Work trying to screw me over

[ajax_andy 0]

I have to do a fair bit of driving round the north east for my job and as such incur plenty of mileage costs. Every month I submit my mileage claims and 5 weeks later (which is a joke!) I get the cash paid alongside my pay.

 

However when I checked this month I was nearly £20 down on what I had expected... so I contacted finance and they said that it's company policy to only pay out for what is the shortest route google can find. As I use my sat nav and also common sense I don't always end up going the google maps shortest route (for instance I work on Scotswood Road, so if I have to get to Blyth it's much quicker to go up Scotswood Road to the roundabout by B&Q and up the motorway, rather than go through the West End of Newcastle or Via the Haymarket... however it's about 5 miles longer).

 

Anyway I explained to them I use my sat nav for all journeys and write down the exact mileage between each journey based on the mileometer of whatever it's called on my car... so I know I'm submitting the EXACT mileage I have carried out in the course of my work duties.

 

They are refusing to budge and this is going to cause me loads of problems as £20 a month could quite easily add up to £100 - £150 a year (some months I do less travelling).

 

Do I have a leg to stand on with regards to this? I'm thinking of refusing to use my car until they pay up the money I'm owed but not sure legally if I can really do that?

 

Also are they in the wrong legally for refusing to pay my actual costs incurred and only the shortest route according to google?

[JawD 48]

We pay out on actual miles done. 45p <10k miles then 25p/m after each year.

 

I'd what Ant says though. If they are enforcing shortest route, then ask them for it so you can take it. If that means a longer journey in time then so be it.

 

Personally don't see the point in squabbling over 2-3 mile hear and there. I'd soon have a happy employee so long as they werent taking the piss.

[Kid Dynamite 6293]

Nhs pays you what you do, regardless of the route

[ajax_andy 0]

The problem with asking them what the shortest route is that they'd just tell me to put it in google and work it out myself... however I have no sense of direction so would have to use my sat nav anyway and would end up probably still taking the quickest, not the shortest route.

 

I work in the public sector but not sure if that makes any difference with regards the rules on mileage?

[ewerk 27671]

Personally don't see the point in squabbling over 2-3 mile hear and there. I'd soon have a happy employee so long as they werent taking the piss.

 

Exactly. In my old job the shortest route was the policy but they never queried a few miles here and there. It sounds like they're being overly tight about the situation but if you look at it from their point of view then they have to go by google as someone's local knowledge of the area can't really be relied on.

 

And while you're missing out on 20 quid overall, it's probably actually costing you much less than that.

 

Just one of those things that they're being dickheads about, nothing to get yourself worked up about.

[Gemmill 37897]

Your finance department could stand to make some redundancies if they've got time to be googling and adjusting everyone's travel claims.

 

Sounds like you're doing 40 odd miles a month more than you need to. Sounds like you need a new sat nav.

[ajax_andy 0]

Exactly. In my old job the shortest route was the policy but they never queried a few miles here and there. It sounds like they're being overly tight about the situation but if you look at it from their point of view then they have to go by google as someone's local knowledge of the area can't really be relied on.

 

And while you're missing out on 20 quid overall, it's probably actually costing you much less than that.

 

Just one of those things that they're being dickheads about, nothing to get yourself worked up about.

 

£20 is £20 at the end of the day mate... had to put 2 new tires on the car last month, pay for an MOT and new brake disks... so overall I'll argue till I'm blue in the face over £20

[ajax_andy 0]

Your finance department could stand to make some redundancies if they've got time to be googling and adjusting everyone's travel claims.

 

Sounds like you're doing 40 odd miles a month more than you need to. Sounds like you need a new sat nav.

 

It's more to do with going the quickest way... for instance Blyth and back is 10 miles extra that way, plus sometimes you get to the location but it's an extra mile driving round the estate or area looking for the actual building, or just missing your turn off on the motorway and having to do a few miles detour.

 

All adds up

[trophyshy 6605]

Start stealing from them, to balance things out.

[Kid Dynamite 6293]

Good advice! An office chair would keep you in the black for 6 months

[Gemmill 37897]

 

It's more to do with going the quickest way... for instance Blyth and back is 10 miles extra that way, plus sometimes you get to the location but it's an extra mile driving round the estate or area looking for the actual building, or just missing your turn off on the motorway and having to do a few miles detour.

 

All adds up

 

If you can prove that it's quicker your way (using Google Maps), and that that time saved is worth more than the fuel costs, you might have a case.

 

For a hundred quid a year, it's not worth the hassle though.

 

You didn't have to replace your tyres because of the 200 miles per year they aren't reimbursing you for. It's the thousands of miles that they have.

 

Pick your battles.

[OTF 6605]

CAn't you configure your sat nav to take you on the shortest route as opposed to the quickest?

[ajax_andy 0]

CAn't you configure your sat nav to take you on the shortest route as opposed to the quickest?

 

I could but then it tries to take me through fields and silly little country lanes that you can only drive 20 miles an hour on instead of 70 on the motorway

[ajax_andy 0]

If you can prove that it's quicker your way (using Google Maps), and that that time saved is worth more than the fuel costs, you might have a case.

 

For a hundred quid a year, it's not worth the hassle though.

 

You didn't have to replace your tyres because of the 200 miles per year they aren't reimbursing you for. It's the thousands of miles that they have.

 

Pick your battles.

 

I know what you are saying but £150 over a year for example is the difference between them paying for my servicing and a new tyre, or me paying for it out of my own money.

 

I don't have £150 spare so am not willing to just write it off

[Gemmill 37897]

But you're already clearing enough on the miles they DO pay for to cover those costs. It costs me 70 quid to fill my tank. If I was to claim the full cost of that back through expenses I'd get over 200 quid! It's a racket. You can't earmark one amount and say but that was for my tyres. Well you can, but it's not really true and is easily countered if you raise it with Finance.

 

Having said all this though, it's about time the mileage rates were increased. They've been like that for years and petrol costs have gone up massively.

[ajax_andy 0]

Just had a little read on the internet and found the HRMC document relating to work travel and came across this golden nugget:

 

Choice of route

5.11 To qualify for relief, a journey does not have to be made by the shortest route if another

route is more appropriate – for example, using the M25 to go round London rather than

driving through the middle. Similarly, a business journey will still qualify for relief if the

employee makes a short detour for a meal.

 

Just sent them an e-mail with this paragraph so will see what they come back with

[ewerk 27671]

That's for tax purposes, so mileage for going the quickest route rather than the shortest route isn't treated as a BIK.

 

It has nothing to do with your internal policy. What do you get per mile 40-45p? I always found that I made money from mileage expenses so my point about the 20 quid is that overall it isn't costing you anything.

[ajax_andy 0]

That's for tax purposes, so mileage for going the quickest route rather than the shortest route isn't treated as a BIK.

 

It has nothing to do with your internal policy. What do you get per mile 40-45p? I always found that I made money from mileage expenses so my point about the 20 quid is that overall it isn't costing you anything.

 

Yeah 45p a mile.

 

Well it's costing me £20 because that's what I am entitled to based on the miles I've covered.

 

I get what you're saying that you make more money on the expenses than it costs you to travel that distance, but when you factor in the cost of your car knackering out a good 5 years earlier than it would have due to using it for business then you're not really quids in. My car's done 50,000 miles now and I'll have to replace it in a few years... I wouldn't have to do that if I weren't using it for my works benefit... so yeah I'll argue over £20 as i'd much rather not use my car at all and if I have to then I'll expect the correct amount of re-imbursment based on the actual miles carried out in my work duties.

 

Maybe it's a principle thing at the end of the day over money, but they've backed down anyway so I'm getting the cash

[trophyshy 6605]

Are they paying you for your contribution to this thread?

[ajax_andy 0]

Are they paying you for your contribution to this thread?

 

Haha no comment

[Happy Face 29]

I don't think work are screwing you over so much as avoiding being screwed over.

 

Shortest route on Google is a brilliant way to keep people honest, despite the very limited occasions when a longer drive might save time.

[trophyshy 6605]

Ultimately by scrimping on these things across the organisation they are trying to keep you in a job. So get off the fucking internet and earn your crust.

Edited June 12, 2012 by trophyshy

[ajax_andy 0]

I don't think work are screwing you over so much as avoiding being screwed over.

 

Shortest route on Google is a brilliant way to keep people honest, despite the very limited occasions when a longer drive might save time.

 

Whilst I agree that there needs to be some system in place to avoid people taking the piss they also need to recognise that when you're covering 400 miles + a month that they need to be flexible for those who will inadvertently end up racking up extra miles which is inevitable when covering so much distance.

 

I am happy for them to have a system like that in place, but they really need to be able to recognise when someone is genuingly claiming for more than the minimum mileage.

 

Anyway they've backed down and seen the light, but only because I kicked up a fuss about it and also fair play to my boss who also backed me up on the issue which I think helped

[donaldstott 0]

I had a summer job as a teenager that involved ratifying expenses in an exam board. We used to allow a 10 per cent margin of error.

 

One women tried to claim a hotel stay for a journey from Doncaster to Newcastle. As an officious little pr1ck I knocked it back.

Turned out that she had narcolepcy, and even a three hour journey was too much before she had to have a snooze.

[ajax_andy 0]

Ultimately by scrimping on these things across the organisation they are trying to keep you in a job. So get off the fucking internet and earn your crust.

 

Haha touche!