Advice re ex employer who won't pay wages

maddebz

Hello Moneysavingexperts,
This is my first ever post on here, so I hope you can bear with me.

I am having problems with my previous employer. I left the company in December, and have been contacting him regarded the near £1000 that I was owed in wages. I followed the correct procedure to hand in notice, offering 1 week etc.

Basically he has been as awkward as possible, delaying his replies, sending cheques for not enough money and being rude and sarcastic.

We have worked out to the penny how much I am owed and my ex boss have agreed this amount in writing. However, he knows once he pays this amount the 'game' he is playing will be over. All I want to do is move on, he, seems to have nothing better to do than play games.
So, I received a letter from him, and thought this mess would finally be over and I could enjoy my new job. But the letter and the cheque is addressed to the wrong name (clearly on purpose). My name has 5 letters, this name on this chq has 6 letters and is nothing like my name apart from beginning with the same letter.

I am sick of writing letters to him, and getting nowhere. This has been going on for 2 months and I have previously told him that I should not have had to chase my wages at all and they should have been paid automatically on my usual weekly payday.

Can anyone help, what should I do next? Although friends have suggested taking him to tribunal I simply want the wages I am owed.

I hope someone can help, I'm fed up and can't think straight!

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

hcb42

tribunal...is your answer.

maddebz

Really? It sounds like so much hassle and stress

Would I have to pay anything?

hcb42

I dont think so, although not 100% sure as never done it, and submitting the papers might be enough to get him to pay and stop playing games..

agrinnall

Don't delay making a decision on whether to start a tribunal case as you normally only have 3 months to do so. Information on ETs is available on DirectGov, here are a couple of starting points:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/ResolvingWorkplaceDisputes/Employmenttribunals/DG_10028122

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/ResolvingWorkplaceDisputes/Employmenttribunals/DG_176137

doodoot

You have 3 months to make an application to a tribunal.

Send the company a letter - by signed for delivery - requesting your final pay as agreed in the letter that they sent you - enclose a copy of it - and say they have 2 weeks to send it or you will apply to an employment tribunal for an illegal deduction of wages as advised by the CAB - this will make it sound as though you have gotten professional advice and may scare them into paying up.

You can apply to the ET online for free using the links that aggrinall posted.

It is obvious that they are time-wasting until the 3 months limit is up - lots of companies do this.

Keep posting on here with your questions as each stage occurs, there are lots of us who have gone through this.

LadyMissA

maddebz wrote: »

So, I received a letter from him, and thought this mess would finally be over and I could enjoy my new job. But the letter and the cheque is addressed to the wrong name (clearly on purpose). My name has 5 letters, this name on this chq has 6 letters and is nothing like my name apart from beginning with the same letter.

Shame you do not know someone with the name that he has wrongly written it to or you could give it to them to spite him

missmontana

Do it, fill out an ET1 and send it off, ACAS will ring you when your claim has been accepted, they are really very helpful, I have just been thru this and got it all sorted within a matter of weeks.

http://www.justice.gov.uk/global/forms/hmcts/tribunals/employment/index.htm

Freespeach

Try acas they are really helpful!