There’s nothing more frustrating than company policies that overlook real-life situations.

So, what would you do if you needed a quick meal but weren’t allowed to charge for room service?

Would you pay for it yourself?

Or would you take the policy to heart and get company approval before doing anything – even if it meant making an expensive long-distance phone call?

In today’s story, one employee takes the policy at face value.

Here’s how it went down.

Can’t order room service unless approved prior? I will wait.

About two decades ago, I worked for a company that reimbursed meals when you work out of town.

BUT NO ROOM SERVICE.

Not even if you order within allowance.

I was once too tired to go out after a 06:30 to 20:30 work day, so I had to pay out of pocket because accounts bounced the receipt.

Not long after, I was meeting two sets of clients in my suite in a country a continent away.

The first one overran only one hour before the next, and I had to set up the room.

He called the accounts department but had to wait for the manager.

It was a time when long-distance calls were ridiculously expensive.

So, I called accounts.

The assistant manager took the call, but the manager was nowhere to be found.

AM: I will ask her to call you back

Me: I need to know, as there is just scarcely enough time for me to shove food in. I will hold the call.

The manager returned about 10 mins later.

The manager realized this was going to be an expensive phone call.

Me: So, may I order room service? There is not enough time to set up if I have to leave for food.

Manager: ….you do know this call will probably cost more than your meal, right?

Me: Of course. But I don’t want to violate company policy. So, do I get your approval to order room service?

At this point, she was happy to rely on his discretion.

Manager: (sigh) Yes, you may. Next time, use your discretion and common sense.

Me: But common sense is not that common in this company……

She never messed with me on reimbursement again.

Bravo! That was one way to teach her a lesson.

Let’s see what the folks over at Reddit had to say about this situation.

This was smart!

Some policies are just silly.

Wow! This is crazy!

Here’s someone with a lot of questions.

It’s surprising they didn’t change the policy.

If someone is working on a different continent, they should be able to buy food from wherever they want – as long as it’s within budget.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.