"A bank promised to reimburse my interview costs. And didn't"

I am writing here because I wonder if anyone else has had the same experience as me in trying to retrieve travel costs from an investment bank?

I'm a student in France and I was invited for an interview with a well-known European bank in London last November. Travelling to the interview and staying overnight in a hotel cost me £300 ($386) and I was informed that the bank would reimburse me for my costs. 

I submitted my expenses with the appropriate receipts and nearly a year later I still haven't received any money. I've emailed them numerous times but have heard nothing back. I also heard nothing back after the interview and did not get the job.

I'm not sure what to do.  £300 is a significant amount of money for me as a student. I've interviewed with other banks and the costs can mount up quickly if travel can't be reclaimed. Usually banks are prompt payers, but in this case it hasn't happened.

The bank in question seems to have a culture of being tight-fisted. One of my friends interned there last summer and the interns had to pay for their drinks (even for water) at their 'farewell party.' The interns were understandably annoyed, but couldn't complain because they were all waiting to see if they had a fulltime offer.  

Let me know in the comments box below if you have any suggestions on my best course of action. I worked over the summer to recoup my expenses, but not every student is a fortunate as I am. It's not fair for banks to treat us like this and I'd like to know if anyone else has experienced similar treatment and to stop this happening again.

Dylan Camille is a pseudonym

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