Defrauded of $12k back pay - NEED YOUR HELP!
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TL; DR: My ex-friend/boss owes me $12k in back pay. I have now moved from CA and am in an Airbnb, but I need help for the future while I fight this woman for my money and find work. Want to know more? Read on.
So, yeah. I worked for a friend's startup and got fleeced for 3 months of full-time pay.
She has left me with no money to get accommodations, so there's a decent chance I'm going to leave CA and be homeless because I have to quarantine for two weeks due to COVID. Please help.
I was hired for a Director position in a startup run by an old friend of mine at the end of June. This was pretty much my dream job, since I'm very much into writing, communications, and political stuff. I thought that I'd finally be making a difference in a way that was natural to me and would use my talents to their fullest.
When I was hired on, she accepted my salary request of $50k. It was more than I'd ever made, so I was really excited. Since she was a startup and I was her first and only employee, I told her that I she wouldn't have to pay full salary for the first month, just a little something as a good-faith payment. Then, after that, she'd pay normally. I had savings and investments to get me through a few weeks, so it would be okay. I was sure that if she was hiring me for a full time job that she had her payroll funding all set up.
I also told her that I would be doing this as a full time job, and that I'd stop looking for anything else. I let her know upfront that I expected this to be serious. I never agreed to volunteer, take deferred salary, be a co-founder, or anything else. NEVER.
The next day, after perusing some budgeting files she'd shared with me, I saw that she had allotted $60k for my position, not $50k. I brought that up, and she affirmed that she wanted to pay me this higher rate instead. Wow! Sounded great. I was super happy and got right to work.
At the beginning of August, my money was starting to tighten, so I figured I'd ask where my little payment was, as well as when I'd start getting paid regularly that month. She said she was waiting for a grant to come through and would pay me out of that. Worrisome, but...okay. Still hadn't gotten anything, not even $50.
At that point, my roommates told me that they wanted me to move by late August to early/mid September. I figured that would be fine...I'd have several thousand dollars by then...I could put a deposit on a good place with my offer letter and contract in hand (asked my boss for that, never got it), right? So, fine.
September comes. My roommates want me OUT. Still, the only story I ever get is "the grant is coming, I don't know what to do, I have nothing!" I tell my boss, "Look, your grant person is blowing you off. You need to come up with another plan."
Her plan, a little over a week before I'd need to move? To get an outside group of acquaintances to advertise her business so that she sells subscriptions on our website, and to sell tickets to an event that we're running in late September. Problem with that? She doesn't want to pay the $200 to upgrade the website to take memberships in the first place, and she was rushing development of the event so that we weren't at a place where said event would merit the ticket price.
Did I add that I gave her the website? Because it was my paid, personal website service and hosting. I know. I KNOW.
Her next plan? Get her friend to invest $500 to pay for the website upgrade. That then falls to $400 when I tell her I expect some cash out of that.
She then promises to find me a place to stay in Portland or Chicago. I hear nothing back after that, other than assurances that she's looking.
I finally hit my limit Tuesday night (maybe it was Mars Retrograde that did it, lol). I have practically no cash left. I've cashed out my savings and what little I had in investments to work for her. I gave up my website that I was going to use to host my writing portfolio. I gave her my time. I conquered a lot of fear and self-doubt to even be able to do this job. I closed down all the online properties I'd created for her, took back my website, and sent her my resignation.
I've been sick and worried for the past week. While I do have my plane ticket covered (I have a decent amount of miles to get somewhere), I will not have a place to stay once I leave CA. I have to quarantine for two weeks.
Because of COVID, the one friend I thought I'd be able to stay with told me I can't until there's a vaccine, and also decided that she now doesn't want a roommate. I'd been looking forward to that situation, so that was a blow.
Pretty much, I have to get an Airbnb apartment for two weeks, quarantine, then I'm free to go about my business. I could've done this easily if I hadn't be defrauded, but I now have nothing left until the end of the month, when I get a little more cash...way, way less than the approximately $12,000 in back pay that I'm owed.
An Airbnb apartment is cheaper than a hotel and keeps me away from anyone else - the way you're supposed to quarantine. Even if I was to stay in CA, I still can't find a place to live because I haven't gotten paid!
This woman took advantage of me, what little money I'd saved up from my meager worker's comp settlement, my desperation for a job after getting off disability and having a lot of paying work cancel because of the virus, and my kindness.
I would've gladly donated my time and talents, or taken an honorarium. But, she lied in order to get full time work from me for nothing. I worked late at night, when she felt like it. I put my face out there representing this brand. I'm super embarrassed and uncertain about what comes next. I'm honestly getting in the mindset of how I will handle living on the streets, and what I can do to stay safe while I do it.
I will not insist that my friends/roommates keep me on. They've been good to me for the past year, and they have a right to have their house the way they want it. I have to leave because that's what they want and expect. I will keep my word.
Anyway, an Airbnb costs about $1300 for two weeks, including tax. I tacked on money for food and other expenses to help me get through, like my phone bill. So, just $2000. I don't want to take any more than I need.
Let me say one more time:
I had savings and investments.
I am owed $12k.
I was working.
Anyway, if you can help, thank you.
Love,
JP
So, yeah. I worked for a friend's startup and got fleeced for 3 months of full-time pay.
She has left me with no money to get accommodations, so there's a decent chance I'm going to leave CA and be homeless because I have to quarantine for two weeks due to COVID. Please help.
I was hired for a Director position in a startup run by an old friend of mine at the end of June. This was pretty much my dream job, since I'm very much into writing, communications, and political stuff. I thought that I'd finally be making a difference in a way that was natural to me and would use my talents to their fullest.
When I was hired on, she accepted my salary request of $50k. It was more than I'd ever made, so I was really excited. Since she was a startup and I was her first and only employee, I told her that I she wouldn't have to pay full salary for the first month, just a little something as a good-faith payment. Then, after that, she'd pay normally. I had savings and investments to get me through a few weeks, so it would be okay. I was sure that if she was hiring me for a full time job that she had her payroll funding all set up.
I also told her that I would be doing this as a full time job, and that I'd stop looking for anything else. I let her know upfront that I expected this to be serious. I never agreed to volunteer, take deferred salary, be a co-founder, or anything else. NEVER.
The next day, after perusing some budgeting files she'd shared with me, I saw that she had allotted $60k for my position, not $50k. I brought that up, and she affirmed that she wanted to pay me this higher rate instead. Wow! Sounded great. I was super happy and got right to work.
At the beginning of August, my money was starting to tighten, so I figured I'd ask where my little payment was, as well as when I'd start getting paid regularly that month. She said she was waiting for a grant to come through and would pay me out of that. Worrisome, but...okay. Still hadn't gotten anything, not even $50.
At that point, my roommates told me that they wanted me to move by late August to early/mid September. I figured that would be fine...I'd have several thousand dollars by then...I could put a deposit on a good place with my offer letter and contract in hand (asked my boss for that, never got it), right? So, fine.
September comes. My roommates want me OUT. Still, the only story I ever get is "the grant is coming, I don't know what to do, I have nothing!" I tell my boss, "Look, your grant person is blowing you off. You need to come up with another plan."
Her plan, a little over a week before I'd need to move? To get an outside group of acquaintances to advertise her business so that she sells subscriptions on our website, and to sell tickets to an event that we're running in late September. Problem with that? She doesn't want to pay the $200 to upgrade the website to take memberships in the first place, and she was rushing development of the event so that we weren't at a place where said event would merit the ticket price.
Did I add that I gave her the website? Because it was my paid, personal website service and hosting. I know. I KNOW.
Her next plan? Get her friend to invest $500 to pay for the website upgrade. That then falls to $400 when I tell her I expect some cash out of that.
She then promises to find me a place to stay in Portland or Chicago. I hear nothing back after that, other than assurances that she's looking.
I finally hit my limit Tuesday night (maybe it was Mars Retrograde that did it, lol). I have practically no cash left. I've cashed out my savings and what little I had in investments to work for her. I gave up my website that I was going to use to host my writing portfolio. I gave her my time. I conquered a lot of fear and self-doubt to even be able to do this job. I closed down all the online properties I'd created for her, took back my website, and sent her my resignation.
I've been sick and worried for the past week. While I do have my plane ticket covered (I have a decent amount of miles to get somewhere), I will not have a place to stay once I leave CA. I have to quarantine for two weeks.
Because of COVID, the one friend I thought I'd be able to stay with told me I can't until there's a vaccine, and also decided that she now doesn't want a roommate. I'd been looking forward to that situation, so that was a blow.
Pretty much, I have to get an Airbnb apartment for two weeks, quarantine, then I'm free to go about my business. I could've done this easily if I hadn't be defrauded, but I now have nothing left until the end of the month, when I get a little more cash...way, way less than the approximately $12,000 in back pay that I'm owed.
An Airbnb apartment is cheaper than a hotel and keeps me away from anyone else - the way you're supposed to quarantine. Even if I was to stay in CA, I still can't find a place to live because I haven't gotten paid!
This woman took advantage of me, what little money I'd saved up from my meager worker's comp settlement, my desperation for a job after getting off disability and having a lot of paying work cancel because of the virus, and my kindness.
I would've gladly donated my time and talents, or taken an honorarium. But, she lied in order to get full time work from me for nothing. I worked late at night, when she felt like it. I put my face out there representing this brand. I'm super embarrassed and uncertain about what comes next. I'm honestly getting in the mindset of how I will handle living on the streets, and what I can do to stay safe while I do it.
I will not insist that my friends/roommates keep me on. They've been good to me for the past year, and they have a right to have their house the way they want it. I have to leave because that's what they want and expect. I will keep my word.
Anyway, an Airbnb costs about $1300 for two weeks, including tax. I tacked on money for food and other expenses to help me get through, like my phone bill. So, just $2000. I don't want to take any more than I need.
Let me say one more time:
I had savings and investments.
I am owed $12k.
I was working.
Anyway, if you can help, thank you.
Love,
JP
Organizer
Gini Lynn Ponder
Organizer
Chula Vista, CA