In the early 2000s, I was an employee of a small firm that did consulting and network/inventory management training for a very large global fiberoptic network company. I won't name names but the company crashed at around the same time as Enron/Tyco and went through a Chapter 11 restructuring (it's still around).
This company had POPs and NOCs, and cable stations (terminal stations at the ends of undersea fiberoptic cables) all over the world. We were contracted by the company to go to these various worldwide installations and do things. They flew us business class from the American midwest to wherever we went.
One of the trips I was sent to was a scheduled 7-day project in Amsterdam. I had a continuing plane ticket from Amsterdam to Paris on the 8th day, to meet up with teammates so we could do our next project in Paris. I was also pre-booked, and paid up, for 7 nights at the nicest Marriott hotel in Amsterdam (right on the Leidseplein), and given a per-diem in cash.
We finished our work in 3 days, out of the alloted 7. So I had 4 paid days, entirely on the large fiberoptic network company nickel, to do as I pleased in Amsterdam. Of all cities...... While I did have the cash per-diem, I was also able to expense various items to the company as well.
You all know about the hash ba...err, cafe scene. Check.
Fantastic bars? Check.
Room service, at the Marriott? Check.
Visits to all the fantastic museums such as the Van Gogh? Check.
Nosering for my wife, from the Van Gogh museum gift shop? Check.
All submitted as expense items with receipts, and all paid, on top of the per-diem for basic breakfasts/lunches etc. The hash bar...err...cafe receipts just showed the name of the "cafe" without the line items, thank god, but I doubt even *if* the items were detailed out there would have been a problem.
I didn't have the balls to do anything in the Red Light District except walk through it, so unfortunately no Dutch hookers (and blow) were expensed.
No wonder they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection about 15 months after this particular trip.
This company had POPs and NOCs, and cable stations (terminal stations at the ends of undersea fiberoptic cables) all over the world. We were contracted by the company to go to these various worldwide installations and do things. They flew us business class from the American midwest to wherever we went.
One of the trips I was sent to was a scheduled 7-day project in Amsterdam. I had a continuing plane ticket from Amsterdam to Paris on the 8th day, to meet up with teammates so we could do our next project in Paris. I was also pre-booked, and paid up, for 7 nights at the nicest Marriott hotel in Amsterdam (right on the Leidseplein), and given a per-diem in cash.
We finished our work in 3 days, out of the alloted 7. So I had 4 paid days, entirely on the large fiberoptic network company nickel, to do as I pleased in Amsterdam. Of all cities...... While I did have the cash per-diem, I was also able to expense various items to the company as well.
You all know about the hash ba...err, cafe scene. Check.
Fantastic bars? Check.
Room service, at the Marriott? Check.
Visits to all the fantastic museums such as the Van Gogh? Check.
Nosering for my wife, from the Van Gogh museum gift shop? Check.
All submitted as expense items with receipts, and all paid, on top of the per-diem for basic breakfasts/lunches etc. The hash bar...err...cafe receipts just showed the name of the "cafe" without the line items, thank god, but I doubt even *if* the items were detailed out there would have been a problem.
I didn't have the balls to do anything in the Red Light District except walk through it, so unfortunately no Dutch hookers (and blow) were expensed.
No wonder they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection about 15 months after this particular trip.
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