Finally relised that i am being used by work

Stinky

Stinky

Stinky

Soldato
Joined
28 Mar 2005
Posts
9,250
I have finally realised what i dive i am working in.

Basic background:

I work for a local estate agent, and have done from about april 2006, i started then as a trainee neg working just saturdays. then i moved onto saturdays and wednesdays. untill january 2007 when i started full time.

When i first started it was great appart from the money (7k) . i was getting the sales the boss was loving it, since then obviously the pay is commision based and with the market slowing this started getting tough. but i kept plugging away getting the sales which eventually 2 months into full time landed me a 2k payrise and a swift move onto % commision rather than a flat fee.

Since then i have been earning my commison and its been fine, however as you all know the market at the moment is shocking and the commision / sales are harder to achive, i have now been moved to a new office in a little village, which is even quieter, i was moved here to replace another guy that has left. Now i am required to commute 20miles each way a day (rather than the 2 minute walk from my house before) i have to pay my own petrol to and from work and they pay the milage whilst at work.

Obviously as i am on 9k a year it works out at £750 month before commision and before tax and NI. so take home without commison is roughly £650. i am now doing 400miles roughly a month more than i was before so obvioulsy using a hell of a lot more petrol that i am paying for. :(

Sorry for the long post but please bear with me.

Over chirstmas and at the staff party my collegues from the office i first started in told me something which got my back up. My boss in that office had told on of the other directors that i was (and had apparently agreed to..) not recive any of the commioson on sales that where still in progress in that other office. I have never agreed to such a thing, why would i want to chuck away so much money????

This was overheard by my colleuges and they are discusted by the way i am getting treated and have informed me of every sale of mine which has completed whilst i have been at the new office (still the same company) which is very nice of them so i can keep an eye on my pay.

now after speaking to the other office today. all my collegues are very unhappy about the way we are all being treated.

even to the point where the lady has said if my boss asks me where i heard about not being paid my commision then just say that she told me and informed me of all the sales that i am owed on.

I have the opitunity here to manage to office by the end of the year. but do i want to work for such people?? am i going to find something with the same prospects?? after all i am only 19 and seem to have landed myself a good job from the day i left college.

SOrry for the long post.

rant over, but your thoughts would be appricated.

thanks
 
Working full time for such a low amount of cash is shocking. I'd resign, immediately. Hell, you can earn more stacking shelves :-/
 
thats the problem with working down in little old devon. the wages are really shocking.

im not bored of the job at all. im just being paid **** all and being treated like ****, but i like the possiblities in the job, and the other staff etc

Star out ALL swearies - Zefan.
 
Check your employee rights for a start, as an employer making a new base of work is either surposed to pay for the milage difference or give trvael time allowance eg if it take syou an extra 20 mins to get to work, its 20 mins into your working day not your own time... on eor the other but not both.

As for the comission, if its contractually agreed and signed by you and your boss then nothing you can say wavers this right, you have to sign those rights away.
 
Trojan said:
Working full time for such a low amount of cash is shocking. I'd resign, immediately. Hell, you can earn more stacking shelves :-/
Click to expand...

Yeah that's very low pay considering the commuting they expect you to do.

Have you actually raised your concerns to your manager? You have every right to question them.:)
 
Trojan said:
Working full time for such a low amount of cash is shocking. I'd resign, immediately. Hell, you can earn more stacking shelves :-/
Click to expand...

Agreed. You can earn a lot more stacking shelves at Tescos. I wouldn't get out of bed for 9k a year for full time work.
 
Stinky said:
thats the problem with working down in little old devon. the wages are really shocking.

im not bored of the job at all. im just being paid **** all and being treated like ****, but i like the possiblities in the job, and the other staff etc
Click to expand...

Seriously dude, how do you survive on a wage packet that low? I don't care how much I enjoyed a job, I couldn't do it for £9k. There MUST be other jobs better paid than yours locally, whether it be in a call centre, a supermarket, or even another estate agents.

Edit - Assuming a 40 hour week, that works out at around £4.30 an hour. That's actually below the national minimum wage (£4.60) for your age!
 
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well if my boss keeps my commioson its more that the company gets to keep and not pay out.

i have never singed a contract. i now have to leave for work 45mins earlyer and i get home about 30mins later. for no extra money.

when i was told about the new office i was told i could either go there, or they would have to make me redundent, because of how quiet the other office had got
 
Dude there should be a contract with your job description. Not having one isn't good and i think illeagal?

First thing is to find this out or you will be shafted even more!
 
If I worked full time at the pub I'm currently working at part time I would be on £12k+ and that's in Cornwall, very similar poor wages. How you can be on £9K before tax and NI working at an estate agents and without a contract I have no idea.

Panzer
 
Trojan said:
Edit - Assuming a 40 hour week, that works out at around £4.30 an hour. That's actually below the national minimum wage (£4.60) for your age!
Click to expand...

The money he's quoting is without the commission - he could be getting another 10k+ on top of that for all we know, which would make it a good wage at 19 years old.

That's not to say that trying to stuff him out of some of his commission is a good thing of course.
 
Are there no job centres or agencies close by that you could call in at?

mulpsmebeauty said:
The money he's quoting is without the commission - he could be getting another 10k+ on top of that for all we know, which would make it a good wage at 19 years old.

That's not to say that trying to stuff him out of some of his commission is a good thing of course.
Click to expand...

True, but if they're withholding his commission at the moment it's going to put him below.
 
Given the current economic climate, I would suggest your first priority is to keep an income coming in. Obviously your paying the bills so your getting by. Just. That pay is not right but its better than being unemployed.

You should clear up this owed commission business by talking to your boss. It sounds most likely that the company wants to hold onto as much money as possible. Dishonest, unprofessional, despicable. What ever words you want to use; its happened now. They transferred you to anouther office rather than just making your redundant. So clearly they need you. That puts you in a position of influence. See that issue through and hold on to your job is my advice.

With the downturn in the US economy, I wouldn't hold out for a job there either. Last I heard, the housing market and money lending market was taking a bit of a beating. That means less people selling and buying houses (in part because its harder now for them to get and afford mortgages). I am presuming you were looking into continuing your real estate career over there.
 
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