I have a great experience which taught me a lot in negotiating for salary and keeping an eye on your check. I worked at a telecom startup. Was given a beefy sa

I have a great experience which taught me a lot in negotiating for salary and keeping an eye on your check. I worked at a telecom startup. Was given a beefy salary ($45K) plus commission. As a young sales guy, I had a blast. Then I scored a huge account, just as the company was about to go under. They paid me, then sent me a letter demanding I give back the commission check because they were going under and needed it to pay their attorneys and would file a lawsuit against me for a "fraudulent" sale. I went back and started looking at my checks and realized they were only paying me $35K instead of the agreed upon $45. I sent them a letter stating if they wanted to give me my back pay (almost twice as much as the commission check) I'd be happy to send the commission check back. Never heard from them again. Just goes to show, you not only need to negotiate your raise or your salary, but always make sure the company does not pull a fast one and short change your paycheck.