Rail fine while in Vienna
dilby
Posts: 209 Forumite
Hi all - will try to keep things short and this is a long shot but hoping for some urgent help.
Currently in Vienna on a short stay with my wife and we just travelled on the train for the first time (only two stops into the city center). We bought a ticket each on their machines and all fine but when coming back and giving our tickets to the man on the barrier he yelled at us, took our drivers licenses away from
Us and told us to pay him 205 euro each or he will call the police. He was abusive and yelling loud enough to make a scene and reduced my wife to tears. We were both shocked because we had done what we thought was right (and even what the lady at the tourist info desk had told us). The problem was that we had thought our ticket was return but it wasn’t. We had thought that because it was for one ‘trip’ and was above the different sections for 24
And 28 hours. When I tried explaining that in English a trip usually means return (for example we are each on a trip to Vienna, not two trips) and that there is no option for return they got more and more aggressive and the guy even got the number for the police up on his phone and said he would hit dial if we didn’t pay. He then started to be racially abusive, and the lady who was helping said ‘us brits make up our own rules and own language’. Even two local spectators stuck up for us and said we were right.
We had to pay or else they told us we would be arrested and now my wife is really upset and in a bit of financial trouble for our trip. We certainly won’t want to travel on any more trains now out of fear of making an honest mistake and being heavily penalised for it. So I know it’s a long show but I’m wondering if anyone knows of a way we can complain and argue our case for a refund as I feel this is grossly out of order and no way to treat tourists that want to come and spend money in other ways.
Thank you
Currently in Vienna on a short stay with my wife and we just travelled on the train for the first time (only two stops into the city center). We bought a ticket each on their machines and all fine but when coming back and giving our tickets to the man on the barrier he yelled at us, took our drivers licenses away from
Us and told us to pay him 205 euro each or he will call the police. He was abusive and yelling loud enough to make a scene and reduced my wife to tears. We were both shocked because we had done what we thought was right (and even what the lady at the tourist info desk had told us). The problem was that we had thought our ticket was return but it wasn’t. We had thought that because it was for one ‘trip’ and was above the different sections for 24
And 28 hours. When I tried explaining that in English a trip usually means return (for example we are each on a trip to Vienna, not two trips) and that there is no option for return they got more and more aggressive and the guy even got the number for the police up on his phone and said he would hit dial if we didn’t pay. He then started to be racially abusive, and the lady who was helping said ‘us brits make up our own rules and own language’. Even two local spectators stuck up for us and said we were right.
We had to pay or else they told us we would be arrested and now my wife is really upset and in a bit of financial trouble for our trip. We certainly won’t want to travel on any more trains now out of fear of making an honest mistake and being heavily penalised for it. So I know it’s a long show but I’m wondering if anyone knows of a way we can complain and argue our case for a refund as I feel this is grossly out of order and no way to treat tourists that want to come and spend money in other ways.
Thank you
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Comments
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I'd have called his bluff, Go to the Police, I do hope that He issued an official receipt?.0
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I'd have called his bluff, Go to the Police, I do hope that He issued an official receipt?.
That's what I'd do. I hope you got your driving licences back, no idea why he took them.
Sadly, after Thursday there may be more 'Brits unwelcome' incidents like this. Gives us an idea of how many if our European neighbours mist feel here.:(0 -
It sounds an upsetting incident and not dealt with well on the face of it.
Clearly you misunderstood the ticket system and had bought singles. I don't know about the Austrian railway system but in Holland and Germany for instance there are not return tickets as such, you just buy two singles. It sounds as if that could be the same in Austria.
If you are within the city zone there are day tickets with unlimited journeys but you sound as if you were travelling from a distance out and it may not be useful for you
https://www.wienerlinien.at/eportal3/ep/channelView.do/pageTypeId/66533/channelId/-2000544
I would suggest that you make sure that your tickets are valid and ask railway staff and not tourist office people before you go onto a platform. Ticket checks on continental trains are much more frequent and rigorous than here and penalty fares are high as you have found. Don't ruin your holiday by not travelling by public transport, just be sure you won't be liable for a penalty.
On your return you can contact OBB and appeal to their better nature. I'm not sure I would argue it on the semantics of what trip implies but would concentrate on being innocents abroad.0 -
It sounds an upsetting incident and not dealt with well on the face of it.
Clearly you misunderstood the ticket system and had bought singles. I don't know about the Austrian railway system but in Holland and Germany for instance there are not return tickets as such, you just buy two singles. It sounds as if that could be the same in Austria.
If you are within the city zone there are day tickets with unlimited journeys but you sound as if you were travelling from a distance out and it may not be useful for you
https://www.wienerlinien.at/eportal3/ep/channelView.do/pageTypeId/66533/channelId/-2000544
I would suggest that you make sure that your tickets are valid and ask railway staff and not tourist office people before you go onto a platform. Ticket checks on continental trains are much more frequent and rigorous than here and penalty fares are high as you have found. Don't ruin your holiday by not travelling by public transport, just be sure you won't be liable for a penalty.
On your return you can contact OBB and appeal to their better nature. I'm not sure I would argue it on the semantics of what trip implies but would concentrate on being innocents abroad.
Thanks - we are in the city zone I think but the multiple journeys must be in the one direction I believe. Hence why ‘trip’ without option for return was misleading. I am going to try to go to ÖBB tomorrow although I’ve already been there once for advice prior to this and they were so rude that I went to the tourist info place instead! Also in regards to the rail staff we actually asked one for advice on the way to the hotel from the airport and they told us the wrong platform and we ended up in the wrong part of town and had to walk ages! Will keep you posted.
It’s frustrating because I’m in this trip after a very trying couple of months which has seen my wife succumb to severe anxiety and this was a way of helping her out of it and celebrating a good spell - only for the staff to kick her back into it. 😡0 -
That's what I'd do. I hope you got your driving licences back, no idea why he took them.
Sadly, after Thursday there may be more 'Brits unwelcome' incidents like this. Gives us an idea of how many if our European neighbours mist feel here.:(
I've seen Italian conductors take issue with people of all nationalities for not validating their tickets on trains. Why bring politics into it?
It might be a genuine mistake and it doesn't sound like it was handled well but these people hear the same excuses every day.0 -
My wife and I got in a mess with Austrians trains once - we had a return but got on a train for which the ticket wasn't valid. A sympathetic ticket collector pointed out the error of our ways and we paid an excess.Never pay on an estimated bill0
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My wife and I got in a mess with Austrians trains once - we had a return but got on a train for which the ticket wasn't valid. A sympathetic ticket collector pointed out the error of our ways and we paid an excess.
I wish I had your collector on duty! This makes sense - clearly it was a mistake so how is that fine a preventative. It’s only stopped me from travelling again (have now cancelled rest of trip) and stops me from wanting to come back. It won’t stop all chances of an honest mistake again as mistakes are unintentional.0 -
We got on a train in Holland ,there was my wife,myself and our young niece,i did not get her a ticket as she was young,half way to Maastricht when who appeared,the conductor,i smiled and explained i thought my neice did not need a ticket,he spoke english and said not to worry it was no problem,he even came to see us off the train and wished us a good holiday.
We also spoke to some passengers who asked us where we were from and when i told them my father had been to Holland in 1945 with the British Army fighting Hitler we could not have been made more welcome.ITS NOT EASY TO GET EVERYTHING WRONG ,I HAVE TO WORK HARD TO DO IT!0 -
Unfortunately ignorance is not an excuse - and I'm not trying to be offensive. But the fact you may not have understood the rules is not an excuse for not having a valid ticket.When I tried explaining that in English a trip usually means return (for example we are each on a trip to Vienna, not two trips) and that there is no option for return
Unfortunately that is your interpretation, in English, of the rules on the Austrian railway system, and may not be correct.
It does seem however that you encountered a particularly zealous member of staff which did not help the situation. Unfortunately they exist everywhere - I've sat on trains in the UK cringing at how "train managers" deal with customers of all nationalities.
If you have your ticket, and the receipt for your fine, then I would ask a few locals (hotel staff maybe or friendly waiter) to have a look at it for you and confirm whether it is a valid fine. if it is then it is. As another poster says, you could contact OBB and try to appeal to their better nature. I'm not sure if I would do this in person whilst still there - try and enjoy the rest of your time in Vienna - if you go back to OBB and get another unsatisfactory response then it'll just create more bad feeling for you and your wife. You can always email them once home.0
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