<p>OP. Everyone learns a lesson. Every time there’s a transaction between two parties, whether it’s for an item or paycheck, both parties need to have their own copies in order for things to happen after the fact.</p>
<p>If you lost a receipt for your $500 laptop and your laptop breaks down and you know it hasn’t even been a year, the company’s going to ask for the receipt or proof of payment. And you don’t have a receipt. Yes, you can track down the store but that’s going to be a huge hassle but… then again, they’re going to want proof from you too. What are you going to do? Chalk it up and consider it a learning experience, and of course, get a new laptop… and keep the receipt in a safe place!</p>
<p>Thankfully we do have credit card bills back-ups. But we do not have a system in place when it comes to employment. This is a “transaction” between the employer and employee. Surely you’ve studied a little bit of labor unions when you studied American history where you read that union members actually documented every abuse or violation at workplace and worked with employers to draw up contracts that satisfied both parties. Union members kept their own copies and brought them with them when they wanted to complain. If you don’t have your documentations, you’re basically screwed. UCB has only so much room in their mailboxes that it has to delete e-mails after a certain period. As others have posted, two years is awfully a long time for things not to happen.</p>
<p>Really, what are you going to gain after paying the lawyer fees and other associated fees by bringing UCB to a small claims court? You’d end up using all of that $1,500 anyway.</p>
<p>And this experimental surgery? It’ll happen one day but just not now. Not worth trying to get those Stafford loans to pay for them, especially if you don’t have a plan to pay off those loans ASAP when you’re out of school.</p>