To my father's company,
First I feel like I should explain why I am writing this and why I am sharing it. I mentioned briefly in a previous article that my father passed away and we had a hard time with the trucking company he worked for, and because of money we were given in any writing we cannot say the executive vice president's name nor the company's. But I want to share this because someone else may have had the same experience. More importantly, I want to write about it because I’m still angry. I still hold a grudge and I don’t think it is fair that the vice president does not have to hear me out.
On September 6th 2016 my father passed away unexpectedly from illness. He worked as an over the road truck driver. When he first called for the ambulance he was on the road. Originally human resources said they could not help with anything because his passing was not work related. The company had no empathy. They did not think to send a card, a flower, nothing. It took me personally calling the executive vice president myself and explain the situation. From there he helped to take care of the expenses of getting my dad to Mississippi where we were holding the service. However, this took a few days and a game of phone tag. Every person we talked to had a different answer for us. I honestly feel that if this company knew how to communicate within itself it would run much smoother and this may have never happen.
In regard of the truck itself: It sat unsecured in the parking lot for a few days. Once we talked to the vice president he said that the trucks in general are very unsecured and can be easily opened. My dad’s manager told us that they would be putting someone trustworthy into the truck and get it to their main yard in Tennessee as soon as possible. We found out that they actually planned to work the truck into the yard instead of just sending it straight in. Needless to say we weren’t happy. The idea of someone else in my dad’s truck with his things for that long of a time was unsettling. Eventually with a bit of arguing my mother convinced them to get the truck into the yard without using it to make any money. This is a million-dollar corporation and they were worried about making money only.
When my mother and I came down from Michigan to collect his things we found a good majority of the important things were gone. His clothes, picture, bedding, drawings, anything with real sentimental value was gone. When we confronted the executive vice president we found out a trainee was put into my father’s truck after being told someone experienced and trusted would drive it. The vice president tried to get us to believe all these things where stolen while the truck was sitting in the parking lot. Even if this was true they would still have responsibility due to them neglecting to secure the truck after we informed the day after he passed. His other excuse was that my father stuff simply was not in there. I have been in his truck: he kept that stuff in there. He lived out of his truck all of his personal belonging where there.
During the argument we found out in the last year this has happened 15 times before. Also during the argument, the vice president refused to talk to me. When I was emotional and demanded answers from him, he said I was disrespectful and a 17-year-old will not talk to him like that. I apologized when I felt I had no reason to he still refused to even look me in the eye, let alone respond to me. He felt he should be given respect because he’s 60 but in my world that is not how it works: you earn respect. During this time the only way we could get him to do anything was to threaten legal action. Even still his response was that he has 3 lawyers on staff. Overall just about everyone was unfriendly and did not know how to communicate. I learned that the executive vice president is the head of human resources, and if this is true than he is not a good fit: the things I have written only scratch the surface.
A few days later, we got a call back from the company informing us that the trainee in my dad’s truck threw a lot of the stuff away, leaving me and my siblings with only electronics from his truck. During this whole ordeal there was only one good man who works for this company. I cannot remember if he was a driver, a manager or a mechanic. But he was the only one who showed sympathy and remorse. That man was the only one who wanted to get to bottom of things to help a family not his company. He is the only member of this company that I hope goes far and has a good life. Because even after writing this and getting it out, I am still angry and hurt. I feel I may be forever.
Sincerely,
A teenager who lost her dad and had to deal with your insensitive company
