Ever just want to scream?

I recently started work at a new company as a Jeweler - and I gotta say, I love my job. Especially coming from retail. It's a very nice change. Except for this issue.

Whenever I first started, I went through all the normal onboarding stuff you have to go through with any company, and I made sure to get my direct deposit info in as soon as I could. Sadly, my first check ended up getting mailed, but that's pretty standard practice - not really that big of a deal. Except that I should have received that check on 5/7, and didn't receive it until 5/12, 5 days late. I complained to the manager, and it was chalked up to the postal service being slow. Whatever. One time thing, right?

Wrong. I was supposed to receive a direct deposit check on 5/21 - but I didn't, despite the fact that all my info was entered correctly. Apparently the company is switching from an old system to a new one, and the direct deposit system hadn't pulled my info for some reason. This happened to two other new hires as well. I was quite annoyed - I NEED this money - and was told that I'd have to wait for a paper check that had gotten mailed. I'm a laid back guy, so I said "Okay", and resigned to wait.

On Wednesday of this week (5/26), my check still hadn't arrived. I, again, went to the manager of my plant, and asked what was up. Apparently the check had definitely been sent from payroll, but hadn't made it to me for some reason. So I could either A) have them cancel this check and overnight me another that would HOPEFULLY get here by Friday or B) wait until Thursday (today) and hope that it showed up. I chose to wait, as I was hopeful it was just really, really late. This was a mistake.

Today, 5/27, my check still isn't here. So I went to see the manager (AGAIN) to tell him that I needed the check re-sent, and I learned that he had decided to leave early today. In fact, anyone who could have helped me with this was gone for the day. Meaning that the request for the check to be overnighted won't go through till tomorrow, and likely won't get sent until at least Saturday. The mail won't run Sunday and Monday (holiday). Meaning that, best case scenario, I get my check on Tuesday, 11 days late. That'll be on the 1st, with rent and other bills due the same day. If it doesn't come until Wednesday, I'll have late fees to pay.

I know that this is probably difficult to read, but I'm just SO frustrated. I'm 20. Coming from a low-paying retail job, and have very little in savings so far. But I've been independent and haven't had to ask for financial help yet. I don't have a credit card that I can put stuff on until I get paid. I've eaten all of my savings account and am now using up cash I've had put back for years. I've been eating nothing but ramen and canned foods to try and stretch out my food budget, and work is around 35 miles from my home - meaning gas is expensive.

This is one of those times I just want to scream.

 

It's fun being an adult isn't it? Sorry that really sucks for you, I feel your pain. My hubs didn't get his unemployment during the shutdown for more than 17 weeks. No one answered phones ever at the unemployment offices. Your place seems as sketch as the UIA....lol

 

I'm so sorry for your situation, and wish you all the best moving forward!

 

Always, when pay is involved. Sounds like the HR department is pretty overall incompetent. Probably better bring that up if they ever try to fire anyone.

 

Thanks for all the support, guys.

Supposedly they were supposed to FedEx Overnight a new check yesterday, that SHOULD be here today. So far no luck, but it's still early.

 

Well, unfortunately, no luck with the check. Looks like I won't get it until at least Tuesday, unless it arrives today by some miracle.

I sent an email directly to the corporate HR team out of hopes that they'll be of more use than the people at my location are, but of course they won't be available till Tuesday either. To say I am aggravated is an understatement.

 

Well, unfortunately, no luck with the check. Looks like I won't get it until at least Tuesday, unless it arrives today by some miracle.

I sent an email directly to the corporate HR team out of hopes that they'll be of more use than the people at my location are, but of course they won't be available till Tuesday either. To say I am aggravated is an understatement.

Wow. Here i thought only the government was this incompetent of an employer

 

Wow. Here i thought only the government was this incompetent of an employer

Well, having talked to a bunch of other employees, it seems that my situation isn't the norm. Even people who've had checks lost usually have them overnighted and have them the next day. Doesn't make it any less frustrating, but I can't really sit here and badmouth the whole company, as much as I'd like to at the moment.

Now... on the other hand, getting the money into my hands should have taken precedence. They know I'm in it deep at the moment - I'm coming from a job at Petsmart where I lived check-to-check, and also had a 2-week gap between leaving PetSmart and starting my new job. So to say things are desperate, is, unfortunately, an understatement. If for some reason it doesn't show up on Tuesday, I won't have the gas to make it to work on Wednesday. So... Yeah, I'd like to be using words that Fishlore doesn't allow

 

Well, having talked to a bunch of other employees, it seems that my situation isn't the norm. Even people who've had checks lost usually have them overnighted and have them the next day. Doesn't make it any less frustrating, but I can't really sit here and badmouth the whole company, as much as I'd like to at the moment.

Now... on the other hand, getting the money into my hands should have taken precedence. They know I'm in it deep at the moment - I'm coming from a job at Petsmart where I lived check-to-check, and also had a 2-week gap between leaving PetSmart and starting my new job. So to say things are desperate, is, unfortunately, an understatement. If for some reason it doesn't show up on Tuesday, I won't have the gas to make it to work on Wednesday. So... Yeah, I'd like to be using words that Fishlore doesn't allow

Sadly, these things do happen.. seems kind of weird. I know it took awhile for my direct deposit to kick in with my company, but until it did, my paycheck was in the mailbox every payday, like clockwork. Granted, our regional HR rep is pretty good and always very willing to work with people within policy.

Edit to add: but i did have a job where i went through this same kind of hassle to get paid at the beginning like you did. The really bad part is it was right before the Thanksgiving and all those holidays. Never before have a worked at a place for 2 months without a paycheck. And never again will I. That is slavery. I fulfilled my end of the bargain.

 

Sadly, these things do happen.. seems kind of weird. I know it took awhile for my direct deposit to kick in with my company, but until it did, my paycheck was in the mailbox every payday, like clockwork. Granted, our regional HR rep is pretty good and always very willing to work with people within policy.

Perhaps the most frustrating this is that I've followed every step given to the T and well before the given deadlines. And, at every turn, it's been the worst case scenario. Even with this being a company 3-day weekend, and also Tuesday being the first - I don't believe in luck, but it feels like some bad mojo!

 

Oh gosh that’s really tough. I’m sorry you are having to go through all of that. If you are communicating with them via email or some other document type thing you should take copies of them and save it. That way if things don’t get better, or if you have an opportunity to talk to someone you have more documentation that this is happening.

 

Oh gosh that’s really tough. I’m sorry you are having to go through all of that. If you are communicating with them via email or some other document type thing you should take copies of them and save it. That way if things don’t get better, or if you have an opportunity to talk to someone you have more documentation that this is happening.

All of my emails with the company have been saved since the beginning - but most of the correspondence with the pay issue has been in-person. But, if I ever need the emails, I do have them saved in my inbox.

 

Perhaps the most frustrating this is that I've followed every step given to the T and well before the given deadlines. And, at every turn, it's been the worst case scenario. Even with this being a company 3-day weekend, and also Tuesday being the first - I don't believe in luck, but it feels like some bad mojo!

Sometimes it is just out of your control. This is why i am glad i work alone and the important stuff is only dealt with by one other person. Any more than that, i just assume it is going to get screwy. It has been my experience when other people are involved, they completely mess it up 10 times out of every 4 chances they get to do so.

 

Sometimes it is just out of your control. This is why i am glad i work alone and the important stuff is only dealt with by one other person. Any more than that, i just assume it is going to get screwy. It has been my experience when other people are involved, they completely mess it up 10 times out of every 4 chances they get to do so.

Agreed. I'm on the verge of going east an hour or two and becoming one of Kentucky mountain people, lol! I grew up out there, and would love to get away from all the people and assorted "stuff" that happens in the city.

On the bright side, I can't sit still, so I've done a 30% WC on my Green Spotted Puffer Tank, a 50% WC on my QT, a 50% WC on one of my 10 gallon clownfish tanks, and am about to do a 50% on my Mantis tank... No laziness today!

 

I'm really sorry to hear about this as I can't imagine the bind that it is putting you in! I work in HR and unfortunately have seen this sort of thing happen before, though it's not common. As an HR professional, what I would have done for you after the first check coming paper, would be to set a reminder on my calendar to ensure that I saw that your DD was set up properly prior to the next payroll running. I also would have offered to cancel/overnight much sooner than it seemed that they did.

It doesn't sound like your local HR is handling this in the best way and are not being proactive. I would suggest that when you do contact them again, get them to confirm that it is ready to go on DD when payroll runs again. If they don't know, then escalate it until you get someone who can confirm it. If you still have problems, most large companies have a corporate ethics and complaint line. Find out what that is (it's usually posted in the breakroom) and call it. Those calls are very visible and will typically get a resolution very quickly.

 

I'm really sorry to hear about this as I can't imagine the bind that it is putting you in! I work in HR and unfortunately have seen this sort of thing happen before, though it's not common. As an HR professional, what I would have done for you after the first check coming paper, would be to set a reminder on my calendar to ensure that I saw that your DD was set up properly prior to the next payroll running. I also would have offered to cancel/overnight much sooner than it seemed that they did.

It doesn't sound like your local HR is handling this in the best way and are not being proactive. I would suggest that when you do contact them again, get them to confirm that it is ready to go on DD when payroll runs again. If they don't know, then escalate it until you get someone who can confirm it. If you still have problems, most large companies have a corporate ethics and complaint line. Find out what that is (it's usually posted in the breakroom) and call it. Those calls are very visible and will typically get a resolution very quickly.

I'm glad you take your job seriously! The HR department is usually the unsung hero of any company - unhappy employees make for slow and sloppy workers, so when issues arise, a good HR department is beneficial to everyone involved. Thank you!

Unfortunately, the plant manager assured me that my direct deposit was correct before this ever happened. I've been assured (yet again) that this coming Friday I'll get a direct deposited check. We'll see what happens. I'm going to call the employee services number on Tuesday after work and am going to verify everything, as it seems that whatever info I'm being given locally is bumpkis. This is one of the top 5 jewelry companies in the world, so hopefully their regional/national helpline is more useful.

 

It's fun being an adult isn't it? Sorry that really sucks for you, I feel your pain. My hubs didn't get his unemployment during the shutdown for more than 17 weeks. No one answered phones ever at the unemployment offices. Your place seems as sketch as the UIA....lol

I did pretty well getting those UC checks last year. I work part time and it was way over what I make. I kept $100 of the first 4 or 5 and donated the rest to many places and people who needed help. We were remodeling our house at the time and too soon, I found a hundred needs of my own around here, but did give $100 away each time. It felt so wrong for me to get all that. I drive a school van and always have summers off anyway. I was off 4 weeks in December and filed UC again, got the $300 a week that I didn't even know they were doing. EXCEPT for the 2nd week - never got that at all and didn't know what to do about it, but it was money I didn't know about, wasn't expecting, and I didn't worry about it. For those who lost great incomes during that time, I know every dime they sent counted. Just reimbursing me to my usual pay would've been nice. I knew other drivers who went MONTHS without a check and they really needed it to live on. To this day I don't know if 1 of them ever got a dime above what PA paid. One more week of work then I'm getting it again. This time I'll need it to pay medical bills. But honestly I believe in helping others and will still do what I can for anyone.

That includes this young man!

 

Alright, wish me luck today! I'm gonna be respectful but maybe less... complacent.

Hopefully I'll get the tracking number for the check (that I was supposed to get on Friday...) and it'll arrive today. If not, we're gonna have a problem.

 

...and the saga continues!

Today I went up to the plant manager and asked where the check was. Apparently, the new check wasn't even cut last week - the bank hadn't cancelled the one that got lost in the mail yet, so they couldn't issue a new one. I wasn't super happy - I was polite, but let him know that I had paid for gas in $1 bills the day before and only got half a tank. He said he'd send an email and try to get it figured out.

I decided I'd call the employee services number again and see if they could do anything - and then they just ended up emailing the plant manager about the issue. So, finally, I went to the Jeweler manager (my direct boss), and told her about the situation. 20 minutes later, she came to me with a $25 Mastercard for gas and told me that the check would be cut today and overnighted to work tomorrow, and that I should have it by noon. She showed me a PDF of the payslip, the correct date, and the shipping info.

That lady rocks!

 

...and the saga continues!

Today I went up to the plant manager and asked where the check was. Apparently, the new check wasn't even cut last week - the bank hadn't cancelled the one that got lost in the mail yet, so they couldn't issue a new one. I wasn't super happy - I was polite, but let him know that I had paid for gas in $1 bills the day before and only got half a tank. He said he'd send an email and try to get it figured out.

I decided I'd call the employee services number again and see if they could do anything - and then they just ended up emailing the plant manager about the issue. So, finally, I went to the Jeweler manager (my direct boss), and told her about the situation. 20 minutes later, she came to me with a $25 Mastercard for gas and told me that the check would be cut today and overnighted to work tomorrow, and that I should have it by noon. She showed me a PDF of the payslip, the correct date, and the shipping info.

That lady rocks!

At least the best leader out of this whole ordeal is your direct boss!! So glad you're finally getting someone to help!

 

So... It's still not over.

Fedex didn't pick up the check yesterday. So, now I gotta wait and hope that they pick it up today and it gets delivered tomorrow. If not, I'll get my next check before I get the last one. I've gotten paid $400 for working 50 hours a week since 4/26. Ugh.

At this point, it seems far-fetched, right? Nothing can go THIS horribly wrong. I wouldn't believe me.

Here's the Fedex tracking page, though.

 

So... It's still not over.

Fedex didn't pick up the check yesterday. So, now I gotta wait and hope that they pick it up today and it gets delivered tomorrow. If not, I'll get my next check before I get the last one. I've gotten paid $400 for working 50 hours a week since 4/26. Ugh.

At this point, it seems far-fetched, right? Nothing can go THIS horribly wrong. I wouldn't believe me.

Here's the Fedex tracking page, though.

View attachment 793528

Alright, this is enough!! Give me a phone number!! Fishlorians have to stick together!!

Really, the good news is that it HAS to have bottomed out at this point, right?

 

Alright, this is enough!! Give me a phone number!! Fishlorians have to stick together!!

Really, the good news is that it HAS to have bottomed out at this point, right?

I mean, surely, right?

Even the unhelpful plant manager was pretty exasperated. At this point, almost everything that could have gone wrong, DID go wrong.

As of 6, the package has been picked up!

 

Just wanted to end this thread. I got my check today, 13 days late. It got deposited, and I paid off my bills and went to the fish store. I'll be getting another check direct deposited tomorrow (and I triple checked that everything was right!), so all this is resolved. We're good! I'm annoyed that it was so difficult, but I"m glad it was resolved.

I'll also be splitting 20% of my check into my savings account in case something like this happens again - I save money, but this time it just happened to be a perfect storm (even before my pay was late) and what I saved ended up not being enough.

Thanks for all the support. I really appreciate it!

 

Yay!! Finally!! So sorry you had to endure, but you learned some valuable things too I'm sure! Go to the LFS and treat yo self!!