Fraser

While it appears from a brief scan of the Itineraries forum when posting it appears that many Flyertalkers are lucky enough for their businesses to put them in First Class / Business Class and in top hotels I realise we all have to start somewhere. For my Dad it was flying from Stavanger to North Sea Oil rigs in a Sea King. Luckily 25 years on he gets treated a little better now.....but only a little

Last week I was checking in late coming back from Washington DC and noticed a young chap of about 20-25yrs (not much older than me) arrive in a suit at the World Traveller queing line. We had both been waiting for a while and so I caught his eye across the divide and asked what he'd been up to. He said his company had sent him out for a few days over Xmas and he'd arrived and been put in some downmarket hotel in Manassas (I knew of this place because my girlfriend referred to it as Man******* ) and he said it was his first business trip and he hoped things got better. Then the woman at Club World check-in became free and we parted although I did bump into him again at Heathrow when picking up his luggage off the belt. I wished him a safe trip

So whats the worst a company has inflicted on you.

-Hotel Formula 1?
-Travel on your 50th birthday?
-Refused you use of the company private jet?

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'There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror'
Orson Welles (1915�1985)

richard

I have always worked for "my own" company, but at times it has been more of a "working for someone else" relationship for various reasons (outside investors primarily).

Once I had to fly from Washington to Las Vegas on America West, get my luggage and check into a Reno Air flight on to the SF Bay Area. That was the cheapest way to get where I was going.

The company had me check into a poor Clarion.

I have stayed at Motel 6 in the past, traveling for my own company.

But I can't complain. This is very minor and an exception. Since FlyerTalk, I have learned so much that this would never happen.

RustyC

I've flown courier which, while not an amployment relationship, is definitely a quid pro quo with some employment-like features. One bad one is that if you have a deep-discounted ticket to SE Asia going through Narita, you might well have to meet the courier rep in Narita customs, go all the way through, then check in all the way back to get your connecting flight, all in as little as 90 minutes. They do that so you can be a courier on both legs. Fortunately you usually don't have items accompanying you for both, but it was still a pain.

The flip side was getting stranded in Tokyo by a flight cancellation and getting two nights' hotel in Japan paid for by the courier company. Couriers usually get the same hotels as flight attendants.

These days, though, the cost differential for courier flights is much less (usually not enough to justify the hassles), fewer companies are using them and those that do often deny miles. It's not what it used to be.

snorkmaster

From my last job...

When our consulting practice's principal and senior associate moved on to start there own business, there was a big push to put us on any assignment available in the firm.

My colleague was sent to London for an assignment outside our practice to keep her billable.

For the duration of the assignment, they made her "bunk up" with one of the consultants who lived in London -- she had to stay in the apartment of a woman she didn't even know for several months.

If this was Ma Kettle Consulting LLC, I'd say OK, but this was a major consulting firm...

(Needless to say, we were all laid off a few months later...)




[This message has been edited by snorkmaster (edited Jan 07, 2004).]

BearX220

A Washington DC-based client once forced us to fly on the absolute cheapest published fare SEA-WAS-SEA, regardless of carrier or schedule. The outbound turned out to be an ATA redeye connecting through MDW. We normally do not fly LCCs because thin frequencies mean lack of backup in case plans go wobbly, but in this case we tried to be nice and went ahead, arriving in DC September 10, 2001.

We were scheduled on an ATA return flight the evening of 9/11, but obviously plans went wobbly. ATA, with only two frequencies per day into DCA and no interlining, could not get us home under any circumstances and we ended up renting an Avis car and driving 3000 miles back to Seattle. Had we been customers of a proper network carrier, especially one of the ones we had elite status on, this would not have happened.

We still work for the client in question but have earned the right to book our own flights now.

Canarsie

I once had the comptroller of a company for which I worked years ago argue with me for more than an hour over a 35� toll that was on my expense report.

The idiot took the time to map out alternate routes and concluded that I could have taken a different route and saved the company 35�.

My manager was involved, plus there was a deadbeat co-worker who spent the whole time at his desk nearby eavesdropping and not doing his work. He was stifling his laughter at how ludicrous the whole dispute appeared.

Greater than four man-hours of salaries was wasted over the debate pertaining to the 35� toll.

I won. I kept the 35�.

Shortly after that incident, I quit and left the company.

In retrospect, I should have told them that, thanks to the alleged �extra� 35�, I was leaving to retire for the rest of my life solely using my ill-gotten gains.

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That office is no longer in business, as it had been years since the doors were shut and the lights turned off.

JPB

Worst accomodation - A matress on the floor in the courner of the office. The worst bit was that most people would start work by 7am when I would still be snoring away.

UALOneKPlus

To me, it matters not how bad a flight is, how poor a hotel room is, or how rotten the food is.

The worst part of travelling is missing family at home.

The only thing that can fix that is my own private jet so I can fly home every night.

Swanhunter

The company didn't actually do it specifically to me, but I did get arrested and spend 8 hours in a Saudi jail. A life experience to treasure!

Fraser

Christ!

gerryallen

Swanhunter,
I'm sorry, but you can't drop a bomb like that and not go into some detail

What's the story!!!!

BobbySteel

I was going to say making me fly Southwest was the worst thing, but i suppose Saudi jail is slightly worse.

pdhenry

Sinewhere in the foggy past I recall getting married on a Friday and being in St. Louis on business on the following Monday (Columbus Day at that).

The only really bad experience was the HoJo Inn in South San Francisco. Was able to get a "never again" promise from the traverl office after that.

There was the "We promise that your entry visa will be waiting for you at the Kuwait airport - just get on the plane" episode...

Shtirlits

Staying in a cheap motel in Niagara Falls and sharing a room with a boring co-worker...

Swanhunter

Attention seeking behaviour on my part!

In 2001 I was due to spend about 6 months of the year in Saudi helping opening my employers operation there. I went out in early June at the start of the countdown to opening. On my first day (a Friday) on site I had the bright idea of hiring a car to do a bit of sightseeing and get used to driving on the wrong side of the road.

Friday is the Saudi equivalent of Sunday - not much traffic so a good day to tootle around. All was going swimmingly until I drove into the diplomatic quarter, as this particular Friday was Filipino National Day. The embassy was holding a big event and there was traffic everywhere. I made a very small misjudgement when pulling out and clipped a parked van - the sort of incident that you would leave a note under the wiper in the UK.

As background, car insurance is not mandatory (against the will of Allah) and accidents are frequent. Any accident means instant arrest until you produce either cash or a sponsor�s letter to cover the damage. There also had been a number of incidents with drink-driving expats in a country where alcohol is illegal.

Unfortunately for me, there were at least 10 policemen within a 50m radius, so there was no way I was going to get away with this. After completing the accident report (a challenge as I don't speak Arabic and refused to sign the report as I couldn't read a word), I had to drive the car to the nearest police station under escort.

Once there I was ushered into an office, presented with a cup of tea and left to wait. Now, at this point I started to calm down. Having heard plenty of horror stories about what happens after car accidents I figured that maybe I would be lucky � after all the rental company promised to get someone out with a letter to spring me. The captain in charge was very friendly and we had a nice chat about English football. All quite civilised � until he went home. The new captain took one look at me and I was escorted into the holding pen! The sound of the door shutting is something I will never forget.

As cells go, it wasn�t that bad � a/c (very helpful when its 43 centigrade), flushing toilets and a boy to go and fetch tea and snacks from the caf� next door. I was the only European in a cell of 30, the rest of whom were either Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Filipino or Indonesian. It would be fair to say I created a bit of sensation.

I was by now making frantic calls to everyone I knew in Saudi and the UK to �get me out�. Still, everyone in the cell was very nice � though I got very scared when one of the guys told me he had been there 28 days! It would seem that some employers in Saudi wash their hands of employees who have accidents � leaving to sit in jail for 3 months and then be deported. Pretty rough stuff. About half a dozen of them were keen to improve their English so we had a impromptu language school running in one corner, much to the amusement of the guards.

Sunset prayers came and went, as did dinner (nan bread and watery lentil slop). By this point the batteries in my mobile were running low and not much was happening. Time to play my one remaining card, which resulted in the PA of the CEO of my sponsoring company being hauled out of bed to go to the office to sign a letter to get me out � 8 hours after the door slammed shut.

The day after I had to ensure being the butt of endless jokes in the office and the recipient of endless phone calls from the UK checking I was O.K. I also spent several hours gratefully thanking the people who got me out.

There are a couple of postscripts to the story. Firstly, we had to get the British Embassy to run a check with the Interior Ministry to ensure I could leave the country. I was sweating it when I flew home at the end of July. Secondly, I refused to drive again and was given permission to hire a car and driver whenever I needed one. The team I was working with got used to the sight of me emerging from a shiny black Cadillac over the next few months!

Well, it makes a great dinner party story and I am still known around the business as the Saudi jail man. I still refuse to drive on the wrong side of the road though!