[swoluelvede]

Ok, first please read the story, then I have a couple of questions.

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I work for a paintball site most weekends marshalling, I go on holiday, they send me a text asking me to work this thursday (tomorrow), when I'm originally due to come back on Friday. As a favour to them I agree to come back two days earlier (today).

Now, pop to about a week after they asked me (yesterday morning) and due to unforseen circumstances the car has to stay with my girlfriend in france until friday, so in order for me to get back in time to work for them I have to catch a train from near Lyon all the way back, costing me nearly £200.

Now being a student, £200 is ALOT of money for me (can manage 8 weeks food on that!) and it was my last money until my student loan comes in.

But, the way I saw it is I had three options:

1. Call them first thing thursday morning and make up some excuse as to why I can't get in that day (which would leave them hanging as it was a small day with only 4 marshalls including me).

2. Call them Tuesday morning, make up some silly excuse as to why I can't make it back in time so at least they have 2 days to try and find someone else and just leave it at that.

3. Be honest with them, explain exactly what the situation is and hopefully they will be able to let me out of my obligation with no hard feelings. But should they still need me to live up to my obligation then I would.


Me being me, I said I would be there, I wanted to live up to my word so I picked option 3.

After explaining it all, she says ok, I'll do all I can to find someone else for thursday.

15 minutes later I receive a text saying 'sorry no luck'... not even a phone call.

Now fair enough, my boss always contacts people via text message... so how could she possibly have texted everyone and have a response off every single one within 15 minutes... ok it IS possible, but highly improbable... she would not have called around.

She could have at least asked her husband to work in my place that day or offered to help with the cost of the return journey. But instead I have no money left and feel like a complete idiot.

I'm really rather frustrated about it, so much so I'm thinking of working the three days left I have said I'll work and ending it.

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So what's your take on this?

Which option would you have chosen?

What would you do now? Stop working there?

[enfoires]

I can't believe you would even consider going back early and pay the money to get yourself back there. If they want you back tell them they need to cover your train fair otherwise you can't make it. Would you even earn enough money working that day to cover the cost of you going back? Don't let them take advantage of you. They will try to guilt you into spending your cash to cover their own ass. Don't do it! If they tell you that you need to come back or kiss your job good bye, pull down your pants and tell them to kiss your ass.

[swoluelvede]

I can't believe you would even consider going back early and pay the money to get yourself back there. If they want you back tell them they need to cover your train fair otherwise you can't make it. Would you even earn enough money working that day to cover the cost of you going back? Don't let them take advantage of you. They will try to guilt you into spending your cash to cover their own ass. Don't do it! If they tell you that you need to come back or kiss your job good bye, pull down your pants and tell them to kiss your ass.

I am already back and £200 out of pocket! The day will pay £50. So £150 down. Would have cost about £60 in shared costs coming back via the car lol [rofl]

I came back because I wanted to be honest with them & now I'm feeling like a complete idiot.

[viagsjicguara]

why not just say you cant becasuse your in france or whatever. i wouldnt spend 20 quid driving to work on a day off, never mind £200.

[Cheaperisdeeper]

why not just say you cant becasuse your in france or whatever. i wouldnt spend 20 quid driving to work on a day off, never mind £200.

Agreed. I wouldn't have come back unless THEY paid for it.

[AncewwewBus]

Well if I was your boss I would have told you to stop being stupid and you don't have to come back. It's not as if it's a life or death situation, and it's not a massive organisation that's counting on your direction.

I would however say that seeing as you offered, and wanted to stick to your word, then you have no room to complain. You shouldn't have offered in the first place if it was an empty gesture.

[shkarpet$]

I'm feeling like a complete idiot.

I'm sure everyone else that said no didn't have as good an excuse as you.

[swoluelvede]

Well if I was your boss I would have told you to stop being stupid and you don't have to come back. It's not as if it's a life or death situation, and it's not a massive organisation that's counting on your direction.

I would however say that seeing as you offered, and wanted to stick to your word, then you have no room to complain. You shouldn't have offered in the first place if it was an empty gesture.

It wasn't an empty gesture, just that circumstances changed (which i won't go into) meaning I could no longer come back the original way and it would cost me an extra £200





... I really wish I hadn't come back now :s

[boizzones]

Without wanting to sound nasty and put down your job you are a fool, you work for a paintball place, are on holiday in France and spend £200 of your own cash getting back early to do them a favour when they are not legally allowed to contact you (on holiday as far as I am aware your employers are not allowed to contact you, something to do with harrassment laws). Sorry but no good whinging about it, I know France is a **** hole but I wouldnt have done that fella! [rofl] What did your missus say about you leaving her for a part time job in another country? I take it she now has to drive back to the UK on her own?

[mXr8icOB]

As soon as you found out it cost £200 to get back you should've called your boss and told her that you can't make it, unless she was willing to pay for you to get back. You were not obligated to come back at all, let alone on your own dime, and any boss that can't understand that rationale is not a boss worth working for.

[bgsavings]

You shouldn't have gone back early. It just didn't make any sense to do so.

Ask to be compensated. If not, work somewhere else. They obviously don't value you as an employee.

[OlgaBorovikovva]

I can understand why you came back.

You sound like someone who doesn't like letting people down.
But the sad fact is that most people just don't appreciate their employees enough and whatever you do will never, ever be good enough.

I would carry on as before, but the next time they are really, really desperate, and absolutely need you to cover for someone, I would not hesitate to drop them in the $hit.

Then they might stop acting like complete b@stards and start appreciating you for what you are, a valuable asset.

[phinno13]

Sounds like you have a fairly entry level job, that can easily be covered.

[nd90t3sf]

I wouldn't have agreed to come back. However, seeing as how you did, I too would have stuck to my word and arrived as promised.

However, with that kind of treatment, I would have been looking for a new job in my free time.

[Gscvbhhv]

That sucks that it'll take you 4 days of working money to cover your expenses to get back to work that one day sooner

[Erunsenef]

You should have not answered the phone and spent the time with the girlfriend, bro stupidity is meant to be painful!

[intorkercet]

Whats done is done. Now take few guns and a case of ammo from the back storage and sell them to kids to make your money back.

[Hedkffiz]

So to sum up, you cut your holiday short, paid £150 out of your own pocket for a (what I call) student job who obviously don't really give a **** about yourself or the hardships it was going to cause you ...?

There's being loyal, then there's being a doormat.

[en-druzhba]

why didnt you ever say the completely normal and usual words "im on holiday but if you really need me you will have to pay the £200 ill need to get home as im skint?"