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Rail chaos: Commuters receive 61 identical letters for delays!
Christian Thill documents over 60 Deutsche Bahn delays and describes the complicated compensation application procedure.
Rail chaos: Commuters receive 61 identical letters for delays!
Christian Thill, a 55-year-old commuter from Hamburg, is currently a topic in the media because he complained about Deutsche Bahn's delays. Thill commutes to Koblenz every week and has a Bahncard 100 for 1st class financed by his company. Since spring 2024 he has been keeping a diary in which he documents the delays. To date, he has recorded more than 60 late arrivals. He communicated his displeasure about the repeated delays to Deutsche Bahn.
In April 2024, Thill emailed his notes to the railway, whereupon he received 61 identical letters. These letters contain forms in which he is supposed to provide his account details for compensation. Thill criticizes the fact that the train steals his time not only when traveling, but also at his desk. “My company only receives 15 euros in compensation for delays of more than an hour,” says Thill. Given the cost of around 8,000 euros for the Bahncard 100, this is inadequate compensation for the inconvenience caused.
New procedure from Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn has now adapted its procedure for processing compensation applications. Thill was asked to list all the delays in a table with corresponding transaction numbers. A spokeswoman for the railway explained that each application is processed individually and the claims are checked in accordance with legal regulations. The railway now recommends using the digital application in the customer account. There is a clear trend: 70 percent of applications are now submitted digitally.
How to claim compensation
The process for claiming compensation can be done in a variety of ways. Users can have purchased or stored their ticket in their customer account, including for the BahnCard 100 or other route season tickets. The compensation application can be submitted digitally in the customer account or using a passenger rights form. The following ways are available:
- Für Einzelfahrkarten: Einloggen ins Kundenkonto, auf „Meine Reisen“ gehen, das entsprechende Ticket auswählen und auf „Entschädigung beantragen“ klicken.
- Für BahnCard 100: Im Kundenkonto auf „BahnCard“ gehen und bei der BahnCard auf „Optionen“ klicken, um die Entschädigung zu beantragen.
- Für Zeitfahrkarten: Auf „Zeitkarten & Abos“ gehen und die entsprechende Zeitfahrkarte auswählen.
- Mit dem Fahrgastrechte-Formular: Dieses kann beim Servicepersonal im Zug oder im DB Reisezentrum erhalten werden und ist auch als PDF verfügbar.
The form must be filled out and submitted to DB Dialog GmbH or a DB Travel Center along with all necessary documents, such as the ticket or proof of costs.
Thill's experiences illustrate the challenges that commuters often experience with Deutsche Bahn. It remains to be seen whether the new procedures and recommendations for claiming compensation will improve the situation for customers like Thill. Further information about the options for applying for compensation can be found at bahn.de, while the initial story is based on Thill's experiences bild.de can be read.