Hi, I've got fired today by megacorp...Looking for help...

[fh2000]

I don't do this so I don't have a dog in the fight, so you use your CC to buy Walmart gift cards at face value..Then you use the gift cards to buy a money order which apparently is OK with Walmart. All the CC company knows is that you spent money at Wal-mart...what you do with those cards is your business..I'm not agreeing this is "questionable"..in fact who loses from it. You might say Wal-mart since you didn't buy anything from them..but WalMart sets the rules for the use of gift cards.Wal-mart does get a fee for doing the money order.

CC company does not like this. They are the loser in this game when card holder did not really spend the money, because they now need to pay out the bonus. In the case of Chase Sapphire Reserve card, the bonus is worth more than $1,200 dollars with 100K points.

 

[fired_need_help]

Some of the dots in this story are not connecting for me. Rather than the spending, I am guessing the problem was more about the international trips and where they were to and whether they were all properly reported to your security officer and approved prior to travel.

Of course, everything was properly reported.

 

[fired_need_help]

Also, you should immediately apply for unemployment. In many states, resigning to avoid getting fired does not disqualify you.

How can I apply for unemployment if I have resigned?

 

[ivinsfan]

CC company does not like this. They are the loser in this game when card holder did not really spend the money, because they now need to pay out the bonus. In the case of Chase Sapphire Reserve card, the bonus is worth more than $1,200 dollars with 100K points.

they might not like it but they started the game with bonuses, you spend the money with the CC,you did spend the money as far as they are concerned, its not the cc's business what you buy with the GC.

 

[ivinsfan]

Of course, everything was properly reported.

Then how were your trips a problem if they were all properly pre-vetted? I know you are upset but the things you are saying don't make sense. That you just signed off and gave away all your severance and unemployment rights.. and possibly completely muddled the waters for another job.

 

[NW-Bound]

I never heard of the term "Manufactured Spending" till now either. On the Web, there's a lot about this, so apparently it is not a secret. And there's also talk of it looking like suspicious activity for money laundering. Perhaps that was why the government flagged it.

It does not seem right, but then it is at most a breach of contract with the credit card company. Do they explicitly spell out that the card holder not do this?

And if so, how does it involve the OP's employer? Supposedly, the government already cleared him of any wrong doing.

If the OP's story is 100% truthful, he should not have resigned, and asked the company to fire him if they frowned on his practice.

 

[Johanson]

Sorry, I intentionally was not 100% clear on the reason (who would want to disclose that? ) in the open post in order for that info not to be traceable.
I've opened CCs to get travel bonuses and did MS (manufactured spending, everything pretty much from the front page of flyertalk MS forum) + international family vacations have triggered red flags for government, since I've had clearance. Government notified the company and I've had a meeting with government & company several months ago about this issue. I've promised to stop MS and did stop it. As far as I know government has decided that they don't have an issue with me and I continue to have a clearance. But company has decided that my behavior was unethical and asked me to resign.
None of that had anything to do with my job performance and it is anybody's guess why this is unethical.

I did that with the Target Red Card for about 6 months until that ended. I haven't MS since. I rarely even go to the FT MS forum any more but I'm still on the Delta forum a lot.

 

[euro]

And if so, how does it involve the OP's employer? Supposedly, the government already cleared him of any wrong doing.
.

That's what I'm confused about too - unless he used company cards (why would he?), why is it the company's business?

If the OP's story is 100% truthful, he should not have resigned, and asked the company to fire him if they frowned on his practice.

The OP did say that he was hesitant to provide full story because he was worried that it be traceable. So, it's very possible that he left out a few important details. But I agree, if we have the full picture, then I would not have resigned either. Megas will very often offer some severance package, enven if it isn't deserved - just to close the case. They tend to be only hard-nosed if they are REALLY sure they have ironclad cause for dismissal.

 

[ivinsfan]

Like you I'd never heard of manufactured spending until today either and had to look it up. While I agree that there is no legal fraud involved (i.e., no one was illegally deprived of their property) I can see where the practice would strike some as unethical in that someone is (apparently) using the company's credit cards to obtain a gain for themselves.

Ethics is often a very fine line and in a large community there is often a lot of gray area between what is right and what is wrong. Evidently he did not cross his own line, but did cross someone else's.

Be that as it may, rightly or wrongly the OP is without job and he needs to focus on moving forward from this point on. Fortunately he has the resources to not have to move into panic mode and take the first offer that comes down the pike.

from what I understand they were personal credit cards not company cards,I'm having trouble seeing that a unethical...

 

[ivinsfan]

That's what I'm confused about too - unless he used company cards (why would he?), why is it the company's business?




The OP did say that he was hesitant to provide full story because he was worried that it be traceable. So, it's very possible that he left out a few important details

Ya think? just means our advice about another job is worthless since we don't know what really happened. Maybe he is innocent and maybe he is shady...

 

[gayl]

How can I apply for unemployment if I have resigned?

you can't in California as (1) you quit and (2) your employer can / will be brutally honest with the state as to why

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Financials...


I have not been tracking expenses lately, since I was not expecting to be fired, but guessing - ~20-25k / year, not counting medical and dental and excluding travel that we did in the last few years and that can be cut.

I wont bash you about the reason for the firing, that wont help us move along, However, I suspect your expenses are way above 25k a year. Significantly more. I say enjoy tour trip, its already paid for. I also say send out resumes now, and tell them about the up coming trip. Dont turn into your wife's situation that she couldnt find a job for years. Maybe she couldnt find one she wanted but there is work out there. As far as why you left I can not advise on this. If your employer is really going to say "he resigned and thats it" then you are ok. Otherwise tell the truth, I was told to resign/got fired for "xyz, 123, and I was an idiot". I learned my lesson and please take a shot with me, I was making 140k and this is why Im hoping you hire me at 100k.

 

[Walt34]

from what I understand they were personal credit cards not company cards,I'm having trouble seeing that a unethical...

Perhaps I misunderstood/misread it - if it is his own cc then definitely not the company's concern.

 

[fired_need_help]

Then how were your trips a problem if they were all properly pre-vetted? I know you are upset but the things you are saying don't make sense. That you just signed off and gave away all your severance and unemployment rights.. and possibly completely muddled the waters for another job.

I did not say that trips were the problem. Probably just a red flag to look at other things.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Maybe we should start suing each other in here for libel and defamation of character. I remember some guy in here who lost his job driving a van and people wanted him to take his case to the supreme court . The guy according to his company did a no no , he manned up and resigned. Thats my equivalent to taking an Alford plea. You want to whip up a hornets nest?. sue them, yeah now when they call for a reference they will say "reference sure, we told this guy to resign or we would fire him, he resigned. we tried to have him locked up but we didnt want the negative press". In stead of "he worked for us for 10 years, he resigned". Oh, by the way he then tried to sue us, he lost, big trouble maker.

 

[fired_need_help]

Went to a job fair. Some recruiters got excited seeing clearance on my resume. But after further checking, it is not valid anymore.
So, now I am really f*ed up and need to sell a house and move to another city.

 

[ivinsfan]

Perhaps I misunderstood/misread it - if it is his own cc then definitely not the company's concern.

I went and reread this and he says none of the expenses or the spend was reimbursable and that he hadn't traveled for business in years...he didn't say if he opened cards as business cards and did MS on them.I think he knows what the real problem is...just not sharing. We have business cards for our farm and have to supply tax ids and such when opening new accounts.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Went to a job fair. Some recruiters got excited seeing clearance on my resume. But after further checking, it is not valid anymore.
So, now I am really f*ed up and need to sell a house and move to another city.

OK dont panic. no harsh moves. You got skills, maybe minus the clearance you get 100k.

 

[fired_need_help]

Yeah, guys, feel free kicking me while I am down, but I am not hiding anything.
I've learned my lessons. I've stopped doing that (several months ago). Like I've said in the first post, it is pointless to discuss either it was ethical or not. What is done, is done.
I want to move forward. I need help moving forward.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Yeah, feel free kicking me while I am down....
I've learned my lessons. I've stopped doing that (several months ago). Like I've said in the first post, it is pointless to discuss either it was ethical or not. What is done, is done.
I want to move forward. I need help moving forward.

We have some that love kicking a man when he is down, its their M.O. It like the guys in Internal Affairs. Too scared to do the job, but quick to point fingers , criticize and Monday morning quarterbacks. Now is the time to stand tall, you have a family to provide and protect. You will be fine.

 

[ivinsfan]

Went to a job fair. Some recruiters got excited seeing clearance on my resume. But after further checking, it is not valid anymore.
So, now I am really f*ed up and need to sell a house and move to another city.

Dude, if you don't know why you lost your clearance find out ASAP..you might have lost because you had it thru your company. And you went to this job fair in the last hour..that was convenient. I'm starting to wonder....

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

How can I apply for unemployment if I have resigned?

Wrong avenue to go down, you need a job, not 400 bucks a week unemployment. You can make more than that at Mcdonalds. You need to put on your suit, shine your shoes and start beating on doors with your resume.

 

[fired_need_help]

Dude, if you don't know why you lost your clearance find out ASAP..you might have lost because you had it thru your company. And you went to this job fair in the last hour..that was convenient. I'm starting to wonder....

If you don't believe me, I can PM you the link to the job fair that I went to. As long as you promise not to reveal my location.
It would be too easy to trace me, knowing my location.
You obviously don't know anything about clearances, since I have no way to find out (or even check the status).

 

[cathy63]

How can I apply for unemployment if I have resigned?

You just go to your state's unemployment website and fill out the forms. It is a myth that you can never get unemployment if you've resigned; sometimes you can. Every state is different, and I don't know where you are, but one of the more common exceptions to the "you can't get unemployment after resigning" rule is if you resigned only to avoid getting fired, which you did. It doesn't cost anything to apply, and while it's true that you may get nothing, you might also get something.

Read this for more info: Can I get unemployment if I quit to avoid getting fired? | Nolo.com

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Please tell me your not writing an article and gaming us ok?