The blonde woman at the counter just looked at him with no expression and said ‘Nein. Nicht möglich’ (no, not possible) without the slightest regard for his condition (he was still panting and it looked like his train was going to leave in a few minutes). I was so annoyed at her indifference that I left the counter and decided to come back another time when a slightly more considerate person becomes available. I observed the guy then run towards the train, approach the TTR and come back with a dejected look on his face. He was still a little out of breath; I felt really bad for the guy and the least I could do was offer him some water.
He told me that he asked the TTR if it was ok to travel without the printout if he can show the ticket as a .pdf on his laptop. Apparently the TTR refused in a very German I-will-stick-to-rules-come-what-may manner. He went on to explain that the next train was only 1.5 hours later and he would have to spend at least 60 euro for a new ticket (not to mention the current one being a complete waste since he will not get any refund) and this 1.5 hour delay was going to jeopardize his onward journey. The guy woefully adds that he has been using Deutsche Bahn for 7 years now on a bi-weekly basis. For this treatment of a long-time customer, all I could do was sympathize with him and wish him luck.
He told me that he asked the TTR if it was ok to travel without the printout if he can show the ticket as a .pdf on his laptop. Apparently the TTR refused in a very German I-will-stick-to-rules-come-what-may manner. He went on to explain that the next train was only 1.5 hours later and he would have to spend at least 60 euro for a new ticket (not to mention the current one being a complete waste since he will not get any refund) and this 1.5 hour delay was going to jeopardize his onward journey. The guy woefully adds that he has been using Deutsche Bahn for 7 years now on a bi-weekly basis. For this treatment of a long-time customer, all I could do was sympathize with him and wish him luck.
For all the efficiency the Deutsche Bahn boasts of, they could make this process simple:
- by allowing people to print tickets out from the ticket machines using the reference number (by charging a small fee, they can make sure that people use it only occasionally and not all the time)
- by allowing people to show .pdf with a valid id (at the cost of a fine, if this will incur extra administrative work)
- and finally by making their employees behave with some basic human courtesy even if they are incapable of providing “friendly customer service” (customer service in general is extremely poor in Germany when compared to India or the US. To be fair, their definition of customer services is providing something for a fee and not a tad bit more).
With more and more trains failing to live up to the ‘German punctuality standards’ and with such customer service, the Deutsche Bahn is definitely not going to make more money by simply offering discounted prices.
**For those of you not familiar with the procedure, the online ticket usually has a 6 digit reference number using which you can access the ticket at anytime before your journey and you always have to have an id (the credit card or a rail pass) to go with it
Photo copyright: The collage is mine but the photo with the TTR is from google search
Well just curious.. is it because it was Chinese or in general even to other German/Europeans the service is poor..
ReplyDeleteinteresting that you say customer service in India is better..
its tough to get a ticket in the last minute in Indian railways or in state transport unless you are ready to compromise on your ethics and bribe people.. am not being cynical .. just another perspective from here..
Cheers,
-Anand
here if u dont hv the e-ticket it is 50rs fine...only if u dont produce a valid id its an issue here....
ReplyDelete@Anand
ReplyDeleteThe service is always poor. When I meant customer service, I did not mean an 'additional' privilege like getting a ticket at the last minute. I mean the 'basic' service. Like Deepak says, there is just a fine for not having the e-ticket (so forgetfulness of the customer is accounter for and is forgiven).
ah rite.. i dint get the context rite..roger that..in that aspect , we seem to apply common sense better ...
ReplyDeletedo the other Germans/Europeans get the same bad service? from the context of the post, it seems the way...or are there double standards ?
Cheers,
-Anand
@Anand
ReplyDeleteI havent personally seen double standards. Everyone gets poor service...I guess thats the silver lining !
I think this company is really needing some kind of European support services , don't you think?
ReplyDeleteNice post, thanks for sharing
@Muni: I agree with u, that DB can charge little amount for dup ticket.
ReplyDeleteMany overseas travelers have a problem with DB online tickets, because they require a credit card number as the ID to present with the ticket. They will not accept a passport number. If the credit card is stolen or lost before the customer can use the ticket, there is no way to change the ID number on the ticket. Customer service says that you must cancel that ticket and buy a new one. But there may be only expensive tickets left, at that short notice, so you end up paying a lot more.
ReplyDelete