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not paying for a fine
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hi,
I got a fine on a train while traveling in Germany. I had a legitimate ticket but didn't put it thru a machine before got on a train and got a 40 Euro ticket for it. It was my fault as a visitor for not knowing how the system worked in a country that I was in, but at the same time I felt like they could've been understainding and at least listen to what I had to say.
Basically I left without paying for it. The manager said they'll track me down if I don't pay but I thought he was bluffing since they only have my name and bday (bday wasn't off my ID but something I just wrote down).
Do you guys think it'll cause me a trouble in a long run? or was the guy bluffing thinking I'll leave without paying, which I did.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
thanks.
I got a fine on a train while traveling in Germany. I had a legitimate ticket but didn't put it thru a machine before got on a train and got a 40 Euro ticket for it. It was my fault as a visitor for not knowing how the system worked in a country that I was in, but at the same time I felt like they could've been understainding and at least listen to what I had to say.
Basically I left without paying for it. The manager said they'll track me down if I don't pay but I thought he was bluffing since they only have my name and bday (bday wasn't off my ID but something I just wrote down).
Do you guys think it'll cause me a trouble in a long run? or was the guy bluffing thinking I'll leave without paying, which I did.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
thanks.
0
Comments
Sounds like you've got away with it, just try and pay more attention to stuff like that in the future
They could have took into account you were new to traveling on the trains in Germany, but the law is the law.
Having said that, if they don't have your address- then fuck em! Let them track you down. Even if they do track you down (which i doubt) just refuse to pay. Its not like they are going to extradite you
When I lived in Germany my boyfriend got caught ticketless on the S-Bahn and tried the "but I didn't know" excuse; it doesn't wash with them. They see it day-in, day-out. To be honest it's probably the only time they make any money on fines, as the Germans are shockingly law-abiding and straight about buying tickets. Anyway, he went to the bank the next day with the form they gave him (on which they filled all his details from his passport etc, on the train) and paid the following the day, mostly because he was so mortified and was worried about being tracked down which is something they do do. However we were living in Cologne at the time so it was probably a bigger concern... I don't know if they would've hunted him down but we didn't consider it worth the risk.
The signs about a valid ticket (valid meaning purchased and dtae/time stamped - as is clearly stated) are in both German and English in every part of Germany I've travelled to. It's a pretty flimsy excuse, I can understand why they don't accept that.
If they really did only take your DOB and name then don't worry about it. You're lucky though, it's illegal to go about your daily business in Germany without some form of ID on you and it's taken very seriously if you can't prove who you are or who you aren't. Just for future reference
I do reside in UK and the conductor asked to see my credit card but it only has my name and the credit card number, which I can change.
He did ask me to write down my address too actually, but I fixed the street number just a little(Now I wish I fixed it completely but when you're in a situation like that I guess you don't think fast enough..). I put 222 instead of 221, which my friend said the post office could still run a check (?) and find me, but I don't think it's worth a trouble for both the post office and the germans.
What do you guys think? Sorry for adding another Q, I guess I'm just little paranoid and also feeling guilty at the same time.
Thank you for your time.
If you're gonna lie about your address, make more of an effort than changing the house number lol
I wouldn't do anything until you receive a bill through the door though. If you get the bill cough up, its only £25, but don't go rushing to pay.
I wouldnt worry about it,you should be ok.
:yes:
though for future reference all they would need is your full name and dob to find you, your address doesn't really mean shit
again, thank you for your advises.
Yeah, for 40 euros, they will hang her. :rolleyes: