Action 9

Amazon subcontractor's paychecks bounced

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Workers are furious with an Amazon subcontractor.

The company, Hot Routes, hired local trucking companies to haul items from Amazon's warehouse in Concord to the post office.

Hot Routes paid them through Christmas and New Year's, but then, paychecks started bouncing.

Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke spoke with three of the trucking companies' owners, Barry Chamblee, Dawan Feely and Marcus Hooper.

Between the three of them, they were out roughly $30,000.

"It's a bad feeling. Still feels bad," Feely said.

"It's just a sticky situation. I wish I never would have been a part of it," Hooper said.

"It's rough. I mean, you can't pay your bills. You know, bill collectors don't want to hear that," Chamblee said.

They complained to every company in the chain from Amazon on down, and said they got the runaround.

Hot Routes is based in Texas and that state’s attorney general doesn't have any complaints against it.

The company doesn't have an office in the Charlotte area.

Stoogenke called the company multiple times, but didn't get any response, so he emailed Amazon.

And within six hours, Amazon responded. The company promised "drivers will be fully paid."

One week later, one of the companies in the chain did give the men their money.

"I've never had this happen to me," Hooper said. "Never. A paycheck that I worked for. Never."

All three owners and Amazon officials said they won't work with Hot Routes anymore.

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