Defender Direct Wrongfull termination Fraud Slander Negligience Egregious Indianapolis Indiana
I was fired from Defender Security during my first 90 days of work for no good reason on 11/10/2008, and now they are holding me accountable for a $900 flight to their facility back in October in an effort to not pay me for over $1400.00 worth of work.
They claim I authorized this flight through their travel agent but I didn't have that authority, or any knowledge of the charge (to their CFO's credit card).
Now, they are trying to take that money out of my wages for the last two months, after keeping my status as Inactive (with full knowledge that I was still performing installations for them) as well as denying me a $250 gas card that was promised at the completion of their training. All of this without EVER even asking me my side of the story.
I asked why they were firing me and they said that it was because of the appearance of my car, and when I protested this reason and provided them an alternaltive they were left only with the reason that it was within the first 90 days of my employment and the had the right to terminate my employment for ANY reason...
Trying to cut my losses I asked them about the gas card and I was told that with the cost of the flight, that I should "just consider it a wrap." (which to me indicated that they were going to pay me the whole sum of over $1400.00 that I had accrued during the last two months I had worked for NO pay). I picked up my tools and tried to leave the office in a dignified manner.
Later that day, as an afterthought... I called the Manager who had let me go (Mike Stephanson) and asked when I could expect to get paid for the work I had already done and he told me that Human Relations was going to get back in touch with me ... but they were going to deduct the $900.00 from my pay... for a charge that their travel agent authorized... but never mentioned.
I know that I can't authorize any charge on someone else's credit card... (if I could, dont you think I would have been sitting in first class with a bottle of Dom Perignon?)
Clearly this is a case where the travel agent has taken advantage of the situation and now, The Management at Defender Direct is conspiring to embezzle me out of my hard earned money by trying to convince me that I am somehow culpable for their relationship with their travel agent. Is everyone taking CRAZY PILLS?
This isnt right. I should be paid for the work I have done. They don't have any grounds to terminate me other than the appearance of my car? What kind of weak crap is that? I wasn't even told about the cost of the flight until after they had trained me for a week in Indiana, and sent me back home.
When my branch manager asked the Trainer (Ray the Beever) for any input, Ray opined that I was expendable because I had worn jeans (false) and he didn't like my yo-yoing during breaks. I was then removed from their database of active employees with no notice. They didnt even have the balls to tell me that they were screwing me on the basis of lies and slanderous dishevelment. Hopefully Im not being bitter when I say that these people are assholes. (Two ex-wives cant be both be wrong huh, Ray?)
So I sit here on the 11th day of November, trying to figure out how Im going to pay rent which is already 6 days late... and the only thing I can think to do is to file a claim in small claims court, which may or may not have a return... in a few months.
So much for upholding your christian values!? These people are charlatains of the worst kind. I am glad to not be employed by them however...after just discovering that they contributed $5000 to the McCain / Palin Election Fund, with my money, apparently.
IMPORTANT: If you have done any business with this company in the last few months... I strongly urge you to contact them and request that they Physically Demonstrate that the General Electric ADT Alarm System that they installed in your residence or place of business has LINE SEIZURE...( allowing your alarm to disconnect any call on the phone line....in order to send an alarm signal to the ADT Monitoring Station). Many, if not most, of the jobs I witnessed being installed did NOT achieve line seizure (so that if you are on the phone when a burgler trips the alarm.... your system will not be able to send the signal to ADT until you get off the phone - and it might be too late)
Stillup
Oakland, California
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Stillup
Oakland,California,
U.S.A.
update
#4Author of original report
Thu, June 03, 2010
Hello, just wanted to put a cap on this lingering blister of a job I had here at Defender....so, after i was wrongfully terminated... I wrote down the facts as I saw them...mainly as a way of keeping the details accurate before they got fuzzy.
Long story short... I was awarded a grip of money by the California Labor Board. They saw things my way mainly because I was the only one who showed up for the conferences. I had to drive from Socal to Oakland 3 times to get to end of the rainbow.
My first trip was awesome... I got there and the paperwork had been returned on the letterhead of the company that was handling the payroll for Defender.... I think that the very culpable Mr. Ray Beaver or Mr. Mike Stephanson got the notice that they were being taken to court to be held accountable for their deplorable business ethics and arranged to have the response written on this other letterhead. It wasn't signed and it offered way too many detailed invalid excuses as to why I was being treated so badly.
However the good people at the California Labor Board honed in on this valiant effort to dodge karma, for what it was... and issued another subpoena - this time listing both companies so that we could get to the bottom of the matter.
The second trip was cool... Always love the Bay Area... Went to court, and no one showed again.... but it turned out that a clerk there must have fell asleep at the wheel because the Subpoena that was supposed to be sent to the payroll company didn't make it out... which explained why they weren't there...
So I called them up.... and they had NO IDEA that this was going on. It turns out that they had decided to stop any business they had with Defender (for obvious reasons). Then I found out that I WAS STILL LISTED AS AN EMPLOYEE at Defender... So, as it turns out...Mr. Beaver and Mr. Stephanson, conspired to rip me off, but then didn't have the follow through to actually remove me from their computer system...I was only listed as Inactive. Oops....Anyway....it's all good....the little guy finally won... I got paid for the work I did plus a whole lot more.
At the risk of sounding like a sore winner... I'd like to take this time to thank Mike and Ray for their lack of scruples and their inability to behave like reasonable adults. I know that you would like me to think that you don't care... but I can see that you do. Do you know where I can see it? IN YOUR FACE!
Thanks Rip Off Report.. I feel fully vindicated.
anonymous
United States of Americaagree 110%
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, January 14, 2010
Personally, I find that everything "sleepy" has described is very accurate of the way Defender treats their employees. They promise you the world, and don't deliver. I worked for Defender for 7 months as a customer service rep. I had one of the highest QA ratings, helped in training, and was constantly told by customers what a good job I was doing. Defender then decided that because I was ill, admittedly not the first time, that my supervisor needed to chew me out and treat me as if I was a child. After a very heated argument, I was then told that I was terminated by the Human Resources Department for insubordination. I had never been written up for this, nor did I act unprofessional. (If I'm dealing with super angry people all day long, don't you think I can handle an agrument and remain professional? I would hope so.) They told me after my 90 days I would receive a raise, not so. Apparently it is not guaranteed. Then why do you tell people this during interviews and training? I was to receive a separte raise and had been waiting 3 months, just to find out I was not going to receive it. At any rate, Defender lies to the customers as well as the employees from the get-go. Everything from the incentive process to your rights as an employee. They say they are not taking part in the recession? BUSINESSES LIKE YOU ARE CAUSEING THE RECESSION! In my time with Defender I witnessed 5 supervisor changes ontop of all the other office changes that take place with any company. Defender is very young and money hungry. Don't get caught in the path!
raging,
Indiana
U.S.A.
Just Tired
Marion,Indiana,
U.S.A.
Sleepy
#4UPDATE Employee
Fri, February 06, 2009
You have to love victims in this world. Some one who doesn't want to take responsibility for his own actions. This gentleman did get charged back money. The company did pay for his flight, hotel and limo pick up, happy to take care of. What was left out on his part was were he sleeps through his layover and misses his flight then decides to use the company credit card and charge a $1500 dollar flight. This company looks for people with high character and a positive attitude. So ask Phillip Stilley the real reason he was charged back.