Navient Prêts étudiants

When you call Navient's student loan phone number, you're greeted by a voice-activated automated message system. Rather than presenting you with a standard phone menu, it straightforwardly asks you why you're calling, then waits for a verbal response.

If you don't say anything, the system will repeat its request for two cycles, then ask you to enter either your Social Security number or account number so it can locate your account prior to transferring you to a representative. The system says this is for security purposes. To be perfectly honest, I found this unprofessional, as this is how automated message systems for call scams behave—immediately, or at least very quickly, requesting highly sensitive personal information. Callers being told this request is for security purposes is extra fishy, in my opinion.

To Navient's credit, if you don't enter your Social Security or account number after maybe five seconds, the system tells you to hold on one moment while they transfer you to a representative. I'm not sure why this wasn't done in the first place. I'm also not sure why Navient doesn't have a standard phone menu for this phone line, but I digress.

After being told by the automated message system I was being transferred to a representative, I was rerouted to a different message which told me I was calling outside of business hours. The recording directed me to Navient's website for further information and then told me their business hours in detail before automatically terminating the call.

Honestly, I don't plan on calling back; that was kind of a bizarre, fishy experience. I'd rather navigate their website, or at least talk to a human being firsthand for some bare bones reassurance this phone line isn't somehow compromised.

My two cents: don't bother with this phone line; opt for the website instead.