Bare International After 12 years as a contractor, company didn't reimburse me for $900 in travel Fairfax Virginia

I have worked for BAI for 12 years as one of their top evaluators as an independent contractor, never had any problems. 3 months ago they got a new huge client and I have been doing a lot of work for them evaluating hotels, casinos etc. It required putting up to $5000 on my credit card at a time and waiting to be reimbursed/paid often a month after the jobs. I did a last minute job for them last month in Florida for a kennel club and poker room.  It cost a lot more in travel expenses due to the last minute job and I was offered $375 and $50 bonus pay.  My expenses were $900.

 

The client questioned a few things I did and I got an email from BAI while I was on a cruise, and had told them I wouldn't be in contact regularly. The client made the decision to no longer use me without waiting for me to explain.  BAI told me the client didn't want to debate it. A couple of the things were out of my control such as evaluating the same person more than once when they said 3 other people were working during the 24 hours I was there. I never saw anyone else behind the counter on all the times I went up. They also were upset I didn't evaluate a concession that was open when I got there but closed the rest of my visit, since it was open only during race times and the race times were different than what their website had said, since they had just been changed. I did email BAI about this while I was there and redid the same concession twice.  There were also a couple mistakes where I mixed up names, valid on their part to be upset about but could have been clarified if they let me respond. All of these things are problems I've had in the past here and there and I'm sure other shoppers have too, and not lost work for it, and were such a small portion of the length of the detail and report they were able to use. 

 

Anyway, the client declined my report and took me off all their jobs, a loss of $1500 in work.  BAI is reimbursing me for the nonrefundable flights for the cancelled jobs but not for the job in question. I understand if they don't want to pay me the fee if they can't use the job, but I put $900 on my credit card for this job with the promise to be reimbursed and they are not reimbursing me. I even offered to redo the job at my expednse. BAI still wants to use me as a shopper so they aren't saying I did anything so horrible, its the clients decision. I work for BAI not the client so I feel its not my problem if the client won't pay them. 

 

My contract says they can withold partial or all of pay/reimbursement if a report is late or not correct, but these issues were not in writing that they are saying I did wrong, wo what is "correct' is disputable.  I signed this electronic contract 12 years ago when I was making only $7 a job.  The majority of jobs in this industry pay $7-$10. It takes years of experience to get the type of high profile jobs that require such a large outlay of money that i have been doing. This is a large sum of money ontop of the $1500 in pay for cancelled jobs I am not getting. I really just want the $900 to pay my credit card. Is it worth persueing with small claims court or a lawyer? I imagine a lawyer will cost me too much to be worthwhile. The BBB doesn't handle employment problems

 

I'm really upset about this, especially given my history with this company.  I'd think they'd help me out on this cost as a good faith gesture and to hold their reputation. I've always respected and trusted them in the past, but this is a huge amount of risk taken on by me to do these jobs and I can't believe I am out $900 for a jpb I did.