Background:
I am a male in my mid 50’s, of a French/Spanish mother, and an English/Irish/Scottish father. I received an AAS in CAD in 2010 (which I wasn’t able to get a job in). I was diagnosed in 2015 of being “borderline” type 2 Diabetic, and my A1C has been between 6 and 10 when it’s tested. I’ve have neuropathy in both feet since 2011-12, but I thought it was due to working on my feet all day. Boy was I wrong.
Pre-Covid19:
Last week of September 2019, I was hired by a call center (third time for that company in 15 years) lets just say for a third party company doing (let’s just call them) Horizon CS…and went through the 8 week onsite training, and moved to the production floor at the beginning of December of that same year.
Lock-down and beyond:
3rd week of March 2020, LOCK-DOWN, I was given the choice of furlough (receiving unemployment) with the option of returning when lock-down was lifted (boy was we short sighted), or be loaned a production computer to continue working from home. Since, I had been on unemployment in the past, and I knew that it wasn’t enough to survive on (didn’t watch the news at that time, so I had no idea of the government subsidy of $600 extra a WEEK)…I chose the remote option.
December 2020, noticed two pressure ulcers, one the left and the other on the right side of my right foot. Went to a podiatrist for treatment, since I had had them before. Seems that the right side ulcer had infected and dissolved the bone in the pinky toe, so the doctor recommended removing it and the ulcer inflection on the right side, before it infected any more bones. Surgery was preformed on January 29, 2021. The doctor was worried about the left side ulcer, because if that infected the bone where it was, I would lose half my right foot, including the other four toes. Medical recommendation was to elevate the foot and to not put unneeded pressure on it by sitting at a desk most of the day, so I went on a FMLA.
May 24, 2021, podiatrist finally certified foot was healed enough and I was able to return to work. Job insisted that I retrain for position…which I had no problem with. Retraining was set to begin June 1st, that first day was pretty much was getting people set up with the online program/login, and getting to know everyone in class and the trainers. Day 2, there was a problem with me accessing the training system. IT was contacted and by lunchtime the problem was figured out, I had the wrong computer for training. I had a “production” computer, not a “training” one.
So, I would be removed from that training class, sent a training computer, and training would be rescheduled. One week goes by with no delivery, my contact with the company “insists” that one was sent, and it was returned with a notice of undeliverable, claiming nobody was home…TWICE. Odd thing was that I hadn’t left the apartment that whole week, address checked out, so they “claimed” they would send another. Another week goes by, and I didn’t leave…again, and still no delivery received. At this point, I have not worked in 4 months, no PTO left, savings is gone, and have borrowed lots of money from my family. I tell my contact that I’m done with the BS, and tell them to send me a box w/return label to return the production computer, so I will not be charged for not returning it. That delivery I do get (how about that), packed up the computer and dropped it off at UPS, so that I have a receipt that it was sent back.
On the same day I ask for the return box, I contact the state unemployment dept, explain what’s going on, and start a claim. Due to COVID19, all I really need to do is file on Sunday, and it will be in my bank by Thursday…no job search needed. But, I still did the job search, minimum of 3 jobs a week, since I know that the government subsidy of $300 a week will end in September and the money will not last forever.
August 4, 2021…I have a telephone appointment to apply for assistance for my rent, since I’m four months behind at this point. I’m told I have 2 weeks to get the needed paperwork to the agent by email for processing, and it can take 4 to 6 weeks to process. I had all the needed paperwork done in a week. 4 weeks go by, no information, I’m not worried…5 weeks go by, nothing, I’m still not worried…yet. End of the 6th week and still nothing, so I send an email to the agent. No reply. Call and leave a voice mail, nothing. Send another email couple days later, still no reply. Contact the agency handling the processing, and ask to speak to the agents supervisor, I’m sent to their voice mail, so I leave a detailed message of what’s going on. Receive an email from the supervisor asking for the paperwork…again, no explanation of why or what’s going on. I comply to the request, two weeks later my arrears rent is paid with 3 additional months, a week before the rent memorandum ends. I ask if I need more help, and told that I just need to reapply.
From June 14th to November 16th, I counted the amount of resumes/applications I sent out (I use indeed, and save each email confirming the job applied for), total was around 75…of those resumes, I got 5 interviews. One of which lead to another job at the same dealership, that I got hired for…in the Shipping and Receiving dept. I was told at that time, I was being added to the staff, since the one with the most experience (1.5 years) was leaving for a FMLA soon due to an injury while on the job. I was going to be the third person in that dept at that time. I started on Tuesday 16th, by Friday, the most experienced guy was fired due to making comments that he should throw himself down the stairs to start his FMLA earlier then scheduled, since he was tired of the attitude of a certain service advisor that reported him being rude to them, when they had been rude first. Four days into my new job, and now there was only 2 of us. Oh, and the 2nd guy had been there a month, and the parts manager had been hired 6 weeks before me.
The week of Thanksgiving, I was actually sick (cold/flu, not covid). So, I called in each day to let the Parts Manager know. When we spoke on that Friday, he wanted me to come in some time on Monday to take a covid test, since my normal week start was Tuesday. Which is fine with me. But, he calls me at 9 AM on the Monday, asking me to come in and take the test asap…since the other guy hasn’t showed up for the last 3 days, without calling in, and he needs me. Now! At this point I’m the only one in the Shipping and Receiving dept, and I barely had 4 days of training. Even though I was supposed to get more training…that never happened. I did get a lot of attitude from that same service advisor…and I do mean A LOT…for not doing the job right (ya figure?).
For the rest of my time working there, it was now 6 days a week, for mostly 9 or more hours a day (sometimes without a lunch). The attitude problem was getting worse, since there was still a missing parts problem. What I mean by that is, my main job was to receive the parts deliveries with a handheld scanner, check against an invoice, and it would print a sticker of where it was to go (repair orders, internet orders, stock, etc), the problem would be when this service advisor would go looking for the part(s) the system says was now in stock…the parts couldn’t be found. So the blame would be put on me for putting it on the wrong shelf. Oh, and only me…even though they hired another guy first week of December (that “I” was supposed to train).
My biggest problem was when you got 4 people (new guy, service advisor, parts manager, and me), each spending 2 hours looking for this missing part…and it’s literally nowhere to be found…you have a bigger problem then it was put in the wrong place. But, nnnnnoooo, they didn’t want to discuss those possibilities. This was the real reason I was hired, or so I was told on December 31…my last day employed, was to fix a problem I didn’t even know I was supposed to fix. Did I mention that when I got the dealership job, I had one week of unemployment left.
Friday, March 25th, I have an interview at a dental lab for digital file processor. While speaking, I mentioned my CAD degree, and am told that their CAM dept was looking for someone. So, the next Monday, I have a second interview with this dental lab, and am told that the job is to clean burrs off new teeth implants. That’s not a CAM job, but a job “with” the CAM dept, talk about bait and switch. But, I say that I’ll give it a try. The next day, I get an email, offering me the job, with the completion of background check, drug test, and final paperwork.
Thursday, March 31, get an email from my contact about how things are going. Reply that I completed the background questions, gave permission to do it, and completed the drug test. Received a reply of “Great. Have a great weekend.” Which I took to mean, talk to you next week when the results was in. Monday, received nothing. Tuesday, again received nothing. On Wednesday, I had a podiatrist appointment at 1600, which I go to. At 1630, while setting up my next appointment…my phone rings, which I send to VM, since I don’t recognize the number…and it rings again from the same number. So, I answer it. It’s the person at the dental lab that will be my supervisor, asking if I still want the job or not. Say what? I ask what they’re talking about. She goes on to say, she was told I would be there at 1600 to complete the final paperwork. To which I answer, why would I set such an appointment, when I had a podiatrist appointment at the same time? I continue with telling them of my last email conversation with my contact. The answer I get is “oh, I’ll have to speak with them, and we’ll get back to you.” To this day, with multiple calls and emails..I have yet to hear back from them again.
Now it’s a new year, not enough time at last job for a new unemployment claim. Had some money in the bank, tax return…which lasted a couple of months. I check indeed at least twice a day, apply for every job I qualify for (and some I pretty sure I can do). Another 80+ resumes sent out, and I’ve had again about 5 interviews, that have gone nowhere. I have less than $50 in my checking. Have applied for the rent assistance program again, since for May I’m tapped out (been 3 weeks and have heard nothing). My family is unable to help me now, hence why I need financial help.