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Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

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Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#601

Post by nephihaha »

zahlman wrote: post #425
dale_glass wrote: post #373

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you still should be able to expect a bit of accommodation on trains that cross country borders or go to airports. The EU makes travel between EU countries as easy as travel between US states. You can just get on a train from Germany to Spain without any prior planning.

It's also unusual given how much English you'll hear in Germany nowadays (at least in major, tourist-attracting cities) in just about any other context.

Too much English. I noticed this indoctrination way back when they released Ice Age over there for kids. The title wasn't even translated into German.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#602

Post by jasonvorhe »

I guess that's what happens if you live in a failed state. It's like watching an accident happen in super slow motion. I live rather remotely and 90% of bus drivers don't even speak German so when they skip a station despite you pushing the button to signal wanting to exit, you basically can't even communicate, leading to having to walk up to 2km with all your grocery bags.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#603

Post by renewiltord »

sajithdilshan wrote: post #223

Unfortunately nowadays traveling with DB has become a game of Russian roulette. If you get lucky the train arrives at the destination ahead of time and if you're unlucky most probably a delay of 4+ hours and missing your connecting train. The main reason for this is lack of competition for DB in Germany. I used to date a guy who works at infra department in DB and based on what he told me, I couldn't believe how inef…

That’s pretty strange about this competition thing. I’ve been repeatedly informed that the government is much better at running things like this.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#604

Post by jltsiren »

zahlman wrote: post #421
jltsiren wrote: post #340

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never had trouble buying train tickets with a credit card in Germany. If I had to guess, your issue was that you were trying to use a card that didn't support chip-and-PIN or contactless payments.

> didn't support chip-and-PIN or contactless payments. As opposed to... swiping the card? Are there really cards out there that exclusively support that?

Chip and signature, which often means just the chip without further authentication.

EMV has multiple options. Many countries (including the US) chose the signature option for credit cards for convenience and use PINs only with debit cards. Before contactless payment apps became common, that was a major source of friction when using American credit cards in Europe.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#605

Post by potato3732842 »

samiv wrote: post #449
BloondAndDoom wrote: post #131

I feel like we lost humanity somewhere in modern world. I grew up in 3rd world country and if this were to happen, train would literally stop somewhere, anywhere. (With the assumption it’s safe from crewing into another train). But the idea that you go 55 minutes just because of policy; and skip 15 stations is crazy to me. Again with the assumptions that it can safely stop somewhere for 5m and I’m pretty sure the ans…

There's a saying "In a developing country nothing works but everything is possible. In a developed country everything works but nothing is possible" In Lord of the Rings, fellowship of the ring when Gandalf arrives in Shire and Sam runs to meet him he says, "you're late!" to which Gandalf replies, "Deutsche Bahn is never late but arrives precisely when it means to".

The quality of culture and people you're dealing with has a huge multiplicative factor as well.

"I'm going to manufacture precision optics at competitive prices, right here, and I'm gonna tool up a factory to do it" is bold but believable in Houston or Dallas. It's a fucking joke in Trenton or Newark.

Likewise there's a whole bunch of ex-soviet 'stans and random east asian countries where such a statement is far more believable than middle easter, african and latin american ones that are of comparable GDP.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#606

Post by wat10000 »

alex_young wrote: post #551
BloondAndDoom wrote: post #131

I feel like we lost humanity somewhere in modern world. I grew up in 3rd world country and if this were to happen, train would literally stop somewhere, anywhere. (With the assumption it’s safe from crewing into another train). But the idea that you go 55 minutes just because of policy; and skip 15 stations is crazy to me. Again with the assumptions that it can safely stop somewhere for 5m and I’m pretty sure the ans…

Lost humanity is right, and it stems from lost community. During the Great Financial Crisis astute observers pointed to the loss of local bankers for most transactions as a component of the multifaceted structural causes. When you have your mortgage through the bank down the street, you're much less likely to mail them the keys instead of paying your bill, especially if you have to see the banker in the grocery store…

It’s been boiling for a long time. Steinbeck wrote this nearly a century ago:

"I built it with my hands. Straightened old nails to put the sheathing on. Rafters are wired to the stringers with baling wire. It's mine. I built it. You bump it down — I'll be in the window with a rifle. You even come to close and I'll pot you like a rabbit."

"It's not me. There's nothing I can do. I'll lose my job if I don't do it. And look — suppose you kill me? They'll just hang you, but long before your hung there will be another guy on the tractor, and he'll bump the house down. You're not killing the right guy."

"That's so," the tenant said. "Who gave you orders? I'll go after him. He's the one to kill."

"You're wrong. He got his orders from the bank. The bank told them: "Clear those people out or it's your job."

"Well, there's a president of the bank. There's a Board of Directors. I'll fill up the magazine of the rifle and go into the bank."

The driver said: "Fellow was telling me the bank gets orders from the East. The orders were: "Make the land show profit or we'll close you up."

"But where does it stop? Who can we shoot? I don't aim to starve to death before I kill the man that's starving me."

"I don't know. Maybe there's nobody to shoot. Maybe the thing isn't man at all. Maybe, like you said, the property's doing it. Anyway I told you my orders."

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#607

Post by otikik »

stingraycharles wrote: post #422
this_user wrote: post #403

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So much in German work culture - and also culture in general - is about covering your own arse. If you follow the procedure, even if the outcome is disaster, you are not at fault; you were just implementing the rules, and you cannot be held accountable. It's the fault of whoever came up with the rules, except that is usually not a single person, but some amorphous entity that ran through some decision making process…

My favorite part of German work culture is watching an excel sheet together and going over the numbers. My actual favorite part of German work culture is that meetings always have an agenda, that part is a delight when doing business with German customers.

Sorry, the zoom meeting link has changed so now the meeting will take 4 hours and you must get the agenda by FAX.

(this is what happened to OP)

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#608

Post by wizzwizz4 »

nephihaha wrote: post #590
wizzwizz4 wrote: post #547

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The current UK government is re-nationalising the railways. Several operators are currently nationalised (and the train fares have dropped!), and the plan is for all of them to be, once the contracts run out.

The Welsh government has already nationalised local trains.

I'm still not sure why everywhere's devolved except England.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#609

Post by nephihaha »

potato3732842 wrote: post #587
nephihaha wrote: post #570

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We live in a society where complaining is considered "verbal abuse" or "harassment", but where we have to put up and shut up about everything going on. The message out of 2020 and 2021, is that the big people know what they're doing and we don't.

We live in a society where being the victim of verbal abuse or harassment or various isms and all sorts of other petty things confers legitimacy and power upon one's opinion. There's a subtle difference. Thankfully it seems to be waning slightly.

No, I don't mean that at all. I've had to complain about things before and they accuse you of shouting (when you're not). They almost want people to swear, and rile them up, because that gives them the excuse to do nothing.

Re: Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn

#610

Post by ernst_klim »

matrss wrote: post #260
Zufriedenheit wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

DB is not privatized. It is 100% owned by the state.

DB has been reorganized as an AG in the 90s, i.e. a corporation under private law. They are forced to (at least try to) make a profit for their shareholders, which is a common trait of private organizations. They consistently do so via short-sighted (mis-)management, another common trait with many private organizations. This privatized corporation is indeed fully owned by the state as its only shareholder, but unfort…

That's ridiculous. DB is not even trying to become profitable, not is there any evidence that it's sole shareholder, aka the government, sets it as a target.
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