Obligatory “this is my first post” & “I'm using mobile” disclaimer.
So I just turned 18 &, due to mental & physical health issues, I'm a high school dropout. I've been wanting to earn some money so I can save up & move out, but we all know how miserable it is being capitalism's bitch. When some lady on the next street over posted that she was looking for someone to stop by & let her dog out every week for the forseeable future, I was pretty stoked at the idea of some reliable, if pitiful, income. It's a start.
Holy shit. I think I need a union.
It wasn't too bad at first. The deal was that I'd go over every Wednesday at 4 to let the dog into an enclosed space in the yard, watch to make sure she did her business, & then give the dog a treat. 5 minutes of work, as the dog is a 15 year old dachshund & doesn't need walking anymore. I've never had a job like this & I agreed to the lady's offer of $5. It sounded like an easy enough job.
Folks, I scrubbed dachshund diarrhea off the kitchen floor for over 45 minutes. I considered turning around & walking right out when I saw the mess. I really did. But it wouldn't have been fair on the dog, & I'm a big softie for animals.
I let the owner know what happened & all she did was tell me where the cleaning supplies were & thank me in advance for cleaning up. Keep in mind that the original agreement didn't even involve cleaning up the mess in the yard as it was a fenced in portion exclusuvely for the dog to use as the bathroom! But hey, old dog, accidents happen. Nope. She knew the dog was having digestive issues & hadn't warned me.
She texted me the day before my next visit & asked me to stop by TWICE because the dog was still having issues. I had to be the one to bring up money & make her confirm that I would be compensated for the previous visit & paid double for today's work.
When I arrived, there was $15. $10 to clean up the most godawful diarrhea that had me dry heaving for hours, which she's no doubt smelled as well since this dog's been fucked up for over a week. & then another $10 to play Russian roulette twice in one day to make sure the dog doesn't shart her spleen out again.
I fucking hate being taken advantage of because I'm only 18 & look even younger. This woman is clearly well-off from the looks of her home, she's just too fucking stingy to properly compensate the guy scrubbing shit off her floor. If she was upfront about the dog's problems & paid me fairly I'd be fine with it, it's not like the dog is doing it on purpose, but it's like she's just seeing what she can get away with making me do for as little pay as possible just because I'm a dumb teenager.
Sorry for the long rant, I'm just so goddamn frustrated that no matter where you turn for work, you're pretty much guaranteed to be fucked over.