When penny pinching goes wrong.

Good grief.

Just got a mail from Finance (as did the rest of the team) saying that according to their route map software from our main office to our satelite office is 10.7 miles and thefore we should only be putting in £8.56 as expenses.

We currently use the M1 or one of the A Roads depending on traffic that averages out at 15 Miles (4.3 miles more) and £12 (a whole £3.44 more per round trip)

They are demanding we take this new shorter route and expense less per trip (averages out that at least one of us makes 1 trip a day)

The problem is this new short route will look to take us about a half hour longer than going straight down the motorway (albeit it with a 2 mile detour either side to get to the motorway).

I've tried pointing out that they actually loose money this way as they loose one of us for an extra half hour travel time and the cheapest of us (me) is £12 an hour so thats £6 in travel time to save...£3 in expense claims.....and us having to go through some torturous back route.....*sigh*
My team leader (who does the journey far more often than me) works out at a lot more than that being on double my salary =p

Of course they are insisting that we still claim only £8 knowing full well we'll probably keep going the "long but fast" way.

I think I'll keep taking my route and just spending an extra half hour in the pub for the route they want me to take =p

Keep a note that you've advised them of the problem, print out all emails then go the long route. Stop at a cafe on the way, do your daily shopping. When your manager/team leader asks, point out why your journies are taking so long (minus your detours) and if you know who's idea this route planning nonsense was, point them in their direction.

I guarantee that you'll be claiming for £12 for the quicker journey within a week.

edit: heh, you edited and said something similar.

I thought about that but then I realised...then they may fix it...and I'll have to do an extra half hours work!!!
The more I think about it the more I suddenly think I can make good of this...an extra half hour in the pub....

It does help that they tell bikes to charge the same mileage as cars so I'm already making a profit anyway......

Keep quiet on the bike thing, cos you should be getting taxed for the difference.

40p a mile - that's very generous - I only get 20p

Whops sorry
:shrugs: I don't know how it compairs as I've never had to claim journey expenses in another job, all I do know is I get to charge £48 for a tank of petrol that costs me £10

Guessing I shouldn't call it penny pinching after all now that I think about it.

(Damn you all for destroying my moral high ground!)

At my place now they make you deduct from the total mileage how many miles it would take you to get into work & back home, so if you do a 30 mile trip but would normally travel 5 miles to work & 5 miles home you can only claim for 20 miles, the people that are getting stitched up the worst are the one's that would normally cycle to work but have to use their car to go elsewhere.

That is grim.

And yet they send their fancy directors out on 'business' lunches etc.

My boss rang me in the office last week...his director had flown up from London to Manchester for a brain storming season... which they decided to do whilst walking in the hills with the dogs.... f**king charming I say. What a load of bol****s it all is. He then flew back, canceling one flight, coz it was inconvenient time, and booked another for later on that day...... grrrrrrrrrrh

Penny pinch when it suits them....so if you can make a couple of bob using ya bike go for it

oops, brain storming season would take ages, I meant session !

Oh, another suggestion. If they want to be picky about paying mileage, request that they supply you with a vehicle because you are no longer insured for business use on your own.