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Life has Come to a Screeching Halt

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In addition to disputing my unemployment benefits claim, my most recent W2 job also failed to pay my last invoice, reimburse me for sub-contractor services AND I had to make several calls before I was paid for the PTO I had accrued.

On top of that, I called to move my 401K and was told as part of the plan a third party contracted by my W2 job had to review and approve the move and then the W2 job had to approve it before any action could be taken.  Neither the 3rd party or my W2 job has done anything about it, it’s been 8 days since I made the official request.

Now I know where that saying comes from “I’m so angry I could spit!” I made a final attempt yesterday to move all of this along with a call and follow up emails to their accountant/payroll person. I don’t know what good it will do but I tried.

In addition, the Department of Labor for the state of Georgia called to take my rebuttal statement on their denial of my benefits.  Evidently, the burden of proof is on my W2 job to prove what they say “she didn’t do her work” and they have thru today to prove their case.  I am confident in my stance and have copies of all the work files, etc. but I am just flabbergasted at being treated like this.

Moving Forward

I am moving forward on applying for jobs, have had several interviews and am working on a new website for my consultant business. But for the most part, life is at a standstill.  If I don’t receive the pay owed or begin receiving UI benefits, I will have to dip into my savings at the end of this week.  I’m so grateful for it, but I’m just mad!

In all my years of working with different companies I have never been treated like this. I have never had to argue with a payroll person that they didn’t pay me. She even said with me leaving, I gave up all my PTO…umm, not!  I’ve just never dealt with such an unethical company, and I do not know that I have any recourse. (Another girl who had been there for 7 years was let go a couple of weeks before me, and they made false statements about her UI benefits as well, so she has yet to receive them either.)

Groceries and Weight

We are pretty much in a no spend month which has not been too bad. We stocked the freezer with food in January so we have plenty of meat and so on.  Today I bought a large salad mix for $3.66, a carton of sliced mushrooms $1.28 and 2 avocados – $0.98 each. Not to bad for weekly groceries.

Probably the best thing out of all this is that I’m down 15 pounds without trying.  Side effect of the stress, I suppose.

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14 Comments

  • Reply Lauren |

    I am so sorry Hope. Is there any state office/agency you can call & file A complaint for bad business practices? I am glad you have savings to tie you over. You have overcome so much that you will get through this period just fine.

  • Reply margann34 |

    I agree! With the other employee having similar claims, it looks like a pattern of intentional actions by the employer to avoid paying unemployment benifits.You should report to that appropriate state agency.

  • Reply Emily N. |

    After everything you’ve said about this company, I’m not surprised that they’re acting this way, but it definitely sucks. I agree with the other posters that you should file some kind of complaint against them.

  • Reply Walnut |

    Thank goodness for your emergency fund!!!!!

    And OMG…so angry about the rest of it. I hope karma comes back around.

  • Reply Stephanie |

    Hope, so sorry to hear that your crummy boss is acting like the devil. I am sure you have loads of documentation of work performed and submitted. I second Margann34’s comment by establishing a pattern of employer abuse.

    Thank goodness that you have savings. Hang in there. Be diligent and pursue what you are owed.

  • Reply Cwaltz |

    The good news is you will most likely eventually receive benefits. Usually what happens is after you file your rebuttal they set up a conference call with you, the employer and a person who determines the facts. I would be surprised if they even bother showing up on that call particularly if you have documentation that supports things like their decision to call you a contractor following their decision to “fire” you.

  • Reply SMS |

    That is just horrendous! I am sure you will get through it, however. I would report them to the Better Business Bureau, and submit negative reviews to Glassdoor and similar sites. I hope it works out soon.

  • Reply Jean |

    Make sure that you leave a review on the company on GlassDoor – and if you have contact information for the other person who was recently let go, contact her and encourage her to do the same. In this day and age, applicants are doing their due diligence on prospective employers, so maybe your review(s) will help someone else avoid what you’ve been through.

    I’m glad to hear that you have some contract work to do, and have saving to dip into. You’ve been through worse – you can do this!

  • Reply JayP |

    This sounds terrible. In the long run you’ll be glad to be rid of this place. On unemployment, if you agreed to be a contractor and then they cancelled your contract I’m not sure you have much of a case. I hope differently but it may not get approved. Did you resign or mutually agreed to quit(or actually get laid off?). Benefits will only be if you got laid off without cause. You may need to go into “hair on fire” mode and take whatever jobs you can find. Unemployment won’t be much as its based on the previous 5 Quarters and it will preclude you from taking in other income. Hope it works out and gets better!

    • Reply Cwaltz |

      Unemployment should not preclude her from taking in other work, however, they will decrease benefits of she is deriving income from somewhere.
      I also think that she’ll end up being entitled to unemployment since they terminated her and then never even followed or paid her for the contract work they said she would be continuing.

  • Reply Lisa |

    Hope, I’m sorry for your situation. But life doesn’t have to come to a screeching halt. Now is the time to keep at it. Keep at the job search. Keep at your contract work. The going is tough, so be tough and get going. It’s been three decades since I filed unemployment in GA, and I’m sure things have changed. But one thing I know: some stated employee policies can be enforced, like the PTO, and the 401(k) time table. My DH just left a job (a last-straw event) and his/our benefits were terminated that very day, even though he had paid through the end of the month. He received prorated reimbursement in his last paycheck. That was their stated policy. He also lost all his PTO, including rollover, which was their stated policy. We know that the investment company has 45 days to present info on his 401(k) which we are waiting for.

    Thing is, Hope, don’t let the b@$t*rd$ get you down. You keep doing what you need to do, and don’t give them control of your emotional and mental well being.

  • Reply Money Maker Mindset |

    I am so sorry to hear this, Hope. You gone through a lot of rough times but you’ve always managed to find a way out, and I know you will get through this. I hope you get all of the money you deserve and is rightfully yours.

So, what do you think ?