Few people expect a check from their employer to bounce, but that is exactly what happened to dozens of employees at Cherry Hill-based Telepoint Communications.
The company, which offers call center and other e-commerce services, allegedly issued up to 20 handwritten paychecks that could not be deposited or cashed at any bank.
Enraged employees stormed Telepoint offices on Tuesday, demanding payment for their work. Some shouted while Cherry Hill police attempted to break up the protest.
"I can’t cash this. I need money to get over the bridge," one man could be heard saying on a Facebook video. "I’m stuck. I can’t go nowhere. I need to get home. This was my way home."
“We have kids!” another woman could be heard shouting.
Telepoint president Jeff Merovitz told NBC10 about 300 checks were issued after the company hired 1,000 new employees.
“It was so overwhelming that we needed to make sure that it was done correctly,” he said, adding he was forced to write personal checks because Telepoint was late submitting payroll information for the month.
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“They are good checks these people are not able to cash and I don’t know why.”
But angry employees continued to demand their money.
“A lot of people are depending on this job, we have bills, mortgages car payments,” Tangela McClam from Willingboro, New Jersey, said. "It's more frustrating because we're sitting on the phone for hours."
The payroll company that handles Telepoint told NBC10 the South Jersey company is a longtime customer in good standing. They anticipate paychecks will be honored once employees resubmit them.
