So I used to work at this place, but it's been over a year. I was off for 6 months, they were going to hire me back on, turns out there wasn't work after all, and they changed their minds after I did all my paperwork etc. They led me on for weeks, I denied other jobs that were no longer available (this job paid more and I liked it a lot). They felt bad and ended up giving me a severance. I received that money early March.
In April, they sent me a Chromebook for work… That I'm not doing… By the time I get ahold of someone to send it back, they send me another computer. I let them know, and shove that one in the same box as the first one. Send them all back. Haven't heard from them since.
Yesterday, I got a deposit for almost the same as my severance. I tried to get ahold of my recruiter, but he didn't answer. I reached out to another contact in the company, and they told me it was probably payment for the training I did. Isn't that what the severance was for?
I haven't responded yet, but I want to cover my ass if they try to take it back or have some sort of paper trail. Would it be wise to respond with “I am taking your response as confirmation that I can keep this money” ? While this amount is a drop in the bucket for them, it would be substantial for me and if I were to spend it and then have to pay it back, I don't know if I would be able to recover.