Any Uk/european Lawyers Posting On Here?

[technocracy]

Right then here is the story,

A few months back I was offered a contract working in Vietnam for a German company, literally 2 days before the weekend I was supposed to start they pulled the offer - this bit I don't have any real gripes about, well I did at the time but I kind of knew it would happen . . . let me explain.

The role was for a urgent but very specialised position which I know they couldn't get anyone to fill i.e. the agency who was doing the recruiting told me there one target reject the position, I only saw the ad late on after a week or so after being placed so considering the time frame they were working in they were left with no one who could fill the position. That when I appeared!

Anyway the 'offer' then disappeared for about a month (some much for urgent!) then out of the blue they came back and told me they wanted me start the next week - no interview just on my CV . . my suspicions were raised immediately! But anyway so I spent the week prior to my suposed start date arranging everything i.e. Hotels, Flights, Visas etc. Being wise in the ways I didn't actually pay for any of them since I didn't have a contract - I just spent time (alot of it as well!) organising them ready. This was mainly leg work driving around Vientiane to Viet Embassy, Vietnam Airlines and then arranging Hotels .. .. which if you've never tried to prebook driect hotels in Vietnam I can tell you from experience it's a painfully slow experience!

Like I said before I was suspicious of if the offer was genuine or not - since with only a week til the start date they hadn't provided anything. They then mentioned on the Wed of the week that because I don't have a Masters Degree there might be a problem with their end client . . . strangely they never mentioned this in the prior month! I immediately thought ok that's there card out of the offer - however much to my surprise later that day I recieve the Visa Invite letter from the company. So I think all is good!

Wrong - the next morning that email saying the client wants someone with a masters degree so they pull the offer.

Obviously I was at that point pissed off - they managed to waste the best part of my week with their wild goose chase and obvious lies. The said they would compensate . . . so I billed them for 3 days of time at the agreed contract rate, which in my opinion is fair since these 3 days I have essentially been working for them.

However they basically are refusing to pay . .. . they mentioned will only cover for invoiced expenses not time.

In summary: They call me on the Friday saying they want me on site by a week on monday (at the latest), expect me to arrange everything (this was because I am 'local' to Vietnam - anyone from the UK would be fully expensed), even provide a visa letter then pull the offer on the Thursday prior to the Monday (they promised the contract in writing also - I know this doesn't mean much!).

The whole saga has been a bunch of bullshit from them from the very beginning. They tried to even blame me and the agent for not knowing their client required a Masters Degree! They were even going to decieve their client by telling them that I'd worked for them for 12 months prior . . . but couldn't make up a degree! I expect from prior experience that they were facing a breach of contract with the client if someone wasnt on site for the date agreed and I was basically the sacrificial lamb to stop any breach occurring, as the client rejected their 'employee' who would of been on site in terms with the contract.

So what do you think? Do I have any grounds to chase payment? The amount in question here is 1500 Euro not huge amounts but enough to annoy!

Any advice is welcome - Thanks in advance . .

Edited December 5, 2007 by technocracy