having someone crash into my car on the way to work
and to call to tell the boss, to have the response "but I'm about to take the kids to Thorpe Park..." in some odd thought that was going to magically uncrash the car and get me to work on time.

Similar... train being delayed (I leave two trains, one normal one and one emergency one, just in case, in those rare instances both are fucked) and being told to "shout at the train people, they should understand it's *really* important you should get the train on time"

Being told off for using excel to work out the sales and all the commission (including efficiency ratings for each member of staff and per hour) for the end of the day - this was "bad", "you don't need to use a computer"... so instead of spending 5mins at a computer, I had to spend 45mins a day labouriously rewriting every order and highlighting them (although this was seen as new fangled too).

Being told off for not insisting on using first names with elderly customers who would ask to be called "Mrs Name".

Not paying me any extra for the 30mins I needed to stay behind every day to finish anything saying "you can mop the floor with the customers on it towards the end" and then putting in 45min customer bookings 10min before closing. Not paying me the extra 15mins I had to turn up to turn the hot water on... telling me "well, you just have to sit down for 15mins, don't you?" but then telling me off if I had my headphones on and didn't take customer calls during this "unpaid break time".

If I wasn't frantically eating fast during a break, then I "didn't need it".

Being told to shout at people and deduct random money from their wages because she just happened to be stressed that morning.

Urm... I'll add more as I remember, heh.

ooo more!

After handing my notice in, being told not to work it and not being paid any time in lieu. Within 48 hours of handing my notice in, calling my boyfriend and calling me a "compulsive liar", "mentally unstable", and that I "should be sectioned for my own safety". Then threatening to call the police if I didn't return the keys (again, within 48 hours, over a weekend, and I'm 100 miles away having moved house).

Asking for my p45, and them refusing to give me a response in writing, text message or voicemail, they *had* to speak to me in person about my p45 (I offered an address etc). They eventually called my mother and insisted that I requested cash in hand. I said I was going to ask the tax office about all this, and they then put a lot of pressure on my mother to the extent where she was pleading for me not to go to the inland revenue.

and the infamous voicemail when I called in sick 2 hours before my shift
"What the fuck do you think you're fucking playing at arthmelow, if you dont want to fucking work for us just fucking tell us yeah, don't fucking run rings round us, all right, I fucking told you yesterday yeah. if you don't want to fucking come to work give me a bit more notice you dumb bitch."

And what do all agencies do when they recruit you? call your last 2 employers... they don't seem to take references separately. I'm fucked.
(mmmm curry doesn't really understand this sig lark, Fri 25 Jan 2008, 20:44, 2 replies)

Seems like you have plenty of grounds
for legal action. Especially not being paid for your notice period.

Plus it's illegal to badmouth you in a reference.
( chenobble rocking his explorer beard on, Mon 28 Jan 2008, 12:48, closed)

they've put a lot of pressure on my parents
to make sure I don't. I've avoided them visiting where I live etc because well, I moved across the country (go me!), so they put pressure on the places I know I can't move... crying to my mother on the phone most likely, or making up more crap for them.

Plus with no p45, I can't prove employment and thus it would just get thrown out of a small claims court.

As regards the reference.
1. they are allowed to refuse a reference. This looks just as bad, in fact even worse.
2. they make one anyway that's bad, that's illegal as you say, and then... well that looks unprofessional which reflects bad on me overall.
(mmmm curry doesn't really understand this sig lark, Mon 28 Jan 2008, 15:32, closed)