Hashtags: #workplace #finance #expenses #corporateamex #companyculture
📢 Try to threaten me over a $26 expense report, I’ll make sure everyone knows. 📢
Working for a large advertising company for 8 years definitely has its perks, especially when it comes to building relationships with high-ranking executives. But what happens when you leave on good terms and still find yourself in a sticky situation over a petty expense report? Let me tell you a story about why it’s always important to stand your ground, no matter the circumstances.
The Situation
So, here’s the gist of what happened – I left my job at the advertising company for my dream job in November ’22. As part of the exit process, I followed all the necessary procedures, including cutting up my Corporate Amex card, as I was working virtually. According to the company’s instructions, they were supposed to cancel the card. Fast forward to the present day, and I receive a rather aggressive email about the Corporate Amex being 68 days past due for a minuscule amount of $25.95. And to top it off, I was threatened with facing consequences if I didn’t pay up ASAP. Clearly, things were not handled as they should have been.
My Response
Now, instead of cowering in fear over a measly $25.95, I took matters into my own hands. I decided to craft a snarky response to the finance team and cc’d in the Chief People Officer, the CFO, the regional president of the Americas, and the Global CEO. I also made sure to bcc a few colleagues who are still with the company, just for their amusement. It was my way of calling out the negligence and unnecessary aggression over such a trivial matter.
Breaking It Down
Let’s dissect the key points here to better understand how absurd this situation really was:
1. Not My Problem: It’s fraud! I pointed out to the finance team that the Lyft charge in question was fraudulent, as I hadn’t traveled to the specified location for years. This alone should have raised red flags and prompted an investigation before sending out threatening emails.
2. HR Oversight: Did anyone bother to check my departure status? It seems like the finance team missed the memo that I had left the company, which is a major human resources oversight. It’s indicative of poor communication and lack of attention to detail.
3. Cost of Inefficiency: I made it clear that the amount of time and energy spent on pursuing me for $25.95 far exceeds the actual value of the expense. Considering the billable rates of the individuals involved, it’s safe to say that the company incurred a significant cost in dealing with this unnecessary issue.
4. CEO’s Response: The Global CEO, who was included in the email chain, simply responded with “Well Played!” It speaks volumes about the internal dynamics and the acknowledgment of the absurdity of the situation.
The Outcome
In a delightful turn of events, I turned the tables on this whole debacle. While catching up with a regional President over email, I ended up making a sale for the company I’m currently working at. It not only showcased the irony of the situation but also highlighted my professionalism in handling adversity.
The Takeaway
The moral of the story is simple – don’t back down when you know you’re in the right. Stand your ground and don’t let the fear of repercussions prevent you from speaking up. This entire incident shed light on the company’s lack of efficiency, poor communication, and misplaced priorities. It also served as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a professional demeanor, even in the face of absurdity.
In conclusion, while the situation may have initially seemed daunting, I turned it into an opportunity to showcase my integrity and resourcefulness. And as for the $25.95 expense report? Well, it ended up being a lesson in resilience and a testament to the power of standing up for what’s right.
In the end, threats over petty expenses are no match for a professional who knows how to navigate through challenges effectively. It’s a reminder to always trust your instincts and handle matters with grace and confidence, even in the face of adversity.
So, the next time you find yourself in a situation that seems unjust or unreasonable, remember this story and let it serve as a reminder to stand your ground and never let anyone threaten you over a minuscule expense report. After all, sometimes the smallest battles can lead to the biggest victories.
You won. Yay! 😃
So you got an email to your personal email? Not a work email?
If you are still using your work email…why?
If the guy from corporate running Amex sent the email to your work email then it might be autogenerated.
If the email was sent to your personal email then he should have known unless he was trying to be clever.
Better than Petty Revenge, this qualifies as Pro-level Revenge, so you CC’ed every-freakin-one.
And you made a sale. Bonus!
Back in 1993 I finished my enlistment with the US navy. Since I was leaving active duty and saw no reason to leave the account open,I closed my account with the navy federal credit union. I made sure there were no outstanding charges left owing, emptied the account fully and closed the account. I the. Flew home to the states (I was in Japan at the time) and essentially forgot about the account. I was only in the states for a few months before I moved to Australia.
Fast forward about 3 months later and my parents forward some mail to me. One of the items they forwarded was a statement from the Navy Credit Union that states that as my account balance has dropped below a certain level (I believe the balance that they had listed was 25 cents, I don’t know where that came from but they thought I had left that amount in my account)I have a limited time to deposit money or I will receive a fine of $5.
I sent a letter to the bank informing them that I had closed the bank prior to separating the previous year and that this was obviously a clerical error and asked if they could please correct it. Then I sent the letter and promptly forgot about it.
Fast forward about 6 months and my parents send me another statement from the credit union. Apparently they did not believe my previous letter as over the previous several months they had been accruing fines on the account. At that point they stated that I owed $25 in arrears and that if I did not deposit a minimum amount I would continue to accrue fines. So I printed off the previous letter and added an addendum stating that as I had closed the account and the fines were levied well after the account was closed, that I was not going to pay it so they may as well just close out the account they think I still had open. I also told my parents to open any mail I received at their place and only forward it they thought it was important.
Fast forward a year later. I have just come home to the states after being overseas for almost 2 years. When I get home I walk into my room and find a stack of statements from the Navy Credit Union. By that point the amount I supposedly owed was around $150.. as there was no local branch I called the nearest branch to me, which I believe was in California (approximately 1500 miles away. When I finally got a person on the line I proceeded to explain the whole story. I explained that there was no way n earth that I was going to pay for their screwup and that they needed to fix it. The woman I talked to was very apologetic and said that while she could see from the computers that my account had not been accessed for almost 3 years, she could not find a record that I had closed my account. I offered to send her a copy of the receipt I was given when I closed my account. Her response was that since the account was opened in Japan, the only people who could rectify the error was in Japan. She advised me to just bring the account up to date (ie pay the fine) and if an error was discovered on their part they would reimburse me. Essentially I told her that this would not be happening, to which she informed me that not paying g it would only continue to accrue a fine until it was passed on to a collection agency.
In 1996 I emigrated to Australia and have been here ever since. According to my parents, they stopped receiving the statements around 2010, by which time the accrued fine was in excess of $1000 ( don’t know the full amount, I stopped paying attention to it). Maybe someone finally updated their systems and discovered that they had been harassing me for 17 years. To date I have never been contacted by a collection agency nor have the IRS chased me down.