Ridiculous things people claimed as travel/business expenses
Oct 14, 2013, 6:31 am
#1
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Ridiculous things people claimed as travel/business expenses
OK, the parallel thread is quite informative and entertaining, but I have high hopes for this thread as well.
Let me start - at my previous job, while working for one large IT reseller company, account manager took customer in strip bar in Vegas, put there $1700 on company's credit card and then tried to expense it.
Yes, he got $800k contract signed but at the result he got fired.
Let me start - at my previous job, while working for one large IT reseller company, account manager took customer in strip bar in Vegas, put there $1700 on company's credit card and then tried to expense it.
Yes, he got $800k contract signed but at the result he got fired.
Oct 14, 2013, 7:45 am
#2
Join Date: May 2007
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At a previous employer, I had a supervisor who was more candid with me than he probably should have been. (In other words, he told me stuff about coworkers that he shouldn't have. Fortunately, I'm more discreet. 
) But I can anonymously rat these out:
Teleworker who tried to expense a chair for his home office. Another teleworker who repainted his home office and tried to expense that.
) But I can anonymously rat these out:Teleworker who tried to expense a chair for his home office. Another teleworker who repainted his home office and tried to expense that.
Oct 14, 2013, 7:57 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 102
This happened at my wife's firm. A co-worker moved from the DC area to the Delaware coast, with approval to set up a home office and work from home most of the time. He was very tight with the then-manager of her office. After said manager got let go, new manager starts reviewing teleworker's expense reports. Turns out the company was paying not just for the high-speed internet connection, but all of his cable costs, including every movie channel offered...
Oct 14, 2013, 10:45 am
#4
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OK, the parallel thread is quite informative and entertaining, but I have high hopes for this thread as well.
Let me start - at my previous job, while working for one large IT reseller company, account manager took customer in strip bar in Vegas, put there $1700 on company's credit card and then tried to expense it.
Yes, he got $800k contract signed but at the result he got fired.
Let me start - at my previous job, while working for one large IT reseller company, account manager took customer in strip bar in Vegas, put there $1700 on company's credit card and then tried to expense it.
Yes, he got $800k contract signed but at the result he got fired.
I wondered for a long time how he got away with it until I found out months later he hadn't been forwarding any of our expenses on to the client, he had six months of expense reports backed up. Eventually he was removed as PM and the new guy had to go over every report by hand. Let's just say I know exactly when he found *that* receipt.
Oct 14, 2013, 8:11 pm
#5
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Not exactly an expense, but I once knew a guy who took a company vehicle and used it on company time when he was supposed to be doing field work, to move out of his apartment. He put about 300 miles on it in a week when the average for hos field work was less than 50.
But it was his last week before he left the company, so nothing ever came of it.
But it was his last week before he left the company, so nothing ever came of it.
Oct 14, 2013, 8:20 pm
#6
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Had a coworker who bought a $400 pair of steel toed cowboy boots and expensed them as "safety shoes." We were allowed to buy safety shoes once a year...but this was a bit beyond the pale.
Oct 14, 2013, 8:24 pm
#7
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I worked for a Brussels based consultancy firm and had a colleague who a had a girlfriend in Paris. He often managed to arrange a business trip to Paris on Friday, charged hotel expenses for the week-end and even had laundry expenses showing woman's bras on the laundry note 
.
Oct 14, 2013, 10:20 pm
#9
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I once sent an employee to a project site which required him to live in a construction camp for several months at the client's expense. Being young and single he decided to move out of his apartment to save on the cost, which was fine with me. What wasn't fine was that he tried to expense the penalty for the early lease termination.
Oct 15, 2013, 2:51 am
#11
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Let me start - at my previous job, while working for one large IT reseller company, account manager took customer in strip bar in Vegas, put there $1700 on company's credit card and then tried to expense it.
Yes, he got $800k contract signed but at the result he got fired.
Yes, he got $800k contract signed but at the result he got fired.
Oct 15, 2013, 3:30 am
#13
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I don't see anything wrong with expensing small amounts to the cent, if you paid for it why shouldn't you get reimbursed, even if the amount is very small ?
I expense toll fees, metro rides, bus rides which often amount to around 2 EUR each. Once I expensed a german public restroom receipt for the grand total of 0.50 EUR
I did it more as a joke to see what would happen, but nobody said anything and I got reimbursed.
I expense toll fees, metro rides, bus rides which often amount to around 2 EUR each. Once I expensed a german public restroom receipt for the grand total of 0.50 EUR
I did it more as a joke to see what would happen, but nobody said anything and I got reimbursed.
Oct 15, 2013, 3:35 am
#14
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From my part, my Amsterdam pleasure is cycling, and it's generally been the best way to get to/from the office, so I used to often expense cycle rental while working over there. My Southern California-based employer had problems processing it (although they were less confused than when I opted to rent a bicycle to get around in Southern California!)
Oct 15, 2013, 3:37 am
#15
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OK, the parallel thread is quite informative and entertaining, but I have high hopes for this thread as well.
Let me start - at my previous job, while working for one large IT reseller company, account manager took customer in strip bar in Vegas, put there $1700 on company's credit card and then tried to expense it.
Yes, he got $800k contract signed but at the result he got fired.
Let me start - at my previous job, while working for one large IT reseller company, account manager took customer in strip bar in Vegas, put there $1700 on company's credit card and then tried to expense it.
Yes, he got $800k contract signed but at the result he got fired.
How is that different than going to a high end restaurant and blowing $1700 on dinner? or NFL tickets?
My old manager spend 10K on lunch with one prospective client and got a total $100K commission on the deal. He told me 'its business".