I gotta vent. (Long post)

[Brittany_Lynn]

ARRRGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! :hair:
In June I started a babysitting job for a young couple, who have a 2 year old and a 5 year old (both boys). The boys were wonderful, and the job was awesome. I was working Tues-Friday, 25+ hours a week, $150 per week no matter the hours. After 2 weeks, the mother pulled me aside and told me that they were having financial problems, and couldn't afford to pay me the $150, so the father was going to take the 5 year old to his business every day, and I would just watch the 2 year old, for $75. I was under the impression this was going to be a one time, one week thing, but the same thing happened the next week.
So the last week in June, on Friday, I left before the father came home (he was in charge of paying me) because I wanted to go home, it had been a long day. July was going to work like this:: The first week in July, I was going to watch the children for one day while the mother had a spa day. Then,when they went on Vacation from July 1st through the 15th, I wouldn't be working until the 15th. I thought we would arrange for me to get paid from the week before on whichever day was the spa day. (interesting that they couldn't afford $150 per week but they went on a 2 week vacation to Canada, and the mother had a spa day, right?)
She changes her mind and decides she will have her mother in law watch the children, because although she has to pay her mother in law (!!!) she doesn't have to pay her *as much* as me.
I realize at this point that I am doing too much work for too little money, and I cannot live off of $75 per week. I told the woman, "I know you and your boyfriend can't afford to pay my bills, obviously that's not fair to you, but I do have bills and I need something that pays more. I'm looking into Temp work, and I have a Temp Job that lasts until the 19th of July, so when you get back from Vacation you'll just need someone to cover those 4 days, at the moment." She was fine with that. Then on the 10th ish of July I sent her a message, even though she was on vacation, saying that I had gotten another temp job that started after the 19th and I wouldn't be able to watch her boys at all until further notice. I remember saying "I will try to get a C shift job so that i can keep watching the boys because they really are a treat to hang out with, but with the economy like it is, I don't know how that will work out."
I didn't get a C shift job, I got a daycare job that I started August 19th or 20th--I don't get paid until September 3rd, though.
So at this point I still hadn't been paid my $75 from the last week in June that I watched their kids. I had to borrow money from my mom to make August Rent, and I've gone on food stamps so I can eat.
On August 10th I sent a polite facebook note (after not recieving replies via text message) asking for my $75 and stating "I can come over or you can put it in the mail, my address is..." She said she would put it in the mail either that Saturday or Monday, at the latest. Friday rolls around, no check.
So on Friday I called the husband and left a message asking for the money.
No reply.
Monday, the 23rd by now, I call him and he says that he gave her the money (they are no longer living together, apparently) and she was supposed to mail it, he was gonna go call her and find out where the money was, and I should call him back in an hour. I did, no answer. I left a message; no return call.
Tuesday night, after waiting all day for a call, I sent this message to the mother of the boys via Facebook::

NAME, I tried calling you this weekend but your phone is shut off. I really need the money from that last week in June when I watched [The youngest boy]. I have 12 dollars in my checking account to last me until September 3rd, and I need to put gas in my car to get me to my job in Wayne County if I'm gonna get that check on the 3rd to begin with. I can be at your house at 6 pm Wednesday, or whatever time after that which is good for you, but I need the $75 this Wednesday the 25th. I can't wait for it to be mailed to me.

Today I received this reply::

BOYFRIEND said he talked to u. But no one will be here. He said that he can have it to you friday. I thought he sent it to you already or else I would have. Sorry for any inconvience.
Ps-(on a side note) Im still sort of upset that you said that u would be able to watch the kids for me again after you did that temp job. Just kinda sucks that we had to scramble quick to find a sitter.

!!!!! :hair: :banghead:
The PS is what gets me the most!! I GAVE PLENTY OF NOTICE!!! AAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!
I did not watch her kids for free, and whatever problems she is having doesn't justify keeping money from me! I know that the 'side note' is just her trying to justify the fact that I haven't been paid yet, adn that I've been lied to and run around the mill, but it is still SO upsetting, and SO tempting to write back and give her a piece of my mind!
But I haven't got my money yet, so I can't do that. I had a long talk with my mom about it, and she took the husbands number and called him from her phone (since he doesn't answer my calls) and told him that she was calling behind my back (so he wouldn't think I was bothering him) to make sure that I was going to get my money.
I guess he is going to put a check in the mail box for me to pick up from their house, but he won't have enough money in the bank until Saturday, so he's going to post-date it for Saturday. :eyeroll:

I put $10 in my car for gas money so I can work my current, PAYING job, so all I have left in my bank account is $2.14. My mom said as soon as she sees the check, she'll give me the $75 if I sign the check over to her (my mom is almost as poor as me, otherwise she'd give me as much money as I needed for my expenses), but WHO KNOWS WHEN THAT WILL BE?!

I AM SO ANGRY RIGHT NOW!!!
I could use some 'Brittany you are totally in the right and that woman is way wrong and I can't believe that she said that about you not giving her enough notice' sort of comments. -sigh-

Oh, and don't worry about me being broke affecting my chinchillas--I have 20# of PSRC and all the hay and dust they could want, so they're set...it's me who isn't, lol.

 

[ErinsChins]

That sucks i'm sorry that they treated you like that! You controlled your temper a lot better than I would've! lol I hope you get your money, she sounds like a -insert creative word here-.

Smile

 

[Luci]

*hugs*

im sorry britt.

and im not just saying this cuz you asked...but you definitely did not deserve her PS comment. some people choose to blame others for their situations. you did your job, so now comes the clean break. i hope that things get better from here on out.

 

[greychins]

Alright, here goes - 'Brittany you are totally in the right and that woman is way wrong and I can't believe that she said that about you not giving her enough notice.'

Ok, but really. I do think you are in the right here. As I read the thing about her going on the spa day and the vacation, my first thought was "oh they can afford that but not the babysitter?" Like you said. That part doesn't add up.

And it's one thing for them to not pay you like if you just didn't happen to see them or some miscommunication problem. But you're waiting on money from the last week of June - and it's almost the end of August! I mean, really, $75 isn't that much money. Don't get me wrong, it is, I wouldn't exactly burn $75, but it's not that much money that they had to take 2 months to get it to you. It's not like they owed you a few hundred.

And I don't feel like it's right of them the way they're treating you - you earned the money by watching their kid. Therefore, you shouldn't have to bug them... and bug them... and bug them some more for it. If they were paying an actual daycare to watch the kids, the daycare wouldn't be watching the kids saying "oh we'll watch them for the next several weeks, pay whenever" - they'd be screwed!

This whole situation is messed up. I reiterate that if they're that broke, no need for a spa day or a vacation, the money used to support and raise their kids (including a babysitter) should come first. I mean come on, when I'm broke, the last thing I do is go out and get McDonalds! I cook at home and spend the little I have wisely. And McDonalds is considerably cheaper than having a spa day. They sound like freakin [insert choice word here] crapheads with the runaround for the money. You shouldn't have to deal with that kind of thing. Unfortunately, it seems like there are more and more people out there in the world like this anymore.

One thing I'm confused about... you said "he is going to put a check in the mail box for me to pick up from their house, but he won't have enough money in the bank until Saturday, so he's going to post-date it for Saturday" and then you said "My mom said as soon as she sees the check, she'll give me the $75 if I sign the check over to her"... how is it you're actually getting paid?

I would be soooo mad if I were you.

 

[AZChins]

Darlin...people are jerks. Don't get too mad because then it will just hurt you. I've had so many people lie to me about money and take their sweet time getting it back to me. I know how it seems like $75 isn't much money to some people...but when you don't have it it can seem like all the money in the world!

I have that chick in El Paso who still owes me $137 after 6 years for the chins, cage and everything I took to her...I needed that money so badly back then to pay for chin food and shavings and to keep the lights on!! We always find a way to make it through BUT you would think that people would care enough to pay what they owe and what they agreed to pay.

I understand why you are angry, I'd be angry!! Just don't let it get you too upset. Just be glad that you are not those people because they suck, they suck big time!!

And, that thing about scrambling to get a sitter? What does she care? She gets spa days...that should help with her stress level, shouldn't it? Besides, they're her children, SHE made them and they are her responsibility...you don't have to make sure that they are being cared for, she does.

I HATE PEOPLE.

 

[Brittany_Lynn]

Thank you so much everyone. -sigh-

And it's one thing for them to not pay you like if you just didn't happen to see them or some miscommunication problem. But you're waiting on money from the last week of June - and it's almost the end of August! I mean, really, $75 isn't that much money. Don't get me wrong, it is, I wouldn't exactly burn $75, but it's not that much money that they had to take 2 months to get it to you. It's not like they owed you a few hundred.

I know, right?? UGH

Today I went and got the check. It was waiting in their mailbox for me. It is dated for 8/28/10...so I can't cash it until then. But I need the money today, so I'm going to sign the check over to my mother, and she is going to give me the $75. She will be getting the money back in her account on the 28th.

EDIT::
Oh, I REALLY Hate people, Susan.
I'd have taken that woman to small claims court. My mother told me we would have taken these 2 ppl to small claims court if they hadn't paid me today.

 

[smhufflepuff]

Make sure you don't deposit the check at your bank / your mother does not deposit the check at her bank. Instead, go to the bank where it's issued from (it'll say right on the check) and get it cashed.

I would not trust that those people actually have enough money in their account to cover it... and when it bounces, you/your mom will be the one who's hit with bounced check fees if you take it to your bank.

Yeah, you'll be able to recover the fees plus the original amount in small claims, but it's really a hassle to go that route. And there are usually fees associated with that anyhow, so you never get what you should... unless your state allows you to also sue for the costs of filing the case.

 

[CJR]

Man... that blows. The part that angers me is the whole spa day thing.

Future tip - whenever you do any kind of off-the-cuff work like that, MAKE A CONTRACT AND SIGN IT. Date it and have a witness, because then when this kind of stuff has you have solid and tangible evidence that you can use to threaten and/or bluff them into paying you the money they owe.

 

[3CsMommy]

Seconding "go to their bank". The only way to deal with people like these is cash in hand. Shame that their kids are so sweet; they're going to go through a ton of babysitters because their parents can't get their finances together.

 

[Brittany_Lynn]

I got the check cashed, but when I went to the bank and tried to get it cashed they told me there would be a $3 fee, which I didn't even have at my personal bank account...I started crying and the lady kinda seemed panicked and told me not to cry, she wouldn't charge me. Made me feel like crap to freak her out, but I was just so stressed, and (like I mentioned on Pash's absence thread) I haven't been on my meds because I had to choose those or food. So I cried in the middle of a bank Ughghhhh

 

[Spoof]

Glad to hear it worked out ok and you got the money!

wouldn't exactly burn $75, but it's not that much money that they had to take 2 months to get it to you.

I am friends with several people that make $50 - $75k per year and not only can't make their bills now, but have, and likely will never be able to make their bills.

They just can't mange their money. I'm not sure where it goes, but they manage to survive somehow.

 

[AZChins]

That's horrible Tara! I never quite understood that. I've learned to live off of so little in the past when things have been really bad and I ALWAYS paid all my bills on time and in full.

I think that a lot of people make good money and get to buying things before they have the cash in hand. They buy the house, the car and all the stuff to make the house and the car look good...by the time they are done they owe lots of money and have to pay it back. I drive an old car that I paid for in full and most of everything I own is used. So, I look like a hippie and nothing matches...it keeps me out of debt, right?