I was "hired" for two publications, Latino Bride & Groom and My Quince magazines; a conjunction between Fiesta Publications and Hearst Publishing. Our agreement was that I would be hired as an intern and I would train for a month with training weeks paid. The pay was $150 a week plus %15 commission, which was absolutely ridiculous, especially because it would cost me over $60 just to fill up the tank to get to the d**n place and I wasn't allowed to make sales during training! However, because I wasn't fully experienced in the field, I agreed.
The first week was decent, everyone is nice to you the first week or so. The second week was rocky, I was talked to in a very unprofessional manner and I was being overworked as an intern. On the third week, it was just ridiculously bad after being treated so rudely. I was yelled at and I got cheated out of commission for a second time.I became silent and distant enough for them to see that I wasn't content.
The fourth week, on Monday, I was expected to go pick up money for the first commission I got cheated out of. On Tuesday I was supposed to come into the office to pick up my paycheck and materials so I could go out and do my sales because training ended the previous week, according to the editor in chief. The editor (Veronica) had a little meeting with me. She said I wasn't enthusiastic enough to represent her product (which, by the way, had numerous spelling and grammar errors in the already published copies -I could hardly call it quality work) and that she wasn't comfortable paying me a whooping $150 a week! I guess it was just way too much for her budget. I said it was fine and that I wanted to resign. I asked when I would receive my pay and she handed me a $150 check and said she didn't think I "deserved" to be paid for the other worked weeks because I hadn't made any sales.
Keep in mind, she initially stated I could NOT make sales during training which had just ended the previous week. Where was my opportunity to make sales? I came there that day to pick up materials so I could begin selling, not to get lectured.
For that moment I felt like I had been so used. Since when do employers determine your pay based on whether they think you deserve it or not? This employer was such a waste of time and gas. They are liars and cheaters. If you, or anyone you know, is offered a "job/internship" with this company, or is planning to apply, save yourself the time and mark them as spam.
*Further information: It was typically just two other people (the editor-in-chief, Veronica, and director of sales and marketing, Jeff) and I in the office and occasionally a graphic designer (Suzette) and then two high school kids that they had work on their publications (Angela and Kevin). Supposedly they have another office and other staff that go by the names of Patty (HR), Greg and Barbara -all of which only emailed me, but I never spoke to any of them over the phone or saw them in person, nor in pictures. For all I know, they don't exist.