Due to financial hardship, I have been unable to pay on XXXX of my student loans. I have been struggling for months and have contacted the lender via email and written letters. The only response I receive is that I must contact via phone between certain hours. I have told them multiple times that is impossible due to my work schedule. They have written and offered to settle or make arrangements and when I write them back they always state they can not help unless I CALL them. It 's as if they are purposefully contributing to the default my account has now entered. They last letter I received states that default will occur on XXXX XXXX, if I do not contact them. I checked my credit report and they had already reported default and placed with a collection agency ( 2 weeks prior to their date ). I emailed them regarding the situation and still they will not discuss anything in writing ONLY by phone. This makes no sense to me. 
I can not consolidate the loan to another lender now that this situation has caused my credit report to go from XXXX to XXXX!!!! 
What can I do?