Firstly, I apologize if this rant doesn’t fit in with the subreddit, I’m just angry and this job has been very upsetting so far and this is the last straw. I also posted this in r/WorkAdvice to see if there’s anything I can do.
About 3 weeks ago, I applied for a part time job at a local café. The job description said they paid $18-$22 an hour not including tips, and that we got unlimited free drinks. Naturally, as a poor college student looking for work, I applied thinking this would be a cool side thing.
Fast forward 3 weeks, the job has been kind of a mess. Most of my coworkers are friendly, and so is the manager. However I’ve had several issues so far with their training process, long hours with no break, outdated rules and inconsistency and poor communication between all the employees. I applied for a separate job I’m familiar with, and have an interview soon. I am confident I will get it.
However, it’s over 2 weeks and I haven’t heard anything about pay. I was told I would get paid the 30th, but that was a lie. Then I was told the owner would reach out the 30th, and I would get paid the 2nd. The owner never reached out, and I had to ask another employee about it. They reached out to the owner with my information, but the same employee said I’d get paid the 5th. Very confusing.
The owner reached out to me tonight asking for a photo of my ID and for me to fill out some paperwork (Frankly, I’m surprised they didn’t have me do this before I’ve been working 2 and a half weeks) but that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that they said I would be starting at $16.50 an hour not including tips.
During my interview, I brought up the job descriptions pay and because it was a slower season, the manager and I agreed on the lower end of the starting pay: $18 an hour. I accepted.
I made sure to write a follow up email to the owner and he said he would reach out about the pay, but sent a screenshot of the job I applied for. The listing was updated to $16.50-$22 an hour, and the unlimited free drinks have been taken out of the description.
Now, I know for a fact I would not have applied for my position with that low pay, for I am a college student living off campus in an expensive city. Even with $18 an hour I can barely afford my rent.
At first I thought maybe I was crazy, but I looked up old texts I sent to my parents about this job and I found texts discussing $18-$22 an hour job description for this job, and how nice it would be if I got it.
I tried to find a way to access Indeed job description history, but there doesn’t seem to be a way to. I am incredibly irritated and confused. I don’t really know what to do, but this whole situation is throwing me for a loop. Seriously regret accepting this position, and the fact that there’s likely nothing I can do makes me angrier.
TLDR; The listed pay in the job description changed on me and I’m getting paid less than agreed upon.