Frustrated with Unpaid Interview Travel Expenses: How Can I Get My Money Back?

Robert Bosch in Bangalore has called me for an interview from Pune to Bangalore. It was decided that they would reimburse me even if the offer was not issued, but now they are not reimbursing my money and are trying to give some account-related excuses. It's been more than 4 months that I've been fighting with them through calls and emails. Please let me know if there is any concrete approach to get my money back. I'm planning to make an official police complaint with all the evidence I have. Please assist me in taking the correct approach.

If you have any written proof, such as an email from their side in which they mentioned that they will reimburse even if the offer is not issued, then you can legally claim.

Regards,
Taksh

Company's Responsibility for Reimbursement

It is the responsibility of the company, when they call someone for an interview, to reimburse the traveling and other related expenditures. To that extent, they might be communicating with the candidates. I believe the same communication might have been with you. Whether you get selected or not, it is their responsibility to reimburse the expenses.

I suggest writing a letter to the senior management, attaching a xerox copy of the call letter. In the letter, address the delaying practices of their junior management team and also mention that if the reimbursement is not cleared within 15 days from the date of receipt of the letter, legal action will be taken.

Regards,
Kamesh

I attended an interview with Robert Bosch in Coimbatore in September 2011. A person named Prem from ER Consulting scheduled me for the embedded system project manager role. At that time, he informed me that Bosch would reimburse the travel expenses up to a 3-tier AC train ticket. I booked a Volvo bus ticket from Bangalore to Coimbatore. I successfully cleared all the rounds, but to my surprise, Bosch offered a salary that was 2 lakh less than my current salary. Consequently, I declined the offer. However, they assured me that the travel expenses would be reimbursed within 3 weeks.

I maintained constant communication with Prem and Girish from ER Consulting, as well as with HR personnel G. Kalaiselvi and Suganya from Bosch. After a month, when I inquired about the reimbursement, they requested that I resend the ticket copies via post. I complied and sent the copies to HR personnel Malar Kurinji and Asha Begum. Despite my efforts and follow-ups, Prem and Girish kept providing false updates, claiming that the reimbursement was still "under process."

It has now been almost 6 months, and I have received no response from ER Consulting or the Bosch team. Even reaching out to Manikandan, a senior HR member at Bosch, yielded no results. I am uncertain whether this issue lies with the consultant or with Bosch. Upon discussing with my friends, I discovered that they had faced similar challenges with the Bosch Coimbatore team. It appears that the HR team at Bosch is ill-equipped to handle basic HR policies. If they cannot address candidate concerns adequately, why are they designated as human resources?

Feeling frustrated by the lack of progress, I am contemplating visiting the consultant's office with the police to demand my reimbursement. ER Consulting and Bosch Coimbatore seem to be deceiving candidates through such practices.