Here's the short of it.

As I posted a week or so ago, I quit my job at a grocery store. My mom finally got around to picking up my check from my last week there (I didn't want to go back). I get home from my other job, and she says there are 2 checks.

I am a suprised, as there should only be 1 check. I open the first check, and it is normal, about 110 or so.

I open the second check, and it says 375 (500 before taxes). I'm like "holy shit" and take it to my mom. She says this can't be right, as am I. She says I should give it back, I say fuck em. They screwed me over for 7 weeks there, and they deserve to be fucked in the ass. And 375 wont kill a major corp.

Anyway, the check says it is retro pay. So we go look at my prior stubs from the first 4 weeks I worked there. This is b/c I wasn't paid for the first 5 weeks I wroked there, and they got me the checks 5 or 6 weeks late.

We compute all the numbers, and it seems the new check is about $25 different from the other 4 checks combined. The hours are pretty close as well. She thinks they may have paid me twice for the first 4 weeks. I say its close, and its a maybe (probable). She is debating whether to let me keep the money (that and they never got my tax forms correct, so I've been paying about $20 too much in taxes each week).

Ethical question: Should I keep the money or not? I say yes, part out of bitterness and part out of logic. If I find $20 on the street, or someone errs in my favor when giving me change (or the bank messes up by like $20) you would keep the money regardless. To me the amount shouldn't determine whether it is right or wrong.

Would you keep the money?

Esentially it is out of my hands. My mom said put it in the bank, but she needs to think about whether I can keep it. I told her if I put it in the bank, its mine, I'm not taking it out. My girl says keep it, they've fucked me over enough (plus she wants a ring, and I can't do it with the $$$$ I have now)

And if you want to see my thread of grievances to see the bitterness angle, I can dredge it up as well.

Keep it.

keep it

The extra $20 could be acrued vacation pay?

"My girl says keep it, they've fucked me over enough (plus she wants a ring, and I can't do it with the $$$$ I have now)"

typical.

I'd probably keep it, but I wouldn't kid myself that its the right thing to do. I normally give back incorrect change, as I don't want the poor cashier to get hosed. Here I'd attempt to justify it as payback for poor working conditions. If I didn't spend it soon, I'd probably be guilty enough to give it back.

Not getting too technical here, but there any number of school's of logic you could use to justify any position you want. That's part of the problem with logic.

At a previous employer, while I was on vacation the whack jobs in charge canned my boss. Unbeknownest to me, he hadn't turned in my vacation time off sheet to payroll, so when they laid off my entire department a month later, they paid me for the week of vacation. It took less than a second for me to cash that check. This company treated me and other employees very poorly and I had ZERO sympathy for them. One could argue that it was stealing, although I think that a week of vacation pay didn't even begin to make up for what they stole from me over two years.

That being said, if I'm ever given too much change, if I catch it I always return it. I gave a clerk at McDonald's a $20 once and he gave it back to me with my change. When I pointed it out to him, at first he didn't believe me, then when he realized I was right, he said, "I can't believe you fixed that. I've never had anybody do that before. You get cookies man, you get cookies." And he proceeded to shove about five boxes of McDonald's cookies into my bag. So honesty can pay off.

In the end, what you do has to be something that you are comfortable with. I'd also crunch the numbers again before you do anything, just to make sure there was an error. Retro pay can be confusing.

women will do anything for a ring (it has its perks... so to speak).

I will admit I normally give back incorrect change.

double dola,

my ethics are much more in line with the late night crowd than the afternoon/evening ;)

I would keep it too.

mostly, because I wouldn't have taken the time to try to figure out why I got it. I would have just assumed that if they gave it to me, I had earned it.

Disco Stu says you got screwed!
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- So keep it.

Keep it and use it to hire a hit on the entire corp....................or you can just keep it.

if you don't want to keep it i'd be more than happy to take it

It could be the pay you're suppossed to get for vacation or something? When I worked at A&W, I got a lot more money on my last pay cheque than I was suppossed to get, but the employer said it was the accumulation of vacation money.. or something like that.

If you don't want it, can I have it?

Originally posted by tucker342
If you don't want it, can I have it?

i already called dibs :D

Keep it. It'll be awhile, while the corporation figures out its numbers for their correct total, so there is at least anouther 10 days or so. Plus your time and money invested in getting it fixed wont be worth it

You get cookies, man! You get cookies!

Has anybody picked up on the fact that Easy is going to propose soon, yet his mom is still making monetary decisions for him?

I think the real question here is not "Do I keep the money"? It's "How do I get my balls re-attached?"

:)

BTW, if you're not entitled to it, my advice is give it back.

In front of the question you put "Ethical Question."

If it is ethics you want, you have to give it back, or there are no ethics involved.

I may be stupid, but I agree with Cam (not that Cam is stupid. :) ). Do not start trying to get everything you FEEL you are entitled to. Get everything you ARE entitled to.

dola...

...or maybe I am just old and out of touch.

Originally posted by CamEdwards
Has anybody picked up on the fact that Easy is going to propose soon, yet his mom is still making monetary decisions for him?

I think the real question here is not "Do I keep the money"? It's "How do I get my balls re-attached?"


I was just thinking the exact same thing... :D

Originally posted by JeeberD
I was just thinking the exact same thing... :D

What came to my mind was, "I thought Easy was older than 17," so it was along the same lines.

Keep the money.. if your nervous about them coming back for it.. let it sit in the bank for a month.. i don't think they can claim anything after a month passes

I remember a story of a dude cashing one of those fake junk checks we all get in the mail for like 500k or something and going through a long drawn out process war with the bank.. And he ended up writing a book about it or some self help crap.. :)

Yeah, read about that years ago on Bored.com. I think they still have the article listed there. Long damn article...

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
"My girl says keep it, they've fucked me over enough (plus she wants a ring, and I can't do it with the $$$$ I have now)"

typical.

Well, this is easy- you claim you gave back the money to your girlfriend and then keep it so that not only do you have the spare $20 from the company but you don't have to spend it and more on a ring.

Wait, that wasn't the question was it?

SI

Employer gives you extra money - keep it. Don't try to justify what its for.

Of course, if they short you than you complain.

Originally posted by JPhillips
I'd probably keep it, but I wouldn't kid myself that its the right thing to do.

Very honest, and probably where I would be with the issue.

Karma (or whatever you call it) has a funny way of making things come out even.

It's been my experience that keeping money in a case like this, or like a wrong-change windfall, is usually followed by car problems or something else that eats up just a little more than the "bonus" will cover.

I'd probably give it back or at least bring the error to their attention & let them decide if they want it back and just cut out the middle man at the inevitable repair center.

Just my .02

well, my girl's car just broke last week, and she has to buy a new one, so I'll inheret the payments eventually. I think thats karma.

And it'd be a blessing if my piece of shit car broke down (of course, that only happens if I put a new radio or speakers in a car. Everytime I do that, within a week my car at the time breaks down for good).

This kind of thing happened to me at a company I worked for several years ago. I had direct deposit, and they deposited an extra paycheck into my account. I did tell them, and they said they would deal with it, but they never took the money back, nor did they ask me to do anything.

Did we all of a sudden step into 1950?

" 'My girl says keep it, they've fucked me over enough (plus she wants a ring, and I can't do it with the $$$$ I have now)'

typical."

Um, no that's not typical.

And: "well, my girl's car just broke last week, and she has to buy a new one, so I'll inheret the payments eventually."

Geez! This is so annoying. I guess I don't know the details of your situation, but is your girlfriend incapable of making any money to make her own car payments?

I'm probably just in a bad mood. Oh wait, maybe I don't have any jewelry on at the moment. And since all girls need rings to the extent that it clouds their ethical judgment I suppose it could affect my mood also.

But as to the topic, I'd say at least offer to give it back. They probably won't want to deal with the hassle of getting it back, and if they do, like someone said, there's karma.

ETA -- I usually hate rabid feminists that make something out of nothing. But this was just so blatant and strange, I had to say something.

Originally posted by lurker
I'm probably just in a bad mood. Oh wait, maybe I don't have any jewelry on at the moment. And since all girls need rings to the extent that it clouds their ethical judgment I suppose it could affect my mood also.


The first step is recognizing the problem...;)

Why not simply ask for verification of the amounts you have been paid and the hours to which the payments are attributable? At this point, you aren't even sure if they are wrong, so there's no reason to tell them they overpaid you. Just ask them to verify that what you've received is correct. Chances are, they'll think that you think you've been underpaid.

You guys amaze me on this one. Why not just break into the store and steal more money from them? They were mean to you, right?

It's probably more trouble than it's worth to try to sort out the accounting error, and that amount of money is really miniscule for a major corporation.

I'd probably keep what's mine and give the remainder to charity. Or my wife... depending on how long it's been since I got any.

Originally posted by Easy Mac


I open the second check, and it says 375 (500 before taxes). I'm like "holy shit" and take it to my mom. She says this can't be right, as am I. She says I should give it back, I say fuck em. They screwed me over for 7 weeks there, and they deserve to be fucked in the ass. And 375 wont kill a major corp.



Did you really say this in front of your mom? :eek:

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
It's probably more trouble than it's worth to try to sort out the accounting error, and that amount of money is really miniscule for a major corporation.



I'm guessing that's why my company never did anything about it when I told them - plus, I suspect it's an accounting nightmare to deal with the fact that taxes have already been deducted and reported to the IRS. It's probably just not worth the hassle.

Originally posted by clintl
I'm guessing that's why my company never did anything about it when I told them - plus, I suspect it's an accounting nightmare to deal with the fact that taxes have already been deducted and reported to the IRS. It's probably just not worth the hassle.

Right... the accountant on the payroll makes more per hour than it would be worth to have him spend all day sorting it out.

well, doing calculations, they owe me 175 on taxes. Still leavews me with an extra $200 they're giving me.

Oh, and Cam, as long as she pays for the roof over my head and 1/3 of college (damn loans), she still has a say over my money. That and she put herself on my bank account, and I can't get her name taken off. Anyone know how to do that, the bank keeps telling me no.

Originally posted by lurker
ETA -- I usually hate rabid feminists that make something out of nothing. But this was just so blatant and strange, I had to say something.

Ahh, must be that tim....errr...nevermind... ;) :D

Originally posted by Easy Mac
well, doing calculations, they owe me 175 on taxes. Still leavews me with an extra $200 they're giving me.

Oh, and Cam, as long as she pays for the roof over my head and 1/3 of college (damn loans), she still has a say over my money. That and she put herself on my bank account, and I can't get her name taken off. Anyone know how to do that, the bank keeps telling me no.

Open a new bank account.

What excuse do guys have for getting upset? That they're just dicks? And for girls it's PMS? I was seeing stupid stuff and I said something. That's it.

Lurker,

my response to DD was tongue in cheek, as I assume his post was.

That being said, when/if we get married in a year or 2, I will inheret my girl's car payments. Since she'll be in graduate school (been accepted, I've got to wait on mine until I can get some $$$ together, she can afford hers but not much else), I'lll have to make those payments and general utilities and such. And she's been asking me for a ring for the past year, so this $375 helps immensly.

So if you guys don't hear from me in a year or 2, its b/c I have no $$$ or internet access.

Originally posted by Easy Mac
well, doing calculations, they owe me 175 on taxes. Still leavews me with an extra $200 they're giving me.

Oh, and Cam, as long as she pays for the roof over my head and 1/3 of college (damn loans), she still has a say over my money. That and she put herself on my bank account, and I can't get her name taken off. Anyone know how to do that, the bank keeps telling me no.

Open a new account with just your name

;) = Joking

I was just being facetious. Geez...

Originally posted by mckerney
Open a new account with just your name

Dola-

But will he be able to withdraw the money out of his old account without his mother's permission?

Probably, but even if he can't it's at least worth a shot.

Sorry if I couldn't tell you guys were kidding. The "typical" comment kind of set me off, since it seems like a lot of guys (and older women) I know think like that.

Anyway, good luck on supporting her and you during her grad school. You'll be surprised how little money it takes to live when you really need to scrounge.

I've spent a total of $90 this summer (9 or 10 weeks?), so I can make due. Damn I don't want to live in the real world.

Bills suck...

Originally posted by JeeberD
Bills suck...

Hey, they're a playoff-caliber team in one of the toughest divisions in football... I think that's uncalled for.

Mac, it sounds like you are not positive this is even a mistake. You said from the beginning that they screwed up your pay royally in the beginning. Maybe they never bothered to truly make it right until now.

Even so, if it is a big corporation, they won't have a clue what to do if you contact them trying to give money back. Their procedures won't work that way (but they will be able to collect if they ever figure out the error).

I am actually a very honest person, and if someone gives me the wrong change I insist upon them getting it right. However, if I do not notice it until later, I don't take it back any more. I did that once, it took me half an hour to explain it to the manager, and then they made me wait (as well as the line) while they counted this guy's drawer. Including the drive, over two hours of my time wasted.

Look at this like you discovered the wrong change once going home. You don't deserve the money, but you don't deserve the hassle that would ensue if you tried to give it back either. I suggest doing nothing until 5 bus. days before the check expires, then cashing it. You can always claim you thought the check was them just making sure your 'balance' was correct.

When I got layed off and got my severance pay and such, I wasn't sure if it was the correct amount or not. It was a matter of rounding up or down. Needless to say I didn't care, since it was such a huge check.

My boss calculated it out and thought it was more. His response was to just be quiet about it and leave. And that's exactly what I did. But he did say if I felt it wasn't enough than I should file a complaint. Eh, it was enough. Later dude.

This happens many times within the business community. The golden rule most of the time is that if your employer overpays, you take. If the employer underpays, you complain. Though there was a time when it was only about $5 and I didn't complain. Just not worth it.

Similar rules apply in Las Vegas. At some of the older downtown casinos and the dinginer gambling joints around town, where dealers aren't as good, they are notorious for paying on losing hands and pushes. Sure it's only a $1 table, but its funny when you get paid to lose. :) Of course, when the cheat you, than you complain.

I used to be hontest with the casino dealers, until even a pit boss told me to shut up about it and accept my winnings. And I have ever since. I later learned why this was the case. They hate having to call upstairs to watch the video. So unless its a customer complaint, they typically let it slide or work to resolve the issue face to face..

If Easy is under 18, he cannot legally have his own bank account in many states.. Contract law in some states works that a way..

And most bank's want you to have a account with about 100 in it at all times.. otherwise they get testy

Originally posted by Ragone
If Easy is under 18, he cannot legally have his own bank account in many states.. Contract law in some states works that a way..

Yup, they do have those youth accounts. But typically a parent has to have their name on it.

Of course, it's all part of the banking industry effort to lure you into credit cards, loans, and other assorted financial scams at a younger age.

And most bank's want you to have a account with about 100 in it at all times.. otherwise they get testy

That's typically the rule for savings accounts. And in some cases its $300 minimum.

With checking accounts, you're bank only cares that you have enough funds to cover the monthly fee (if there is one).

Some banks could care less if you even have the money to cover the transactions. Washington Mutual, for example, will let you purposefully overdraw your account up to a certain amount (used to be $300 for me). Of course, they also charge you for the honor. This has gotten so out of hand, that some wonder whether or not your bank should be required to give you a "Truth In Lending" Disclosure on the account when you open it.

A free checking account shouldn't have any of those problem. No monthly fees, and it doesn't matter how much you have in.

Originally posted by mckerney
A free checking account shouldn't have any of those problem. No monthly fees, and it doesn't matter how much you have in.

Yeah, when I got laid off, my direct deposit went with it. Now BofA charges me $5.95/month for my free checking account.

Originally posted by mrskippy
Yeah, when I got laid off, my direct deposit went with it. Now BofA charges me $5.95/month for my free checking account.

Banks are a joke with this...I get charged 3 or 4 bucks a month for them to mail the fucking checks i send out back to me :mad:

Originally posted by ice4277
Banks are a joke with this...I get charged 3 or 4 bucks a month for them to mail the fucking checks i send out back to me :mad:

Hehehehe ... BofA now puts the front and back image of checks you write into your online banking. This is sooooo nice, because sometimes you forget to notate a check or you note the amount, but forget who the hell you sent it to.

I'll admit $5.95/month for BofA is a bargain given what it includes (free BillPay, free online banking w/ Check Imaging, photo ATM card, zero liability, etc). Of course, I can't wait to get a job again and have direct deposit back -- for truly free checking.

Originally posted by Easy Mac
Lurker,

my response to DD was tongue in cheek, as I assume his post was.

That being said, when/if we get married in a year or 2, I will inheret my girl's car payments. Since she'll be in graduate school (been accepted, I've got to wait on mine until I can get some $$$ together, she can afford hers but not much else), I'lll have to make those payments and general utilities and such. And she's been asking me for a ring for the past year, so this $375 helps immensly.

So if you guys don't hear from me in a year or 2, its b/c I have no $$$ or internet access.

Again, another problem with an easy solution: get her a smaller ring. She can live without a giant rock, but you without net access... well, that's one of those things you have to have to live like food and heat and cable. :D

SI

Easy, just get her one of those cracker jack rings:D

How big is her finger. Just rip off a tab from a coke can.

Here is what I would do...

Make sure I know what the statute of limitations is for that dollar amount (when it comes to theft).
Deposit the check into an interest earning account.
Depending on the amount of time it takes to become your money, if it grows significantly you should be able to roll it into better interest earning accounts/etc.
When the prescribed amount of time has come and gone, the money is really yours and do with it as you wish.
That's just how I would do it, because I had a friend who was threatened by a company and legal authorities for depositing an incorrect check from his former employer (a sort of similar situation as yours, but they discovered the error). Effectively, if they notice the error and ask for the money back, you gotta come up with it.

No offense, but are you serious about putting $350.00 into the bank to accrue interest?

You cannot get better than 2% on a small amount of short-term money right now, and I imagine with a short term account for that kind of money, you probably cannot get even 1%.

Better advice would be to throw a keg party and charge $3 a head... :)

Originally posted by Swaggs
No offense, but are you serious about putting $350.00 into the bank to accrue interest?

You cannot get better than 2% on a small amount of short-term money right now, and I imagine with a short term account for that kind of money, you probably cannot get even 1%.

Better advice would be to throw a keg party and charge $3 a head... :)

$3 bucks a head? Do you know how much underage people will pay for alcohol? I would charge $10. But dont come to me when you get busted for selling alcohol to minors.

Originally posted by Swaggs
Better advice would be to throw a keg party and charge $3 a head... :)

Actually there would probably be a bigger punishment getting caught for doing that than i he'd actually stolen the money.

Why not accrue interest with $150? You will end up with more than if you spend it.

Aside from that, he could add it to any savings account he actually has already if he wants to. If he says he does not have savings that is earning some kind of real interest, he needs some help anyway.

Originally posted by Tekneek
Why not accrue interest with $150? You will end up with more than if you spend it.

Aside from that, he could add it to any savings account he actually has already if he wants to. If he says he does not have savings that is earning some kind of real interest, he needs some help anyway.

Because, if he saved it for an entire year, he would end up with all of $153. Not that I would turn down if $3 were just handed to me, but interst bearing accounts require minimums, have penalties for dropping below, etc. Plus, it doesn't sound like he's floating on money so might as well just store that up in a checking account for a rainy day or put it towards an already existing expense. Playing the role of "poor college student" that I am- that money would go towards next month's rent, utilities, etc.

SI

Originally posted by Ragone
If Easy is under 18, he cannot legally have his own bank account in many states..

He is 21 (according to his profile)

One piece of advice on the ring Easy. The 'standard' people throw around all the time is to spend 2 months salary on the engagement ring. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to do this when you are making virtually no money (I did it on a grad school stipend). After you get a degree and get a real job, these costs skyrocket.

Amazing..

Absolute Amazing...

How many that say keep the money get their panties all in a bind because someone is downloading songs or selling someones EA sports rosters on Ebay...

Yes, I'm 21. I think I got the account when I was 18 but she put her name on there without asking.

b. 2 months salary. Thats maybe an $800 ring. I'm looking at at least $1200, then worrying about a fancy one when I can afford it later in life. That should leave me with around 900-1000 for the school year (700-600 after the first books are bought), with another 1000-1500 coming in through the year by working. I can make due, so long as I don't buy the latest games.

Originally posted by sterlingice
Because, if he saved it for an entire year, he would end up with all of $153. Not that I would turn down if $3 were just handed to me, but interst bearing accounts require minimums, have penalties for dropping below, etc.

That's fine. I've had interest earning bank accounts since the day I graduated from high school (11 years ago...sigh). Sometimes I had accounts earning decent interest, and other times ones that were barely earning any, but I have had them and they were easy to maintain (even during spells when I had no job). "Starving college student" is a result of a choice you make. You decide to be one of those, and are not one against your will. You could just as easily decide not to be a starving student.