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pkilgore
Guest
I am a corporate sales consultant for a large computer company in Houston, Texas. I take orders over the phone. A man contacted me in November of 1999 to buy some laptop computers. He faxed me a credit application and purchase order for $31,002.50. I took the credit app to the CFO and he approved and set up the account. I then filled the purchase order and shipped to customer. Later the CFO told me the D&B report showed that the customer was no longer in business. I tried contacting the customer but to no avail. In August 2000, when I looked at my sales commission report (I only receive money on commission--no base salary), I found I had a negative balance. When I inquired, I was told by my manager and management that it was about that customer's invoice and it would be written off as a bad debt. More time passed, and then recently, the CFO told me that company policy dictated that when there is a chargeback, I would get charged 35% of the company's cost for the invoice. So I am being told that not only do I not get commission on the business but I have to pay the company $10,850.88 for an invoice that should never have been approved by the CFO initially. I studied the sales manual and the only reference to this problem was "If a dlinquent account is written off as a loss, or turned over to a collection agency to recover a percentage, you will be expected to share in the loss to a maximum of 100% of your commission." To me, that means I lose the commission but not that I'm liable to pay for 1/3 of the invoice. This has happened to other people with the company and they have had to quit because they couldn't afford to go several months without eating!! Is there any recourse for me? I need to know my rights in this matter.