When New Management Gets Cheap: Why Undervaluing Talent Can Cost You Everything (Looking at You, Amanda)
Sometimes, the universe delivers a perfect slice of workplace karma, served cold, with a side of petty revenge. That’s exactly what happened when one Redditor, u/OmegaJ8006, decided enough was enough after new management at a longstanding client tried to devalue their work—and then got exactly what they deserved.
This isn’t just a story about invoices and ignored calls. It’s about respect, value, and the expensive lesson companies learn when they forget that relationships matter—even with those they think are “just vendors.” Plus, it features an Amanda, and if decades of internet tales have taught us anything, it's that you never want to be the Amanda in the story.
The Call Is Coming From Inside the Office: How Not to Treat Your Contractors
Let’s set the scene: OP (that’s “original poster” for the non-Redditors) had a great working relationship with a client—until fresh faces took over management. Suddenly, the vibe shifts. Gone is the mutual respect; in its place, a dismissive new hire (Amanda, we’re looking at you) who’s rude on Zoom, even when the error is 100% on their side.
OP notices fewer calls, which is fine—until the new team needs help. A simple request, a simple quote for one hour’s work. But instead of “thank you,” OP gets grilled about how they track their time and why it costs what it does. The company refuses to pay. So OP ghosts them.
And here's where the fun begins: weeks of emails and voicemails, all left unanswered. Eventually, they beg for an invoice. OP’s answer? A resounding “Nope.” As u/lunargraphite cleverly points out, “How do you keep track of the time you’ve spent trying to reach me after you declined to pay for my services?” Sometimes the time spent chasing a dollar costs more than the dollar itself.
“Pay Me or Lose Everything”: The Power of Walking Away
It turns out OP held the keys to something critical: a software license with a recurring annual fee. When the company, still refusing to pay for either the original service or the renewal, pleads again for help, OP simply revokes their license. No more service. No more access. And yes, the original problem still isn’t fixed.
As u/Ok-Idea4830 points out, “You don’t go to an automotive dealership and squabble over their hourly fee.” Yet for some reason, new management thought they could nickel-and-dime a vendor holding their infrastructure together. That’s not just bad business; it’s short-sighted arrogance.
The Reddit community’s response was, predictably, a mix of schadenfreude and solidarity. “Fuck you Amanda,” became a rallying cry, echoing across multiple high-scoring comments. u/RJack151 summed it up: “Lol. I hope Amanda actually reads this.” Others, like u/CoderJoe1, highlighted a bigger trend: “There’s too many people that feel they can justify their own worth by screwing over contractors.” The lesson? Don’t try to build your career by shortchanging the people you rely on.
Amanda and the Hall of Internet Infamy
Let’s talk about Amanda. The comment section turned “Amanda” into the collective symbol of clueless, disrespectful management everywhere. “Typical fucking Amanda,” sighed u/Alphamullet. “Amanda is the WORST!” declared u/KaleidoscopeNo7695. Even u/Pristine_Resident437 chimed in: “U DA MAN!” (Sorry, Amanda, not you.)
But the discussion wasn’t all pitchforks and torches. Some, like u/kumquatrodeo, joked that “Being rude to contractors is really all she has besides those weird circus clown fantasies.” (If you know, you know.) Others noted that in many cases, folks like Amanda dodge consequences by blaming vendors who have no way to defend themselves internally—a sad reality, as u/abubin2 points out.
And in classic Reddit fashion, the thread devolved (or ascended?) into Simpsons-style prank calls: “Is she Amanda Hugnkiss?” “Nah, I saw that Amanda with Seymour Butts at the 7/11.” It’s all fun and games—unless you’re Amanda, left explaining to the higher-ups how the license just vanished and the system is down.
The Real Cost of Disrespect
So what happens when you undervalue the people who keep your business running? Sometimes, you lose access to critical tools. Sometimes, you lose your reputation. And sometimes, as u/Fast_Cloud_4711 shared, you get a lien slapped on your business and can’t get a loan years later. “Told Josh and Mellony to go fuck themselves. Kept tabs and found out later no one would lend to them and they folded.” Ouch.
The consensus? Pay people what they’re worth. Treat your suppliers and contractors as partners, not expendable assets. As OP reminded everyone: “If you want someone’s work, pay them. They spent hours wasting time and quibbling over nothing when they could’ve simply paid a small fee to get the job done.”
Conclusion: Don’t Be an Amanda (Or Work for One)
This isn’t just a petty revenge story—it’s a workplace fable. Companies live and die by the relationships they build, and the respect they show to everyone on their team, inside or outside the org chart.
So next time you’re tempted to squeeze a vendor for a few bucks, remember: the person you disrespect today might be holding the keys to your business tomorrow. And if you’re reading this, Amanda—well, the internet has spoken.
Have you ever been the OP, or the Amanda, in a story like this? Share your tales of workplace revenge, contractor chaos, or business blunders in the comments below!
Original Reddit Post: New management didn’t want to pay. I said goodbye.