Amazon Warehouse Worker Shocked by Jeff Bezos' Reaction After Emailing Him About Her Salary

The employee sent an emotional message to the billionaire, stating the issue left her 'behind on bills' and 'in tears'

When an Amazon worker bypassed HR and emailed Jeff Bezos directly about a salary issue, she had no idea what her urgent request would set in motion.

61-year-old Bezos is among the wealthiest individuals globally, having transformed Amazon from a garage startup into the 5th most valuable company in the world, according to Companies Market Cap.

A year before stepping down for current CEO Andy Jassy in July 2021, the father of four received an email from Tara Jones, an Amazon warehouse worker in Oklahoma.

The story reveals that Jones was on medical leave and expected to receive a $540 paycheck. However, upon receiving it, she noticed a significant portion was missing.

Jones informed Amazon officials she was short $90 from her pay.

When it occurred again, she decided to take action herself and sent a personal email to then-CEO Bezos.

In the message, as reported by the New York Times, Jones expressed: “I’m behind on bills, all because the pay team messed up. I’m crying as I write this email.”

Soon, the employee discovered she was not the only staff member missing money.

Her email initiated a company-wide investigation, which found 179 other warehouse employees had been underpaid for approximately 18 months, according to the outlet.

One affected worker mentioned they had their car repossessed, while others claimed they were fired after the software marked their medical leave as absences.

Meanwhile, it was reported that doctors' notes were mysteriously 'disappearing' in the system.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel informed The Independent: “We’re disappointed whenever any of our employees encounters a problem with their leave.

“The New York Times article implied that these problems are widespread and persistent. This is not the case.

Some Amazon employees reported being removed from their positions and having their vehicles repossessed due to the issue

“We reviewed the relevant period to ensure employees received their pay, and to our knowledge, there are no unresolved issues.

“The measures we’ve put in place over the past 18 months have led to fewer than one percent of people encountering issues while on paid leave.

“Certainly, the unprecedented nature of COVID strained our system’s capacity to meet demand, and we’ve been diligently working on improvements every day.”

Interestingly, Jones isn’t the only person to directly contact Bezos and receive prompt responses.

According to a Reddit thread LegalAdviceUK, an Amazon customer expressed frustration after purchasing a 'high value item' for £1,099.97 ($1,480).

It was discovered that the high-value item, secured by a one-time password, was marked as delivered despite the customer not receiving it.

Instead of dealing with delays, they contacted Bezos, and soon received a response from an executive customer relations officer, who offered a full refund and a gift card.

Sometimes, reaching out to the top really does pay off, doesn’t it?