TopBanana

Managed to double the cost of my room last night with phone calls, restaurant and room service. So, as Columbo would put it, I got to thinking... What's the best jolly you've ever pulled off?

fast bloke

Asked the boss if I could take the entire board of our biggest client on a corporate team building excercise. He agreed and left the spend up to me. (He was expecting paint balling or go karting, then dinner and beer for 10 people - max 100 quid a head)

I asked the guys what they wanted to do. The suggested a weekend on a pleasure cruiser, so we did. Three boats at 1200.00 each 1800.00 for food. 2 grand for beer. Other bits and pieces (rally school on Saturday afternoon ) brought the total cost to 9 grand. He nearly **** when he saw the bill, but they signed a 4M quid contract with us 6 weeks later, so he let me off

Silliest extravagance I have ever witnesses was a guy (not our company) who had a meeting in Glasgow in the morning and Dublin in the afternoon. Instead of rescheduling one for a different day, he paid 4 grand for a chartered helicopter When he got to Dublin one of the guys he was meeting didn't show up. Laugh - I nearly shat

Dr Lurve

Having to stay in the Grand Canyon over the weekend, to get the cheaper stay a Saturday nite flights..

JackClark

Suite for a week in the Emirates Towers, Dubai because there were no other rooms available!! This thing was double the size of my house with living room, 2 bedrooms - one with panaramic view and rise from the floor TV, 3 bathrooms, office and reception. Outstanding waste of money. Had a lady friend stay over

Phil

Just got back from one 4 days golfing in Spain

72 holes
3 night clubs
less than 10 hours sleep

Clients enjoyed it (bugger if I can remeber a thing)

Phil

RichB

My girlfriend was working at the same company as me but had to work in the US for a few weeks. I arranged a 'meeting' with one of my colleagues, this took a day but strangley coincided with my GFs weeks holiday at the end of her time there, we had a 10 day holiday in Florida for the cost of an internal flight, about £50 each I think it was, Schweeeet

Managed to stay in a 5* hotel in Melbourne and get a day in Sydney too, I went fix to a bug that took about 3 hours, if they had given us the correct information I need not have gone bummer

kryten

Oh sh*t trip to LA at a days notice. Convertible hire car, unlimited bar bills and a few days out on the company, plus as the client was Warner Bros, got to buy cheap animation cells at employee rates and see MJ making Space Jam. Plus as I stayed on over the weekend (watching the beach volleyball), they paid for me to take my wife out when I got back! Arrived home and handed my notice in before the Company Amex bills arrived

Needed to go to Atlanta for a few days to collect business requirements from users. They sorted it out so I went when the Monday was a US holiday. Was over there for 10 days, did 3.5 days work 9-4 and charged for 8 days PLUS I got my family's flights/meals paid for too

Thunderbird555

A couple of years ago, 8 of us (Shy Muppet included) went on a 3 day global team-building exercise to Florida.

We stayed in The Grand Floridian (and then all stayed on an extra 3 days in cheaper Disney hotels - well we were paying for the extra days), had 6 day Disney passes thrown in and flew upper class.

Have no idea what the final bill was - but flights alone > 30k!!

Oh - the good old days, I think that was an offer never to be repeated!

A few weeks later, we went on a training course in Slough (no disrespect to Slough, but it was a bit of a come down)

Shy Muppet

I've escaped from Muppets as I heard my name mentioned. Blinding trip!!! Flew first class, big hotel rooms, great food, everything paid for by the company. Wot more could you ask for!

Oh well, Better get back to Muppet Kingdom!!!

Sheepsplitter

Had a week all expenses paid in Hawaii as an "Excellence Award" prize a few years ago for a company I worked for.
Very nice.

Scotty Boy

I do some occasional IT consulting for a cleaning company, they were hosting a 10 day international cleaning conference at Disney World, Florida. They decided that, just in case, they should have some IT support - although this was part of the conference pack provided by Disney.

So with two months notice, they called and offered;
flights paid, a double executive room at the Disney Swan Hotel (about £300 a night), all expenses for the trip, a limo to drive me around, free pass around Disney, and best of all - they paid me twice my normal rate for the hassle of me not being able to leave the Disney complex

Best food, drink and pleasure island certainly was that

They are hosting another conference in Korea in 2004 - FINGERS crossed

Sbradley

Ending up watching Aerosmith at the Atlanta Braves stadium, getting all my food and drink paid for by Sony, getting my flight and hotel paid for by my customer and getting my time paid for by my regular employer (Ahem.) And getting some stupendous sex (not paid for by anyone, I hasten to add).

All on my birthday.

Mike P

I worked for new media company (Razorfish), who bought another firm and as an "integration meeting" flew the entire company(based all over the US, Scandanavia and Europe) to Las Vegas. For the weekend.

Over 1,400 people went, and we all stayed at the Mandalay Bay hotel on the strip.

Strangely, apart from an office in New York they pretty much went out of business, but it was fun while it lasted.

carpet

10 minutes work on client site, 7 days in Dublin all paid for thankyou very much. Oh and I told the customer to stop wasting my time hehehe ! So they took me and colleague out for mucho **** up to say sorry !! ''

Mo

I sent two guys out to Tel Aviv for two days to install 4 cat5 cables.

BA had double booked their seats so they were upgraded to 1st class and on arrival there was no cable. Our stores had sent everything else but Our client insisted that the cable be shipped from the UKs so it was sent out next day but the couriers got it wrong big time and sent it to Telford, it begins in T I suppose!

Eight days later my chaps were on a plane on their way home after spending a week on the beach, staying in a top hotel with £70/day expenses (beer tokens) and after carrying out just three hours work!

Damn, I knew I should have gone on that one

P1Fanatic

Let me guess you all work in sales. If my company is anything to go by you get all the benefits/expenses for selling a product (one that doesnt even need selling) and us tech people keep it working for the next 5 years and get f@ck all for our trouble.

Not that Im at all bitter

Simon.

Scotty Boy

hi p1fanatic,

afraid not mate - i am the technical guy that implements the IT solution in the companies. Obviously must have done a good job

or maybe all the chicks just really fancied me - ROFL or worse may all the ........... say no more !!

Shy Muppet

Nope - just lowly word processor operators (well, bit more than that really, but definately don't sell anything).

Sbradley

Nope, technical consultant.

Whatever that means

Markus

Not really anything to rival your posts but here goes.

We were at Apple Expo in Paris in 2000, week long trip. Day time was very boring, and long. night time however was party time. drank more booze than I can remember, had a great laugh. Went to a few clubs, and had lots of fun. All paid by company.

Last 2 and current trip to the USA (where I am at the moment!) on business. Nice appartment, nice office. Daytime is work, but night time is down the boozer, or any resturant we fancy, full on expenses! lots of fun!

Richard Askew

..I've done 3 fifths of **** all for the last 4 months and been paid **** loads for doing it...

Phil

Wonder if any tax inspectors are reading this thread?

Phil

imlach

All 500 of us in our department were flown from Edinburgh to Cannes for a 2 day trip all expenses paid jolly with free food & alcohol.
Chartered 2 737's.
Reward was for good results over previous year.

Stayed in the Grand something hotel on the beachfront that all the filmstars stay in during the film festival.

Needless to say, some people took it too far drink wise!!!

[Edited by imlach - 4/10/2002 12:03:14 PM]