Badly need opinions on how to deal with this issue - please help.

dontpanic

Firstly, I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section - I tried to pick the one most related to my problem.

I'll TRY to keep this succinct. 3 years ago a good friends mother offered me a job as an admin. It is a small company with a high level of staff turnover. I worked there for 6months...I was young stupid and taken advantage of hugely - money and work wise. I quit after 6 months!

Later that year, another staff member left and they asked me to return - which I did under new agreements (particularly, a better wage). This time they were overall quite nice. I emigrated to NY for a few months and when they made my final payment, they omitted €100 owed to me. I did not want any hassle so I left it alone.

When I got back from NY, they asked me to be a temp for them again as yet another staff member was leaving. Before I left the country, the manager gave me a blank cheque in work, told me to add up my hours and go off and cash it. I didn't have time to do this before leaving, so, I emailed the accountant with a breakdown of hours worked and what I was owed.

She put €300 in my account and said she had to confirm the rest of my hours with the manager. I finally got an email back yesterday stating that all wages have been paid to me and I am not owed any more.

Here is my problem. First, I am not in the country. Second, this manager is incredibly stubborn and is a bully!! Not to mention the company might be going bankrupt so there is little to no hope of me getting what I'm owed.

UNLESS, I fill out the remainder of what I am owed (which is about €400) on the blank cheque, go and cash that and then simply write an email back saying that yes, I was indeed paid everything I was owed (I might even say I forgot that I sent the blank cheque to the bank and make it out to be my fault) and hence just completely bypass the part where I have to get into an fight that I won't win.

Problem? This is quite a sneaky way of doing things, but I feel I haven't got much of a choice. also, I might lose my reference which is important!

You might ask why I chose to return twice after the way I was treated, to which my answer is both times I was emigrating and it was easy money so it made sense!

I appreciate all honesty, but please try not to be offensive in your responses as this situation has greatly disappointed me...especially as I was counting on that money for a deposit on an apartment and emergencies!! Now I will probably need to borrow money from someone and pay them back once I get a job - embarrassing!

Anyway, all opinions appreciated. What should I do?

MagicSean

Doubt they'll let you withdraw €400 from their account without following it up no matter what way you want to justify it to yourself.