I was told (after a nearly 35 minute hold time) that it was because of my Summer block. This is the craziest answer yet, given the Summer block hasn't happened yet and I am not taking classes in the Summer block this year nor did I take any last year. I explained that this made no sense and didn't seem to be based in any kind of reality I existed in, and she said she'd contact a 'specialist' that would call or email me in 5-7 business days. I told her since I had already been around the bend and back again, I needed something faster. She said she'd ask them to prioritize it but no guarantees.
So I called yet again. This time, I was told that semester disbursements are always split in two. When I explained that this wasn't true, as I'd had 4 semesters worth of disbursements that were not paid this way, he said I shouldn't have been paid that way and that now I was being paid correctly. This is, again, ridiculous and in contradiction to Rio's own website (as well as my Studentloans.gov paperwork). He then said he would have a 'specialist' call me. I told him the previous agent was supposed to have already put this in motion, but when he looked into it he said it appeared she hadn't submitted the request. Lovely. He then claimed I'd be contacted in 1-3 business days.
The best part of all is that the last agent's email response gives a completely different reason than the one he provided in the call! He now says this has happened because there were 4 weeks between the end of my Fall classes and the beginning of my Spring classes and that my loans were 're-assessed as Spring loans'. THEY WERE ALWAYS SPRING LOANS. And I've always had more than 4 weeks between semesters.
This is what you can expect when calling financial aid at Rio. They really need to get their act together and either stop outsourcing their financial aid reps who are clearly just hired canon fodder or re-work their escalation policy so that students aren't simply given non-answers and sent on their merry way.
I want to note I never swore or even raised my voice during these calls.
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