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Was I taken advantage of? Work question? What do I do?

Recently I became unemployed and got a job for an advertising firm. I booked appointments over the phone cold calling. However, I only got one sale and my boss thought it would be a good idea to take away my promised base pay because then I'd be more determined to get a sale. She said she would pay for the days i worked w/the guaranteed base. I had to wait 3 days for the check so I went to meetings and was doing print shops. I realized I was wasting time and most ppl. quit by the 2nd day. So on the one of the days I was working for free, I went to a print shop and the owner explained he lost a lot of accounts because of the economy and was really nice. He gave me props for doing the "hardest job" which is selling. I couldn't convince him enough to buy something he couldn't afford at the time even though he wasted my time of driving there. It was hard because my boss did not want me leaving the meeting without closing the deal and if I couldn't convince him of this wonderful service, I would have to use my own cell phone and get her on the phone with him. Sorry this is so long. Well I was quitting anyway right so he told me he wanted to give me memo pads. (5 wrapped up in plastic with his business card on it) It was a way that he got business by having college students/retirees drop them off at businesses around towns. For example, if they need business cards, menus, promotion flyers they remember to call him because of all the memo pads with his name on it. Well I agreed and he put 2 boxes in my car. He explained that he would give me $25 a box. As I was leaving he said, "Yeah if you want to say 8 boxes, I can give you $100." I ignored it and acted like I didn't hear it. So I left the scam job of selling advertising and yesterday I went to 5 different towns and walked up and down the block handing them all out to local businesses. I called him and let him know that I was ready to be paid and he said he would have my money and a couple more boxes. Now I'm 23, I went to college. I suppose I am doing crazier things then I would normally do because of this economy. I went to get paid and he wasn't there. His wife was. She was like, "oh theres 2 boxes outside for you" (there really heavy-no help nothing. I mean it would of been nice. There is 50 per box) Anyway, I was nice and polite and thanked her when I got the envelope with my $50. I opened it up and there was only $25. Obviously this was not a mess up. He changed the price on me! So I told my mom about it and she told me to call him and tell him, that I got paid wrong and where is my money? She said if he pulls something like, Oh you misunderstood. Then tell him to come here and pick the boxes up. I mean he was a "nice guy" but I feel taken advantage of. I did it for 3 hours and used $10 of gas going from town to town. Thats like $5 an hour. I made more money in h.s. cleaning tables. No lie. So what should I do? Do you think this is wrong? I guess I should not have bothered to get involved. ****Oh and the best part is the wife told me that they had several calls from all these local businesses. So me being cute dressed up and smiling as I walked in to all these potential business clients for him worked! How rude? Don't ya think? Oh and he is 25 miles from my house so I am getting his name out where no one has even heard of him in my area.

Public Comments

1. yeah, you where taken advantage of, by both of your employers. That is incredible, but I would take those two boxes of his and keep them and not return them, or dish them out to anyone. Just think, you have two huge boxes of memo pads and your 25 bucks. That is all you are really going to get out of that job. Next time, get the agreed upon payment down in witting and have it signed, that way you have something to take back to him with a written agreement stating the amount of work per pay. And you can also go back to your former employer and demand compensation for your work. You never work for free. I would turn both individuals into the Department of Human labor for refusal to give a fair wage, as well as the better business Beru. And the next time your empoloyer says that they are taking away your base pay, that is the time to walk out and quit the job. No work goes for free, dear.