Andrew (not his real name) sent in this amazing story. It really outlines the double standard within the leadership at Teen Mania. They teach that your word is your bond and that you should always be honorable, yet they routinely lie and break their word. And they will continue to do so with total impunity until enough of us speak out against it. Thanks for your courage, Andrew. Now read on and be shocked:
Even though I had some bad experiences with the Honor Academy, I returned one summer to work in the Global Expeditions admissions office. Because of my previous experience working for them for two years, I was offered a paying job. I agree to work there for the summer and I signed a contract which detailed the terms of our agreement including job description, pay and living arrangements. However, if I knew what was actually going to happen, I would have never gone.
When I arrived on campus, I was shocked to find that NOTHING in the contract was upheld. Instead of the job description I had signed on for, I became the assistant to the assistant to the assistant to the assistant to the director of admissions. Even though I already had 2 years experience and was being paid to work there, my direct supervisor was a January intern. Her supervisor was an august intern who worked for a 2nd year GI, who reported to a 3rd year intern and then finally the director. In addition to a TOTAL change in job description, they also changed my pay to LESS than what we originally agreed on. All of this was done without informing me ahead of time and without my consent.
To make matters worse, they also changed my living arrangements. The contract that they signed stipulated that my room would be provided by Teen Mania. However, when I got there, they tried to make me pay for a room! When I stated that this was not in the contract, they finally decided to put me in a trailer in the back 40 with no mattress and no air conditioning. In the middle of summer. In Texas. There was mold everywhere. I’m pretty sure it is actually illegal to provide living accommodations that poor in the state of Texas.
So I spent the summer working at a job I did not want or like, getting paid less than I was promised and living in horrendous conditions.
To top it all off, Teen Mania WITHHELD MY LAST PAYCHECK. I made repeated calls to the director of finance to find out when I could expect my final paycheck. He continually dodged me and even had his assistant lie by telling me he was not in the office. I knew he was lying because I had friends at the internship that checked for me. Finally, after having NONE of my calls returned for weeks, I left a message threatening to call the Texas Department of Labor. They over-nighted my check the next day. By this time, it was October. My check was 2 months late and the only reason they finally paid me is that I threatened to report them.
Then, David Hasz had the nerve to call me and tell me that I was not being honorable and he asked for my honor ring back! I held up my end of the bargain and Teen Mania did not honor anything in the job contract they gave me. They repeatedly lied and most likely broke the law in their dealings with me. And I am the one who is not honorable?
16 comments:
“Andrew”, that is disgusting. Reading this literally made me sick to my stomach. I don’t think words are adequate to describe… aargh.
My heart is seriously grieved over this situation… and for Hasz to do something like THAT?
NOT okay; I pray he reads this and has a deep sobering revelation of how far Teen Mania has strayed from its original intent.
Also, what’s really sad is that MANY interns/GI’s/alumni would have just lied down and taken it, because “God must be using this to test me!”… as a fellow alumnus, let me say how proud I am that you spoke out on this.
May they be exposed.
URGH URGH URGH.
very few things can get my blood boiling like teen mania.
When Mr. Hasz called you, you should’ve just flushed your ring down the toilet or something 😛
I like how threatening to expose TM’s true face to the law shows a lack of honor. You should have asked for HIS honor ring.
Oh wait. He doesn’t wear one himself, does he…?
Hmmm……
this is horrendous. i’m so sorry you had to go thru that. i’m guessing they probably thought that it was okay since you were “suffering for the lord” and you already knew what it looked like to live and work at TM.
the hasz thing is way over the top. i hope you still call the department of labor. not because you want retribution, but because they will continue to do this to other people like you.
Wow. That’s twisted. They were… testing you by not paying you to see if you would hold them accountable and do the honorable thing… Never mind. I’se confused.
Ahh, alright then. I stand corrected. Thanks for clearing that up, friend :]
Then he should have it evoked!!
this may have rendered me absolutely speechless.
unbelievable.
Andrew, you should have called the labor dept. as soon as the pay and living accomodations turned out not to be as described in the contract. The fact that you had a written contract would have given you a good case. In fact, you should call the labor dept. now and have them make TM back pay you for the difference in wage.
I never had an honor ring, but can’t you just tell David Hasz that no, you aren’t giving the ring back and no he can’t make you either? Or hang up on him and ignore further attempts to contact you?
Wow. So, Andrew if you see this, why did Mr. Hasz say that? I mean, what would his excuse even be? Teen Mania is twisted. (Third Anonymous down from the top said it PERFECTLY. haha 🙂 I can see how this would TOTALLY happen. and R.A. thank you so much for this statemnet:
–They teach that your word is your bond and that you should always be honorable, yet they routinely lie and break their word.–
I’ve been thinking over T.M. for a while now and hadn’t thought about that yet. It’s true. There is so much condemnation and judgement on you if you break your word, but if leadership lies to you, you’re expected to just get over it. and in a very creepy, manipulative, seriously controling unhealthy way a lot of interns just blindly believe that they are being told the truth- though it’s a straight up lie.
Ben, I don’t want to give the exact year to protect his identity, but it was fairly recently.
This is not the first time I have heard of returning alumnus who were hired, with a written contract, for X assignment or X project not receiving the salary they were promise,nor within the time frame promised.And I am grieved with every testimony I hear.
Oh my gosh, are they STILL putting people in that trailer?? I had to stay there one summer and it was overrun with cockroaches and mice. It was filthy (the kind of set-in filth that can’t really be cleaned unless you tear the place down and start over) and moldy. It was totally falling apart. Also, there were no lights to illuminate the path to the trailer, so at night we had to stumble through the woods in the dark to get home to our beds.
–kac
p.s. I have been reading this blog ever since the infamous e-mail fiasco, which is how I found out about it. 🙂 This is my first time commenting, but I intend to send in my story at some point, once I get a chance to write it.
Andrew… you did the right thing and I commend you! You are very strong to stand up for yourself.
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