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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is my boss a scammer?

104 replies

teddysgeamed · 06/12/2019 17:04

Nc as could be outing

I’ve worked at the same company for 10 years this January. Around 4 years ago, the 2 managers (there’s 15 staff,2 managers) came up with a scheme. As far as I’m aware the way it works is £50 is automatically deducted from your wages each month, put into a pot of £700 and the winner is chosen at random. One staff member doesn’t take part anymore as she started a relationship with one of the managers. So there’s essentially a 1 in 14 chance of winning it.
Problem is, in the past 4 years it’s been running I’ve won once!! Am I being unreasonable for saying I no longer want to play this game? I’ve worked out I’ve paid over £2400 into this scheme and only gained £700. But my manager thinks IABU
His reasons are
A) it would take 3 months to change payroll
B) it wouldn’t be fair on everyone else?!
I’m so done with it now, I could do with an extra £50 this month after Xmas. I feel like he’s taking the piss. It’s not written in my contract!
Am I crazy for thinking there could be something sinister going on

OP posts:
HoneysuckIejasmine · 06/12/2019 17:06

Wtf?! It's your money, why on earth have you entered an unofficial lottery with your salary?!

Who has been winning all this time?

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 06/12/2019 17:08

I'm not convinced this is legal - There are pretty strict requirements around lotteries, I believe.

Wildorchidz · 06/12/2019 17:08

Tell him you are withdrawing from this immediately. Don’t believe his lies about 3 months to change the payroll

Mummadeeze · 06/12/2019 17:09

£50 is a ridiculously big amount of money to gamble every month!!! Why would anyone have agreed to this? If you all stand a fair chance of winning back what you have put in, what is the point in the first place? If you win more than you put in, you are essentially robbing from your colleagues! Can this be real?!!!

meredithgrey1 · 06/12/2019 17:09

Even if it's all honest I wouldn't be taking part.

How is you getting your full salary somehow unfair on other people??

BernardsarenotalwaysSaints · 06/12/2019 17:11

It’s your pay, they can’t stipulate what you do with it. Were you given a choice about entering it initially?

Ishoos · 06/12/2019 17:12

I would look into this as I think as pp said that it’s an illegal lottery. ACAS might be able to help re the deduction from your wages.

ShetlandWife · 06/12/2019 17:12

WTH? Everyone pays £600 per year, but only £700 gets won?

Total scam. Why the hell is everyone putting up with it?

Original poster
teddysgeamed · 06/12/2019 17:12

With regards to how it started, we had a vote in the office about it. I can’t remember exact numbers now but the majority must of voted for it.

OP posts:
Original poster
teddysgeamed · 06/12/2019 17:13

@ShetlandWife nope, one of my colleagues has won 5 times this year... so 3.5k

OP posts:
1Morewineplease · 06/12/2019 17:14

That’s a huge amount of money! It sounds very dodgy to me. This is a form of gambling . I’d withdraw straight away, put £50 in a savings account and you’ll definitely gain £700 in much less time.

ShetlandWife · 06/12/2019 17:16

Ah, it's drawn monthly. Oops, I misunderstood.

Still, you would be better off just putting £50 into your own savings account. On average that's what you should 'win' anyway. It's such an odd scheme.

HowlsMovingBungalow · 06/12/2019 17:16

It sounds dodgy as fuck.

Original poster
teddysgeamed · 06/12/2019 17:16

@1Morewineplease

I don’t have access to the money, it’s taken from my wages before I am paid

What concerns me is I have no idea how the winner is chosen. I always assumed it was at random

OP posts:
fromthefloorboardsup · 06/12/2019 17:17

This is unauthorised deductions from wages, he can't refuse to let you opt out. Sounds well dodgy to me.

fromthefloorboardsup · 06/12/2019 17:18

I would talk to ACAS

covetingthepreciousthings · 06/12/2019 17:19

As far as I’m aware the way it works is £50 is automatically deducted from your wages each month

This would be a NO from me! Regardless of whether it's dodgy or not, that's still a big chunk of money. Can't believe the rest of the workplace are perfectly happy with this! How weird!! Confused

PettyContractor · 06/12/2019 17:20

By itself it's an odd thing to do, assuming it's run in a completely honest way.

The reasons for discouraging you from opting out are even odder. I don't see why it would take long to opt you out. And there's no way it's unfair to colleagues to opt out: if it's honestly run, with average luck over time everyone should get back exactly what they put in, so it should make no difference to anyone how many other people participate. (Obviously you've had worse than average luck, and one colleagues has done a lot better than average.)

Original poster
teddysgeamed · 06/12/2019 17:21

I’ll speak to my other manager when he’s back in :S people have been complaining for years but it always been one of those things in the background.

OP posts:
PettyContractor · 06/12/2019 17:22

I meant the managers organising this lottery was an odd thing to set up.

Original poster
teddysgeamed · 06/12/2019 17:23

@PettyContractor because the prize money will go down I guess.. it used to be £750 so already gone down

OP posts:
BaolFan · 06/12/2019 17:23

Unauthorised deduction from wages - it's illegal.

PBo83 · 06/12/2019 17:23

It sounds a bit bizarre to me.

Does the £50 come out your gross or net wages?

Newbie1999 · 06/12/2019 17:28

Yes. Yes he is.