Hi there!
So to start with, this story is about a friend of mine in Canada (BC) , and is 0% my own experience, but what he told me.
So this good, hard working boy took some courses and paid for some student housing, which he still owes money on, but was paying it. Then he moved to BC to be around friends and have more job opportunities, and he finds a job relatively quickly.
But guess what!
Even though he worked hard and did his job, about 3-5 days before the end of probation, suddenly he was let go with his “absences” being quotes as the reason why. In the ostensible 90 day probation window, he took 3 days off, which accounts for 3% and could – from an outsider point of view – have been many things. A cold, injury sustained, whatever. I'm saying, they let him go because after probation, he would have been harder to let go of, they would have paid him more and given him more benefits. Can't have that! It was also an obviously dogshit company that did that (Staples), who could afford not to be crap, but were.
Okay. Shocked and a bit depressed, my friend frantically looks for a new job to have money for rent and the student dorm payments he still has left. He finds a job – I forget where, I wanna say Best Buy? – and all is well!
…until days before the end of Probation because **guess what happened** .
Utterly depressed and worried a LOT now, my friend also has to deal with the student dorm dickheads GIVING HIS DEBT TO A COLLECTION AGENCY TO MANAGE, with various threats, despite having receipts of paying consistently and not flaking on a single payment. He's had some training as a chefcook, worked in all kinds of places from gas stations to supermarkets to staples, looking at diverse job types and he's struggling a bit.
All because some piece of shit in a cheap suit wanted to save a few dollars. Well, two pieces of shit.
I have looked into it briefly and there doesn't seem to be much he can do. As while options exist , he doesn't qualify for those options for one reason or another. I'm talking Ombudsman-level recourse-seeking stuff. It's been a few weeks so I don't remember why my brain marked it as a “Not possible”, but anyway.
Just venting. If anyone has advice, practical or legal (Soft legal), or just kind words, don't be afraid to shove them in here. I'll probably link my friend at some point so he can see. Thank you for your time!