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Reporting former employer for software piracy - bad idea?
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[Deleted User]
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I was dismissed from a company around 3 years ago as the company was having financial difficulties and did not pay my wages for three months. The boss one day (Friday) took me into his office and told me that as of tonight the company will cease trading. He then dumped a 40 page legal document on me that he insisted I signed immediatley as it was around 30 mins before close of business.
I stated that I needed to read it first but he wanted it signing there and then. To put a long story short I was pressured into signing. The company agreed to pay me two months wages of the three months owed.
The following week I noticed the business was still trading. When I called in I was told by my ex boss "you signed the document so you are released from your employment contract" then he went to answer the phone. I waited and then I pointed out that he said he was bust as of last week but yet still trading he became irritated and would not answer my question. I pressed further and asked about the money he still owed me but my former boss became violent and physically removed me from the building.
I went to see a solicitor who went through the document with me and to cut a long story short said that I should be entitled to redundancy pay and one month's wages. The document that I signed waived this however but it was buried away in pages and pages of legal guff and terms and conditions. The solicitor said I could argue the case it was signed under protest and my signature is therefore invalid.
The legal costs to take this to court etc would almost equal what I was owed in one months wage so I decided not to proceed. After seeing a program on the BBC this morning about debt recovery sheriffs I realized I could have taken my former employer to court for a fraction of the price. It's too late now to do anything about it.
I know that the company used and sold illegal software through various means and I could report them but it was a small business and my former employer would guess it was me. He knows some nasty people one of which who has been in prison before and released so I'm reluctant to report them.
The BSA offers a reward for shopping pirates and I thought it would be a way of getting back at my former employer (it WOULD make them go bust if fined) and my way of getting back some of the money owed.
As of today the company still trades under it's original name and was verified by companies house. I feel shafted by this guy and I was wondering if this is a good idea or not.
One former employee still works there and I don't want to see him loose his job as he is a decent guy - another dilemma.
I will delete this topic after a couple of weeks to be sure it is not read by former employees.
I stated that I needed to read it first but he wanted it signing there and then. To put a long story short I was pressured into signing. The company agreed to pay me two months wages of the three months owed.
The following week I noticed the business was still trading. When I called in I was told by my ex boss "you signed the document so you are released from your employment contract" then he went to answer the phone. I waited and then I pointed out that he said he was bust as of last week but yet still trading he became irritated and would not answer my question. I pressed further and asked about the money he still owed me but my former boss became violent and physically removed me from the building.
I went to see a solicitor who went through the document with me and to cut a long story short said that I should be entitled to redundancy pay and one month's wages. The document that I signed waived this however but it was buried away in pages and pages of legal guff and terms and conditions. The solicitor said I could argue the case it was signed under protest and my signature is therefore invalid.
The legal costs to take this to court etc would almost equal what I was owed in one months wage so I decided not to proceed. After seeing a program on the BBC this morning about debt recovery sheriffs I realized I could have taken my former employer to court for a fraction of the price. It's too late now to do anything about it.
I know that the company used and sold illegal software through various means and I could report them but it was a small business and my former employer would guess it was me. He knows some nasty people one of which who has been in prison before and released so I'm reluctant to report them.
The BSA offers a reward for shopping pirates and I thought it would be a way of getting back at my former employer (it WOULD make them go bust if fined) and my way of getting back some of the money owed.
As of today the company still trades under it's original name and was verified by companies house. I feel shafted by this guy and I was wondering if this is a good idea or not.
One former employee still works there and I don't want to see him loose his job as he is a decent guy - another dilemma.
I will delete this topic after a couple of weeks to be sure it is not read by former employees.
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No you won't, because you can't remove posts/threads, only the mods can.
As for the rest, you have survived for 3 years, let it go and move on. Holding grudges is never a good thing and can be injurious to your health.
If you must though, I guess you could bide your time like Mr Burns. More than one way to skin a rabbit.
P.S. I hope you're not using your real name and age as your username, lol.
Sometimes you just have to let it go, spend time with the family and forget about it. Deep down you deserve it and worked hard for it that's the important thing it was clean money.
...and now it's been quoted too. So even if you edit your OP it's still here.
It's too late - you only have three months to make such a claim.
Lots of replies already - guess I should just leave it as it could lead to further aggro. Just that I have been working for another company that went bust since and have lost my job yet again. Unable to find anything and money is tight - this was just an idea that came up after watching TV this morning.
Guess I was being a bit too paranoid about it being seen; the topic will soon disappear to several pages down from page one after while.
I agree not just because you are-quite rightly p*ssed off with them but because they are breaking the law.
And if they do guess it was you and try and do anything well then you get the police involved
Ah yes, the other guy I worked with still works there. He was also told he was to loose his job but it seems only me has actually left...
But all of this was 3 years ago
That's a pity because you were sacked not made redundant.
He obviously didn't allow himself to be bullied into signing something he hadn't read. I'm sorry but if it was me I would move on and take this as a lesson learned - never be bullied into signing anything until you've looked it over properly.
Yes - it was partly my fault. Should have insisting on reading it as the issue is that nowhere in the document does it say the company is insolvent. I was only told that verbally.
What they have done is as another poster put it, sacked me so they don't have to pay redundancies. I tell you, this guy is clever and knows how to worm his way out of any situation. Probably how he has got so far in life without any mishaps. Some people have no scruples.
The solicitor (at the time) did say I still have a case though but as it was 3 years ago there's now nothing I can do about it. This was just a spur of the moment idea that needs clarification from others before I do something stupid.
Would it be true to say you were happy to work for this company and be paid by them knowing that they were using illegal software?
So why are you surprised they then shafted you.
As my old mum said, "Fly with the crows, get shot with the crows".
Fair play.
I've seen people shafted in similar ways before. You wouldn't be the first.
Yes, I wasn't surprised at all. Seemed OK for the first year or so then things became worse as the company cash flow began to decline. I started looking for work when I 'disagreed' with several of the director's bad business practices. My suggestions to improve the business were dismissed or not implemented. In the end my decision to leave the company was made for me. I wasn't out of work long before I found something else.
As for the software piracy I was under the assumption it was legit - I only found out when I was tasked with the replacement of a customer's server hard disk and re-install of the Operating System. Developer / internal use only version of O/S disk and found same licence used on multiple computers.
Not allowed to do that... naughty naughty. Especially if it was installed on other customer machines as well - 50% certain it was. Not allowed to use it for commercial purposes.
There are of course loads of crooks around. You were probably picked on because you are more honest than most, and they judged you were soft enough to be cheated.
Do not feel bad about that at all. Sometimes decent people get screwed, that is how it is, but you really would not want to be like that I am sure. Rest assured that many of them do get their comeuppance, not all of them, but many. Their personal lives are also not much cop, because they are not honest decent people. They will cheat and lie for a few hundred quid. Screw them, you have left them behind.