My question involves labor and employment law for the state of: Michigan
I worked for a company for 5 years in Michigan. MY job required that I serviced customers of said company. We were not provided work phones, nor were we reimbursed for use of our personal phones, yet we had to call and text customers. Because of this, and the fact that I willingly gave my number for customers to call me if they had any issues, over the years many customers had my cell phone number. Customers would often call me instead of the office, and I would take care of their issues and the office would send the customer the bill.
Recently, I was on a vacation like I normally take every August. I decided while on vacation after getting into a disagreement with one of the owners over a customer, that it was time for a change. I sent a very professional and formal resignation letter to the owners and offered to work for 2 weeks if they needed. They said no, wished me luck and accepted my resignation via e-mail. Not a SINGLE customer of theirs knew that I had left. I never contacted any of them once I resigned.
Through the course of this week, I have received numerous texts and phone calls from their customers asking why I was fired. The owners sent out a text telling customers that I was fired for giving out customer my personal cell phone number to complete their service work. That is a bold faced lie. For one I was NOT fired, I resigned and they accepted it. Two, they did not give us a work cell phone, yet had us call and text customers from our personal phone number. Three, the owners knew that customers had my phone number and I took care of the customers and then would let the office bill them, as I was usually able to get the customers taken care of faster than the office.
Do they have any liability with this? I am in the same field of work again, and would most likely see a lot of these customers again once they knew I left. Not that I would or am soliciting them, because I AM NOT. But I have been in this industry for 26 years now, and saying I was fired when I was not, for something that is not even possible does not seem lawful.

