i9 Sports Irving Franchise Selina Eizik and Elliott Eizik Unethical treatment of employees and parents Irving Texas

 I was hired to be a private contractor to this company earlier this year. I really liked the concept of this franchise, sports for every child and for a while things were going well with them. I was a homebased agent, so I was not located in the same city as this franchise. They planned on mailing me my paychecks. My first paycheck arrived in a timely fashion, the pay period was the 1st and 15th of the month.

Then my second and third paychecks never came. I did not realize this at first because at that time I was saving my paychecks for a family trip, so I wasn't paying attention to pay periods, etc.. After a few weeks had gone by I questioned them on my paychecks. They claimed they were sent in the mail, and must be lost in the mail. Okay, I had received some other people's mail by mistake once or twice, so I thought this could be feasible. Of course, I never had any problems receiving mail from anyone else, but I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. But it did plant a seed of doubt in my mind about this company.

They also said they could not pay me until these lost checks were accounted for, which seemed unfair. It was not my fault they were supposedly lost in the mail. But I needed the job so I didn't say much. Eventually they did pay me with direct deposit but not after grilling me on how I could possibly not receive these checks? Again, I don't see how this was my fault. They even made comments about what kind of neighborhood I lived in that I was not getting my mail. They did their job and made me feel horrible and that it was somehow my fault, well done.

So time goes by and they start paying me direct depost, which they claim is such a hastle to them. At one point I even offered to head into their part of town to pick up my checks but Elliott blew off my comment and just said they would continue with direct deposit.

Around this time, I start realizing these two are not always telling the truth to the parents who join the league. For one, I was in a position to receive inbound calls for the company and multiple times I had to deal with angry parents who were promised refunds but never received them. They did not allow me to do refunds, so I just had to pass along the info to Elliott and hope for the best. More often then not, I would receive another angry call from these same parents a few days later because he never got in touch with them. Also, I had received calls from an irate parent who's son (that was a referee for them) did not get paid when he was supposed to, seemed to be a trend here.

Things get settled in with my paychecks and I start getting paid on the 6th and 21st of the month, great, something I can plan on. Not so fast. Early June, I went out of town with my family for a few days and money was tight. I was planning on my paycheck from June 6th to cover my electric bill. Every day I checked my bank account and my paycheck was not showing up. I started to get worried around the tenth, so I send an email to Selina, who was in charge of paychecks to remind her about my check. At this point I am told "I cannot control the banks" by Selina, who claims my check should clear any day. So I wait and wait and wait. I am still unable to pay my electric bill because I have not gotten paid by them. Money that I earned and deserved, still not there. Not even pending according to my bank. I come home from my trip to my electricity being shut off from nonpayment and a fridge/freezer full of rotten food. Thank you i9 sports. I was unable to pay my electric bill on time, because they couldn't pay me on time. I try again to contact my boss about this and again was told "I do not control the banks". Finally on June 16th, a good 10 days past when I was expecting my paycheck I get paid.

So technically I am supposed to get paid again on June 21st, it would be a small check because I did go out of town for a week, but it was a paycheck that I desperately needed . So the 21st comes and goes with no check... around the 26th I ask Selina again where my paycheck is... at this point she blatantly lies and said she sent me an email about my paycheck. Since it was a small check she decided to just do one check for June instead of two. Really? You can just decide to change my pay periods yet again without notifying me??? But I bite my tongue AGAIN because I really need this job but this is getting old FAST.

Again, I figure okay well at least I will get my June paycheck by July 6th and it should be a pretty large check at that. Well, you can guess what happens, July 6th comes and goes with no paycheck. I know this is getting ridiculous but I had made plans with the city to pay my water bill by the 12th, which I needed this paycheck to cover. Monday, July 8th I send Selina an email asking about my check. AGAIN, she says to me "I can't control the banks" it must be delayed because of the holiday. I then proceed to ask her if for July if I could go back to the two paycheck system instead of one, since I really need the money. She obliges. I work everyday that week, check my account more than once a day and still no check. Friday, July 12th comes and I have to call the city with my tail between my legs and BEG them not to turn off my water because I cannot pay the bill because I haven't been paid by i9 sports yet.

I am crying and livid at the same time. I am a hardworker, a good worker and all that I ask is to be paid on time. They are giving me the run around and not being honest with me at all. It is just not fair. That morning, Elliot sends me an email with what accounts to work on for that day and makes the mistake of asking me how things are going? I don't think he realizes what a loaded question that is and I tell him I am frustrated I haven't been paid for June yet. He forwards my email to Selina and all hell breaks loose. First she reprimands me for going to Elliot and mentioning my paycheck. He has nothing to do with paychecks she does and then she tells he her favorite phrase which I hope is on her tombstone "I cannot control the banks". Then she proceeds to blame me for the fact again that they can't send me paychecks in the mail and that it costs them MORE money to pay me by direct deposit.  At this point I have had it with her lies. I have other friends with small businesses and they for sure would be concerned if they sent a payment to someone and it took 10 days to clear their banks. So I tell her "well I can't control the mail". This puts her over the edge and basically she fires me. I send her back an email, saying "so you are firing me for asking about my paycheck? that doesn't seem very fair".

Then she tells me since I am an independent contractor, I can't be fired but that we would decide not to work together anymore. I said I would like to keep working there, because I was certain I would never see my last paycheck if I stopped working for them altogether. This is Friday, I work my shift on Friday, none the wiser.

Monday morning, I have cried all weekend because I still wasn't paid. There is no reason a paycheck could go from clearing on the 6th of the month til the 16th. That is just not right and Selina was behind it all and was lying to me. I go to log into work, going to pretend like all is well with the world until I get paid and they have locked me out of the system. Completely locked out, I look back at my emails and notice Selina made the change Friday afternoon but did not have the decency to tell me that they would no longer be working with me, effective immediately.

Finally, my paycheck goes through on the 16th, again 10 days past when I was expecting it. That day I receive a call from Elliot. He asks me how I would like my last paycheck, and if I wanted it direct deposit within two days that it would cost me $10. Funny, Selina had just told me on Friday in one of her rants that to get direct deposit within 3 days of the pay period cutoff it would cost $90. If these two could get their stories straight, it would me a miracle. The he proceeds to reprimand me for the "tone" of my emails to Selina and AGAIN that "they can't control the banks". I tell him I don't see how the checks used to clear on the 6th and now they were clearing on the 16th? I need to know when I am getting paid, that is only fair. He also said that Selina said I was emailing her everyday asking about my paycheck... which is another BLATANT lie by her. I remind him I emailed her on Monday about it, then on Friday, I emailed HIM and he forwarded my email to HER. Thinking back now I had every right to email her everyday asking about my paycheck if I wanted to, where did they get off making me feel bad for wanting to be paid in a timely fashion?

This conversation did not end well, and I regret getting upset. I should have remained calm and just given him the facts. I don't know if he is just clueless in how she is running things or if he was sent to play good cop to her bad cop, either way I am glad I am done working for them. It's a shame because I truly believed in what the i9 company stood for, but these two are not running an ethical organization. Oh and that last paycheck? Funny how that one cleared my bank by July 19th, four days after the pay period ended. Coincidence? I think not..