Poor Train Customer Services Resulted in Canadian Tourists' Humiliation on a Train in Berlin, Germany

The Berlin Train Station

From Potsdam, Germany, we booked our train leaving for Luneberg which costed us a whooping 60 Euros per person!  Even though we paid so much for this leg of our journey, we did not have an easy smooth ride to our destination as we had to transfer multiple times. 

 At the Potsdam train station, we found out from a posted notice that the direct train from Potsdam to Berlin only ran during the rush hours.

Therefore, we had to board a bus from Potsdam and arrived at the Wannsee station, then hopped on to another train to the Berlin Hauptbahnhiof Station, a huge hub for many trains and buses leaving and arriving to the city, and from there transferred to another train.

At the Berlin Haupthahnhiof Station, we searched for our train looking at the electronic schedule board and found that it would leave from Platform 8 at a certain time.

To make sure we were heading to the right direction, we asked the train staff for information at the train info booth. 






















However, the lady at the info centre was not very helpful in providing us with the correct information about our train.She said one thing first and then another thing later.

By the time we figured out where we should go, we only had 5-7 minutes before departure time.

We ran to the platform and showed our electronic tickets to the train personnel there. We asked him if we were boarding the right train. He said yes pointing us to the train right in front of us, without uttering one more word.

We jumped onto the first available train, dropped off our luggage, settled in and congratulated ourselves that we did not miss our train.

 I pulled out my computer and started writing. 

 

Unknowingly, we got on a first class train in Berlin

A few minutes later, a serving personnel came around asking if we wanted tea or coffee. " Wow, good service indeed!" I thought to myself.




About 15 minutes later, another train personnel came around checking passengers' tickets. After looking at ours, he said to us in a loud and rude manner so that everyone on the train could hear him. 

" Your ticket is second class. This is first class. Move right away."  There was no please, no " I am sorry to tell you..." or any other words to soften his tone of command.

In the middle of blogging on my computer, I needed  a couple of minutes to save and shut down the program properly. The conductor, now ahead of me, checking other passengers' tickets, turned around, said impatiently again to us in a rough voice, " Move immediately to the second class!"  

My family and I were humiliated!  Never had I been spoken to in public by anyone in such a rude manner anywhere in the world!!!!!!!!!!

Dragging our luggage through the dining cars and a number of trains,  we finally found a place to sit down in the second class section of the train.

We still had to transfer to another train before reaching our destination of Luneburg. For all these inconvenient transfers and humiliation, it costed each one of us 60 Euros.

I was very upset. It was difficult for me to accept being treated almost like a criminal while vacationing in Germany. 

This is our third time visiting Europe. Our previous two visits to Italy, Spain, France, Hungary, Austria and other countries were  pleasant which was the reason for our returned visit to the E.U.countries.

Regrettably, our first visit to Germany did not give us a positive experience. I did not appreciate our public humiliation due to poor scheduling and lack of services at the Berlin train station.


R.T.
On Route from Berlin to Luneburg
Germany

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