I got a job at Pepsi Co last year, but HR kept shuffling my starting date around for about a month. During that time, I received three paychecks from them, even though I hadn’t worked a single day, which left me confused. I didn’t deposit those checks and eventually backed out of the job without doing anything with the paychecks.
Now, for the past 8-10 months, I’ve been receiving calls and letters from a debt collector claiming I owe Pepsi $2,000, which is the total of those checks. I’ve tried explaining that I never deposited them and even sent copies of the checks to both the debt collectors and Pepsi HR to verify this, but Pepsi has mostly ignored my attempts for clarification, and the collectors keep calling. What should I do?
Send the checks straight to PepsiCo, and they’ll be able to verify whether they were deposited into your account thanks to the serial numbers and digital paper trail. You can even report this to your bank, and they may be able to assist you in convincing Pepsi that these cheques were never deposited. Alternatively, if you simply quit them at some point, Pepsi personnel handling payroll will simply cancel them. To correct the record and allow them to cancel collections when they have no right to collect something you never took in the first place, I would continue to attempt to get in touch with them in the interim.
I sent them to the address I was instructed to send them to by the collecting business. I’ll be writing them a letter to cease collections once more. I’m even thinking of threatening to hire a lawyer or just settling for $50 with collections. However, I’ll investigate the bank concept. Fortunately, my mother works for the bank, so perhaps she can assist. Regards!
You’re very welcome! Since you did nothing wrong, I would not give them any money—not even $50. Just remember that telling them anything but the truth will give the impression that you are not telling the truth.
Engage the services of a consumer advocate lawyer with FDCPA expertise. There is no cost for the consultation. Pepsi should have realized that the checks weren’t cashed. The maximum date on checks is 180 days. It’s likely that Pepsi directly deposited the funds to an account and the checks are only reminders.
Additionally, you can use consumerfinance.gov to submit a complaint to the CFPB regarding the collector. As proof, upload copies of the front and back checks to the website.
I would wait to file a countersuit after they sue you.