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Landsknecht posted:We never filed a police report, but I went to the hospital and my bike is damaged, Wh...what.?  I know piling on now is of little use, but you really need to feel how much we're trying to drive this point home, because I don't know a single country where I would just be okay with the situation you described and walk away without the authorities bearing witness to any of it in some form. Then again, there seems to be a truckload of negligence to go around on this one, because if noone in the hospital asked you what happened or how it happened and/or, upon mentioning that this happened during a traffic accident just prior to your entering the hospital, did not follow up on that, I don't even know how they filed it and how you (as a non-german?) expected to be covered. As people have said before, you should have called the cops on the spot, period. Even if you hadn't attempted to retain any witnesses on the scene of the accident yourself, the cops would have done this. Filing a claim for damages on that basis would have been easy as all gently caress, the only option the Unfallgegner would have had is to attempt to slow down and/or clutter the proceedings with motions and all other kinds of legal jibberjabber. Bottom line would still have been you probably coming out on top. The way things are looking now, I doubt either (!) of you will be able to make any form of claim stick without mutual consent or a ton of legal pressure from either camp. Keep in mind that if you were to give him your particulars and Haftpflichtversicherungsnummer or not, this wouldn't change anything. Giving someone that information isn't some magical admission of guilt nor does it enable them to enforce some form of claim against you simply because they have some 8 digit number assigned to you. Him filing the paperwork to his insurance company along with the particulars of the Unfallgegner isn't anything out of the ordinary, so him simply asking for your particulars doesn't indicate anything as to whatever the gently caress he's planning to do. But to reiterate what everyone else already posted: Get legal counsel. It's as easy as that. Seeing as you didn't file a police report and probably didn't secure the details of any witnesses, I kinda doubt you'll be advised to file a claim for dat sweet dollah dollah bill and all, but even without witnesses, there's physical evidence you ran a drat bicycle into his door and since trying to cover that up is a bitch as long as you know whose door you ran it into, I'd wager any Schadensersatzclaim for the bike would go through uncontested. But again, don't rely on online jibberjabber, retain counsel, get paid.
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Jun 26, 2013 02:46
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The_Skeeter posted:I am American looking to attend graduate school abroad for history/philosophy (maybe history of philosophy?). How do the University of Heidelburg and University of Freiburg compare? What's student life like? 
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Jun 26, 2013 08:46
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System Metternich posted:I don't know about Heidelberg, but Freiburg is awesome: the University is great for history (ranked as one of the best in Germany regarding that field), the city itself is neither too small nor too big, at least for me; the student life was again great for a 200,000-people city. Obviously it can't compare to larger cities, but for me coming from a semi-rural background it was more than enough. Freiburg real main asset is its location, though: it is nestled between the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest in one of the warmest and sunniest parts of Germany. France is just a couple of km away, as is Switzerland; you can go skiing in the mountains or hiking along the Rhine, no problem. If you like wine the area is especially great, but I've always been more of a beer drinker so I couldn't tell you much about it except that winegrowing obviously plays an important role there. I know that this sounds like a tourist's brochure, but I studied there for three years and really loved it Exactly this. I've been in Freiburg since last September and it's wonderful. I'm going to miss a lot of things from Germany in general and Freiburg in particular when I go back to the US next month.
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Jun 26, 2013 15:04
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Duzzy Funlop posted:Wh...what.? Yeah I have the contact data (and a report) from a witness who saw it, as well as what the doctors took down when I arrived at the hospital. Additionally I have the license plate number of the person who did it, and their handy number, email and name. It's a week tomorrow, should I go to the police station and make a report early in the morning (I guess I probably will).
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Jun 26, 2013 20:16
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Landsknecht posted:Yeah I have the contact data (and a report) from a witness who saw it, as well as what the doctors took down when I arrived at the hospital. Additionally I have the license plate number of the person who did it, and their handy number, email and name. It's a week tomorrow, should I go to the police station and make a report early in the morning (I guess I probably will). I don't think there is anything the police can do to help you now. Better spend your morning finding a lawyer and setting up a meeting. In the unlikely event that going to the police would be helpful now, your lawyer would tell you to do that. Bring everything that relates to the accident with you, e.g. the witness report, hospital report. Again, lawyers are nothing to be afraid of. They do not charge movie amounts of money and are generally stand-up people.
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Jun 26, 2013 21:27
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Duzzy Funlop posted:Wh...what.? Well, in the Netherlands the police isn't gonna come for a small traffic accident, you just fill in insurance witness forms that everyone should have in their car and send it to your own insurance. Then the companies fight it out. No authorities involved, they don't have enough people to show up for every little thing. But Germany does seem to be more traditional in these things.
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Jun 27, 2013 13:41
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Entropist posted:But Germany does seem to be more traditional in these things. No, the usual reaction is pretty much the same. Small accidents and accidents without or with very little bodily harm are usually nothing that causes the police to show up. It still is smart to call them, however, because as the participant of an accident you are usually not in the right frame of mind to judge whether an accident is worth calling the police or not. Worst case scenario would be an annoyed police officer telling you to stop wasting his time. So better be safe than sorry and call the police. What is more important in Germany, is how you behave if you cause an accident while the other person is not there, i.e. scratching a parking car. Leaving the scene of the accident in this instance is a criminal offense. In cases where you cannot find the other party it is always a good idea to call the police so they can make a report of the accident. By the way, basically every verdict due to a section 142 offense will entail a temporary suspension of your license, even if you are merely slapped with a probation or a fine. Not a good thing to happen, if you need your car for anything work-related.
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Jun 27, 2013 14:43
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System Metternich posted:I don't know about Heidelberg, but Freiburg is awesome: the University is great for history (ranked as one of the best in Germany regarding that field), the city itself is neither too small nor too big, at least for me; the student life was again great for a 200,000-people city. Obviously it can't compare to larger cities, but for me coming from a semi-rural background it was more than enough. Freiburg real main asset is its location, though: it is nestled between the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest in one of the warmest and sunniest parts of Germany. France is just a couple of km away, as is Switzerland; you can go skiing in the mountains or hiking along the Rhine, no problem. If you like wine the area is especially great, but I've always been more of a beer drinker so I couldn't tell you much about it except that winegrowing obviously plays an important role there. I know that this sounds like a tourist's brochure, but I studied there for three years and really loved it Wow, what a great endorsement. I'll certainly put it on my list!
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Jun 27, 2013 22:29
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Two weeks ago i visited Berlin with a couple of friends, and got kind of surprised when two guys yelled at us: "You boys want to buy some cocaine? Try before you buy!" from across the road. More surprisingly was that this was at noon, just outside the S-bahn station in Hackescher Markt. Were they serious, or were they pulling some prank of some kind? I know that there's no shortage of drugs in Berlin, but i thought dealers were mostly in some of their parks or near clubs/subways at nighttime. But at noon, advertised openly? Any Berliners who know how common this is? I got a good laugh out of it, especially from the "try before you buy" statement. I mean, i've been offered "haschisch" at daytime in central Lisbon for example, but that guy was way more subtle and almost whispered it when he was almost face to face with me. Falukorv fucked around with this message at 11:40 on Jun 28, 2013 |
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Jun 28, 2013 03:05
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Argh. What the gently caress is wrong with the weather?  I just want to see the sun again  .
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Jun 28, 2013 08:44
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Popelmon posted:Argh. What the gently caress is wrong with the weather?
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Jun 28, 2013 14:28
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Popelmon posted:Argh. What the gently caress is wrong with the weather? Sorry guys. When the Texans are in Germany, it runs hot and dry. Now that we are gone....
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Jun 28, 2013 15:23
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So, as is always the case with Bahncards, I forgot to cancel mine. After ignoring the first letter (with a new bahncard), I have now recieved a Mahnung that says if I don't pay within a week this will go to an Inkassofirma. But, here's the thing: I'm leaving the country in 5 weeks (with currently no serious plans to return, unless I get accepted to a doctorate program), and I am not registered at any address (the type of visa I have was given to me in my home country). I haven't used this Bahncard at all and have emailed DB asking them to cancel it, but as DB always is, they haven't replied and I assume I'll get nothing. So; if I don't pay this mahnung at all is anything likely to happen to me? Could this even be put on some hypothetical Schufa (which shouldn't exist for me, as I'm not registered with the Burgeramt here)? If I don't pay, will an Inkassofirma actually manage to bother me within the next month or will it all just float away?
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Aug 1, 2013 20:46
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Might want to take a look at this guide, although that exact situation isn't in it. You probably should have sent back the card and written a letter to the effect of "forgot to cancel my card, very sorry, could you help me out". Do that first and maybe it'll work itself out (if the card is already valid this probably has a much lower chance of working).
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Aug 2, 2013 07:19
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Landsknecht posted:So, as is always the case with Bahncards, I forgot to cancel mine. After ignoring the first letter (with a new bahncard), I have now recieved a Mahnung that says if I don't pay within a week this will go to an Inkassofirma. If you are not coming back they'll probably just put the file away as it's not worth pursuing. Nothing will happen within 5 weeks anyway. However if you return you'll find a vastly larger claim. Oh, and as I've seen this question before, if you ever find yourself in court over this (you won't) don't try the "I didn't understand the contract because I don't speak german" route. That will get you a laugh and that's it. elwood fucked around with this message at 07:41 on Aug 2, 2013 |
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Aug 2, 2013 07:35
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Most Germans I've met are pleasant, polite people but customer service here is horrendous, to the point of being comical at at times. What gives?
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Aug 2, 2013 12:26
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elwood posted:If you are not coming back they'll probably just put the file away as it's not worth pursuing. Nothing will happen within 5 weeks anyway. However if you return you'll find a vastly larger claim. Oh, and as I've seen this question before, if you ever find yourself in court over this (you won't) don't try the "I didn't understand the contract because I don't speak german" route. That will get you a laugh and that's it. I just decided to pay the pre Mahnung fee of 60euro, they'll probably accept that (I mean they most likely won't pursue a 3 euro debt). Lets see if I get more fun out of this.
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Aug 2, 2013 12:39
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eviljelly posted:Most Germans I've met are pleasant, polite people but customer service here is horrendous, to the point of being comical at at times. What gives? You are a nuisance first, a customer second.
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Aug 2, 2013 12:41
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eviljelly posted:Most Germans I've met are pleasant, polite people but customer service here is horrendous, to the point of being comical at at times. What gives? It's not profitable so costs are kept to a minimum. "Der Kunde ist König" only applies before you buy something.
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Aug 2, 2013 12:44
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Sereri posted:It's not profitable so costs are kept to a minimum. It depends a lot on the industry as well, and how much they have to deal with the public. I've had lots of luck dealing private health insurance companies, but whenever it comes to phone/internet/transit/post all the service goes to poo poo.
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Aug 2, 2013 12:48
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Sereri posted:"Der Kunde ist König" only applies before you buy something. Seriously, most companies treat "Bestandskunden" like poo poo unless you're convincingly threatening to cancel your contract.
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Aug 2, 2013 13:17
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My favorite theory is that the inability of companies to fire lovely workers causes lovely workers to continue to be lovely. I have tended to get much better service at family run establishments. One of my fantasy business ideas is to set up a shop which is chiefly concerned with providing good customer service and hiring people only on an independent contractor basis so I can fire lovely people.
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Aug 2, 2013 13:26
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Landsknecht posted:So, as is always the case with Bahncards, I forgot to cancel mine. After ignoring the first letter (with a new bahncard), I have now recieved a Mahnung that says if I don't pay within a week this will go to an Inkassofirma. Worst case, they get a title that is good for 30 years to enforce and could possibly even be enforced in your home country. While the latter is somewhat unlikely, the former is quite possible. Not being registered isn't a sure-fire way to escape legal claims against you. But if you never return to Germany, they will probably let it rest. eviljelly posted:My favorite theory is that the inability of companies to fire lovely workers causes lovely workers to continue to be lovely. I have tended to get much better service at family run establishments. But German employers are quite able to to fire lovely workers who don't pull their weight? 
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Aug 2, 2013 14:59
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eviljelly posted:One of my fantasy business ideas is to set up a shop which is chiefly concerned with providing good customer service and hiring people only on an independent contractor basis so I can fire lovely people. And then you get run out of the market by a business that also hires independent contractors, but forces them to underbid each other and just uses the cheapest one to maximize profit because most customers value price over service. Welcome to Germany 2013! PS: This is getting pretty D&D, there is also a Germany D&D thread that is probably better for that kind of discussion. 
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Aug 2, 2013 16:32
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Randler posted:Worst case, they get a title that is good for 30 years to enforce and could possibly even be enforced in your home country. While the latter is somewhat unlikely, the former is quite possible. Not being registered isn't a sure-fire way to escape legal claims against you. But if you never return to Germany, they will probably let it rest. Like I said I sent them money (a week late and short the 3eur Mahnung-fee), so we'll see where this all goes.
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Aug 2, 2013 18:46
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMTqAvElJqE
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Aug 7, 2013 18:29
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Look at those silly Brits! They don't know sauerkraut is served hot.  That's actually a pretty nice if cursory peek into the German way of life. The only parts I am critical of are the kindergarten and the comment about Sunday. I am pretty sure a forest kindergarten is not part of the average German child's experience. Also, saying over half of the Germans are religious is probably an overstatement. While about two thirds of the German population are registered with various religious bodies and pay "church taxes", this does not equal religiousity. Sunday church attendance also has been on the decline for years. Being noisy is probably more likely to give you trouble with the neighbours if it's late. At least in the (very, very Catholic) cities I have lived for a longer time, few cared about vaccuming or some drilling on sundays.
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Aug 7, 2013 19:44
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eviljelly posted:Most Germans I've met are pleasant, polite people but customer service here is horrendous, to the point of being comical at at times. What gives? The main tourism info and general transit info guide lady at Berlin's main train station gave me so much attitude and told me I was wrong when I asked which S-Bahn train goes to the station I needed. I thought I was just pronouncing it wrong so I tried a few times and she almost held her hands up to her ears shaking her head "no no no there is no station with that name sorry I can't help you". I tried to show her the printed name of the station, she glanced at it and went back to saying no, it doesn't exist, someone gave me incorrect directions. There was no one behind me so I finally said "please, there's no rush (as I gesture that I'm the only person here) can you please just check?" finally she took my written directions, still shaking her head that the station doesn't exist in Berlin (questioning if I was even in the right city, mumbled something about maybe wanting to be in Frankfurt) until she actually found my station. "You didn't pronounce it clearly!" was her only excuse and she left the desk after telling me which line/platform. Of course I was just in the Ukraine so the fact that she wasn't screaming and yelling at me was a huge step up in customer service.
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Aug 19, 2013 23:45
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I handed in one of those passenger rights' forms at Berlin central station once and the guy behind the counter said not "good morning" or "what can I do for you" but, glancing at the form, "oh Christ another one." I replied "yeah I could have gone without needing it, too" and left it to him to interpret that as either "yep we're in this together, let's get it over with" or "gently caress you you're getting paid to deal with those and I'm just losing time first sitting around in trains and then standing in the attitude queue." e: to be honest though, "oh Christ another one" is exactly what I'd be thinking and he clearly meant the form so it was actually kind of refreshing.
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Aug 20, 2013 07:33
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In October I'm heading to Leipzig to study in their international programme, and the nerves are really starting to kick in, I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on Leipzig, what it's like to actually live there, how easy it is to get to Berlin/Dresden or other cities,what the music scene is like, just general stuff to calm me down/make me more nervous, thanks!
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Aug 21, 2013 01:26
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This is all hearsay but what I've heard is that there's a notion that "Leipzig is the new Berlin" in that it's amazingly cheap to live in and there's a blossoming art/music/general student life scene. It's really well connected, just a one hour fifteen minutes direct train ride to either Berlin or Dresden and trains leave roughly every hour. It's also easy to get to Erfurt/Jena/Weimar in case you're interested in well-preserved medieval inner cities, the optics industry or commemorative plaques marking the spot where Goethe peed against a Ginkgo tree in 1776.
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Aug 21, 2013 07:49
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In October Leipzig will host all sorts of events commemorating the Battle of Leipzig from 200 years ago, if that is your thing.
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Aug 21, 2013 11:07
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thanks for the responses, Leipzig does seem to have a fairly strong music scene which is probably what i'll be mostly interacting with, but I have to ask, is the whole neo-nazi/racism thing a serious problem there? I was in Berlin a few weeks ago and it was absolutely fine, but I guess maybe not everywhere is as liberal. Is this a thing I'm really going to have to watch out for during my time there?
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Aug 21, 2013 13:18
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Yeah, the music scene in Leipzig is cool. You probably won't experience much racism in downtown Leipzig, but if you go to the suburbs or smaller cities/towns (or Lok Leipzig matches) you might see neo-nazis/racist shitheads more regularly. I wouldn't worry about it in advance though, it's generally safe and you'll be fine.
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Aug 21, 2013 15:45
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I have a day in Hamburg coming up in the next few weeks and it is the first visit for any of us so we have no idea what to do. What would be some must see things for first timers? We like historical stuff. Also would love any kind of dining recommendations as well. Thanks!
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Aug 25, 2013 11:41
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Go to the harbor, duh. OK, so if you happen to be there on Sunday morning (at 5 AM) go to the Fischmarkt, it's basically the most Hamburg thing you can do. Other than that, you can get a great view of the harbor if you walk straight to the water from the train station Altona (it stops at a terrace of sorts), or try Landungsbrücken, where you can also go through the old Elbtunnel and get a view of Hamburg from the other side of the Elbe. Reeperbahn is worth a walk too - maybe start at S Reeperbahn and head for U St. Pauli or U Feldstraße, where there's probably possibly a fair going on (the carousels and cotton candy variety), also near Feldstraße is an old anti-air tower from WW 2. Dunno if they do tours. The Speicherstadt is also sort of interesting, bridges and water and all that. If you can only do two things, then do Landungsbrücken + Elbtunnel and Reeperbahn. If you're up for a longer trip (and a LONG walk) pay the Schiffbegrüßungsanlage a visit (S Wedel I think) and walk towards Hamburg, you'll end up at Altona and eventually Landungsbrücken and Speicherstadt, in that order. Will take you a day and you won't see much for most of the trip. Oh and there's also the Michel , one of the many many churches there (seriously, Hamburg probably has more churches than bridges, and it has a ton of bridges), great view from the top. No idea about dining except that the Chinese restaurant close to Hauptbahnhof is the best. If they don't give you the authentic Chinese menu, ask for it. Shudu makes killer Szechuan cuisine and they introduced me to Ma Po. edit: Ohlsdorf cemetery is cool too. Biggest in the world. Seriously, it's a huge gently caress off park with a few dead people. You could stick Pere Lachaise in their closet. Zwille fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Aug 26, 2013 |
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Aug 26, 2013 07:07
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So I'm going to be in Bremen for a week and due to some surgery I have to wear a hat during the day so my scars heal properly. Will I be laughed out of Germany if I wear this hat? http://www.tilley.com/The-TH4-Hemp-Hat.aspx
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Aug 27, 2013 17:46
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sonatinas posted:So I'm going to be in Bremen for a week and due to some surgery I have to wear a hat during the day so my scars heal properly. Will I be laughed out of Germany if I wear this hat? In my opinion the hat is OK if you're out in the countryside hiking or doing some other outdoorsy stuff. In a major city it screams "I'm a tourist!" Better than a fedora though - but I guess almost anything is.
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Aug 27, 2013 17:53
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That's a neat hat. And nah generally no one gives a poo poo about hats or what kind of hat. Even the infamous fedora isn't nearly as much of a shorthand for "basement goon" here. It's pretty likely no one else will be wearing one but them's the breaks.
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Aug 27, 2013 17:54
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What type of surgery and scars are these? What is your general style?
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Aug 27, 2013 18:35
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