Conference 7.286::digital

    What is a "class A" rental car?

The DEC profile with AVIS still calls for Class B.

Finding a class A is a good trick.  Last week when I rented a car in Orlando
there were only monsters in the lot.  Of course, DEC's agreement is that we
get the rate for the class we ordered, even if not available, and that we can
always request at least a class B.

Last November when I rented an A car at Heathrow (on my own money), I got a
B at the A rate because they didn't have any As.  The difference is a whole �
a day.

/john

                And then there are those of us that because of their
        size (height) will refuse to drive a car that is too small no
        matter what the policy. If they want me to travel, I get a car
        that I can drive!
                
                /s/     Bob

        Hear, hear. And that goes for airline seats, too!
        
        q
        

    Well, those that know me will have to admit that I'd look more
    comfortable in a class "b" than on a bike. As to airline travel,
    I have no complaints, my manager uses his discretion :-)
    
    More seriously, is this part of a general erosion of business travel
    "goodies" as part of our becoming a "big" company? Or is it the
    result of small company thinking?
    
    Just thinking "aloud"...

    Another new policy: when staying with friends, my managers P&P now
    states:
    
     a) a maximum of �12($18)/day  can be paid for board 
        
    and 
 
    b) a receipt must be obtained. 

    As this is not a discretionary rule, and I find a) cheap and b)
    eembarassing, I will now stay in hotels. This will cost Digital a lot
    more money than the old system of simply buying a house gift or
    somesuch (CDs, handbag, perfume, malt scotch, whatever) and claiming
    the costs. This option is no longer open, apparently. 
    
    As an example, staying at a Hilton in N. Hampshire will cost DEC
    $68/night. Plus hotel meals. Plus hotel phone call prices.
    
    It seems that trusting employees to "do the right thing" may be
    going out of the window.
    
    Shame.    

    re: .7--Gee, I always thought that when staying with friends
    I was not entitled to charge anything to DEC.  Staying with
    friends is so much nicer than staying in a hotel that I don't
    mind paying for the "house gift" out of my own pocket.
        John Sauter

I just checked the current policy in the ZK VTX infobase, updated this
month.  No mention of "management discretion" in the Business Class air
travel policy -- but all expenses are at management discretion!

Compact (B), not Sub-Compact (A), is still shown as the proper size
for rental cars:

Automobile Rentals - Automobile rentals should be used when public
transportation or Company-provided vehicles are unavailable or
inadequate.  Compact size cars should be used unless there is a
business reason to do otherwise.  Use the service of either Avis
Rent A Car System, Inc., or National Car Rental System, Inc., and
identify yourself as a Digital employee to get the corporate rate.
Digital has international agreements with these agencies and cost
savings under our corporate agreements are substantial.

The "staying with friends" reimbursement was originally only a part of the
relocation policy, but was added to the business travel policy a few years
ago.  Still no mention of receipts in the U.S. (In fact, if the person you
were staying with gave you a receipt, it would have to be in return for
direct payment, and would be taxable as income!!  Are you sure the intent
of the U.K. version of the policy is to get a receipt from the host, or are
you just supposed to get receipts for the gifts and/or meals you buy for
your host?)

Employees who stay with friends or relatives on a business trip are
authorized a reimbursement of $20.00 per day or the local country
equivalent to provide the host with assistance in defraying the
additional expenses of meals and lodging for the employee.
Occasionally, additional meals per day may need to be authorized by
the manager when there is a business reason for the expense.

/john

    hmmmm.
    
    since it is probable that DEC(UK) employees travel more in Europe than
    in the rest of the world I guess this may be more reasonable than it
    sounds on the surface.
    
    If a payment includes VAT (Value Added Tax, the European Economic
    Communities equivalent of sales tax), then if it is a legitamate business
    expense, and if you have a VAT receipt (bearing the recipient's VAT
    registration number), then DEC can claim back the tax. The rules on
    how companies must operate expense reimbursement schemes are laid down
    in Britain by HM Customs & Excise. DEC may be stricter than the C&E
    rules, but not laxer. So it may not be DEC's fault.
                                           
    Incidentally I once went on a visit to a customer on a bus (my car was
    in the garage that day) - my manager insisted on my stapling the two
    12p tickets to my expense claim before he would submit it to petty cash!
    
    Also the government(s) in Britain have for years been clamping down
    on hidden perks being used instead of income, which they see as a nasty
    plot to deprive them of lots of boodle. It may be that noises have been
    made to the effect that not using the smallest hire car or the cheapest
    plane ticket is a possible future "additional income" item for the Inland
    Revenue to tax you on.
    
    So answer this hypothetical question, if the above becomes law at some
    time in the future would you still choose to travel business class rather
    than coach if the slight increase in comfort led to about �500 being
    added to your income (ie you'd be out of pocket about �160 for your
    trip).
    
    Of course the other way to travel business is to join a frequent flier
    program and build up enough miles to get the automatic upgrade - DEC
    pays coach fare, and you travel business class (do these schemes operate
    in Britain yet?)
    
    /. Ian .\

  The English pound sign is printed as a white rectangle on VT102's
in the U.S. unless the user has selected the "UK character set" in
the setup feature. The UK character set causes the # character 
(two horizontal lines and two vertical intersecting) to be non-
printing. 
  Sorry if I'm being too picky. I figured out what the mystery
character is, but some readers might not.

>  The English pound sign is printed as a white rectangle on VT102's
>in the U.S. unless the user has selected the "UK character set" in
>the setup feature. The UK character set causes the # character 
>(two horizontal lines and two vertical intersecting) to be non-
>printing. 

Totally inaccurate.  The author of the note in question did not use
the UK pound sign; he used the DEC MCS � sign.  If that appeared as
a rectangle, not as a "#" on your terminal it would still do so even
with the UK character set selected.  BTW, "#" is also known as "pound
sign."

DEC MCS / ISO Latin-1 is the new standard character set.  People with
VT1xx terminals are going to have to suffer, or get the ROM upgrade
and run TFF.

/john

Sorry. I should have tried reading the reply with the UK character
set selected instead of assuming that was the problem.
This is the first I have heard that the character set used on 100-
series terminals is out of date.