Man Receives Overdue $915 Payment From Former Employer Entirely in Pennies With 'F*ck You' Note (UPDATE)

A Georgia man received over 90,000 pennies from his former employer after threatening to take legal action over the money. The coins were also covered in oil.

Pennies are displayed at Glenview Coin & Collectibles.
Getty

Image via Getty/Tim Boyle

Pennies are displayed at Glenview Coin & Collectibles.

UPDATED 04/6/21 9:50 p.m. ET: About a week after Andreas Flaten was paid, his pennies have finally been turned into cash. Plus he got a slight bonus.

Coinstar, the company best known for providing kiosks that count change way faster than you can, came across the story and picked up the money at his home. In return they gave him $1,000

Flaten expressed his gratitude, while also making it clear how much grueling manual labor the company saved him from having to do.

“It was a shock and frustrating to be paid in this manner, and it was an extra burden that the pennies were covered with an oily substance,” Flaten said, according to a press release. “I was spending an hour or two a night trying to clean the pennies and probably only cleaned off about $5 worth. I was so relieved and grateful that Coinstar agreed to help me.”

Coinstar plans on cleaning/processing the pennies, then they’ll be returned to circulation. 

“When we heard about Mr. Flaten’s penny problem, we were happy to offer our assistance,” said Coinstar CEO Jim Gaherity. “Coinstar has been in the coin business for 30 years and we process approximately 41 billion coins annually – so picking up 91,000 pennies was all in a day’s work.”

Coinstar also donated a matching $1,000 that was to go to local charities as decided by Flaten. That money will be split amongst a pair of Atlanta-area animal shelters.

See original story below.

A Georgia man was subjected to an enviable level of pettiness when he was given his long-awaited final payment of $915 from a former employee entirely in pennies, along with a note that simply read, “Fuck you,” HuffPost reports

Over 90,000 oil-soaked pennies were dumped in the driveway of Andreas Flaten earlier this month, four months after he quit his job at A OK Walker Autoworks. According to Flaten’s girlfriend Olivia Oxley, Andreas ended up leaving the auto shop five days after handing in his two-week notice because his boss Miles Walker “continued to be the asshole he is and make a normal workday hell.” 

Oxley accuses Walker of being “an all around dick” who would make “unnecessary comments about my boyfriend’s daughter.” When Flaten allegedly tried to receive his final paycheck, Walker refused claiming damages to the shop. After informing him that the Georgia Department of Labor was contacted and threatening to take legal action in an effort to recoup the $915 he was owed, his former employee finally caved, but it came with a clear catch. 

The 91,515 pennies are currently sitting in a wheelbarrow in the garage. The wheels have been deflated due to the weight of the coins, which Flaten estimates to be about 504 pounds. Flaten said his routine these days involves him going into the garage at night to clean off the pennies. 

“I think that’s going to be a lot of work for money I’ve already worked for,” Flaten said. 

While Walker claims he doesn’t recall sending Flaten tens of thousands of pennies, telling CBS46 News, “I don’t really remember. It doesn’t matter; he got paid, that’s all that matters. He’s a fucking weenie for even bringing it up.” 

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