'[I got an] insult of an offer': Man gets grossly lowballed by potential new employer, declines, poaches their best client, and gets a 25% raise at current job

Sometimes—actually, scratch that—MOST times, companies will try to lowball you if you are applying for a position there. They want to get the most work out of you for the least amount of money. And they will negotiate with you as if you're a used car in a lot, just an object they need to get some work done. All of us in the workforce, at one point or another, have to negotiate ourselves and it's never fun, but it just has to be done in capitalism. However, there are still some manners surrounding these types of negotiations. For example, there is at least a ballpark number you and the company tend to stick around, and you negotiate to meet in the middle. You never come in with some outrageous asking salary, and they are never supposed to come at you with some ridiculously low offer. And yet… Many companies have the audacity.  

A Redditor recently shared a story of a gross lowball offer her received and how he got his revenge for such an insult. He was already working at a company but thought he'd find something with better pay. He went to his current company's competitors with a higher asking price than what he was making now. They made him go through 7 interviews, asking him question after question (with some questions sounding suspicious, like they were just trying to get dirt on the company he was currently working at through him). Finally, he said enough and awaited an offer. They lowballed him 35% UNDER his asking price. That is just plain rude. He, of course, declined and continued at his current job.

He tried not to hold a grudge and live and learn and move on—but he just couldn't. So he took one of the newer employers he was friends with, joined forces, and went to that company's top client. He made them an offer he wasn't even authorized to give, and two weeks later they accepted! He got in trouble for not first getting approval to make sure an offer, but the clients were such a good catch that it was just a slap on the wrist. He then got a 25% raise AND a free family trip to Hawaii. 

We think it all worked out for the better in the end, if we do say so ourselves. Scroll on to read the entire showdown!