Remember to cancel your BahnCard in time

Maybe we could use a string to tell people about the dangers that lurk around in hidden places.

Last year my daughter bought a Bahnkarte 50. The woman behind the counter was extremely friendly, chatty and helpful. The one thing she omitted to tell us about was: we have to cancel it. I am sure it is there in the contract somewhere, but you would need a magnifying glass to discover it.

Now, 4 weeks before it runs out, we get a follow-up one, for €250. We should have cancelled 6 weeks before it ran out.

As she will be away studying next year, she has no use for it. *sigh*

Just wanted to warn anyone who is thinking of getting a Bahnkarte, or intends to get one, - Cancel it at the counter!!!

rla

Hi,

The same thing happend to me. I wrote a letter to Deutsch Bahn asking them to cancel the card and sent them back the new card (for next year) I received in the post. They did it without whinging.

Cheers,

m

it is the same for most of the things in germany, like club membership etc... if you do not cancel well in time, in black and write...they will just charge the money to your accout...

and germans know it is a trap...

In my case the DB lady made it very clear that i need to give the Kundigum 3 months in advance. I got my Bahncard 50 as a student and it costed 106€. I searched about how to cancel it in TT and read that i can send a mail to DB customer centre with my details and that i wish to cancel my bahncard. I sent a mail to DB about 6 weeks ago and havent heard from them till date. About 2 weeks ago went to the DB reisezentrum in Göttingen and told the lady on the counter that i wish to cancel my Bahncard. She filledout a form, got my Sign and said "ITs done". Got no receipt for that.. Hope the cancellation has been done.

Edit: Its the same for Phone contracts too. I was in the Vodafone shop getting my Internet connection and there was a lady who was fighting with the shopkeeper regarding her contract. She was 1 day late to give the contract Kundigum and it got extended automatically. Now she has no other go than to pay the bill for the next 24 months. So, its very important that we keep reminders to give Kundigum. Or else, automatically extended for the next 24 months...

For once I would agree: this is something typically German. Many renewable contracts such as Bahncard, insurance policies, club membership (ADAC!!!) subscription for newspapers or magazines etc need to be canceled within a prescribed period, the so-called "Kuendigungsfrist".

Before signing anything it is worth asking or looking it up in the "allgemeine Geschaeftsbedingungen", because if you simply stop paying your subscription etc the other party has a claim against you as you are in breach of contract ("Vertragsbruch").

Consider this: you have a health insurance policy with a German insurer but you are leaving the country: you can cancel the policy only at least three months before the end of the calendar year, ie 31.12.! In other words: if you forget that date, you will have to pay for one more year before you are free.

Enjoy!

I can't take credit for this suggestion.

But someone once told me the best away around these things is to send in your cancellation notice after you sign up. They will hold you to the original contract but you have now given notice not to renew, albeit an early notice to cancel.

That way you won't miss the deadline of "The quarter before the last day of the month...". Then the company in question will start sending you notices reminding you that you are about to cancel and do you want to renew.

They never send out notices reminding you that you will renew automatically if you don't cancel.

Dude, simply genius.

dude
simply ingenious

Things you "should" know: Never sign anything without fully understanding what you are signing.

Only in Germany are you liable for services with automatic renewals even after leaving the country. It's daylight robbery.
bahn cards
telephone (land and cellular)
internet
satellite
cable
clubs (gyms)

right, and in all other countries contracts become void whenever you feel like you don't like them anymore ...

read -> understand -> sign/don't sign
fcuking krouts and their weird rules about contracts ...

I got caught by this too.

I called the Deutsche Bahn service center last week, and was told I had selected the checkbox on the form for a subscription when I bought a bahncard last year. Yeah, right.

So I mailed back them the Bahncard I never ordered (by registered post) and insisted that they provide evidence that I actually signed for a subscription. (As well as a price & subscription number, if in fact I actually have one.)

Since I paid for last year's bahncard with EC card, they can't actually charge me for this anyway (I don't think).

We shall see...

One thing to remember with mobile phone is that it is always worth cancelling - even if you want to keep the service. I went in to the phone shop about something just after the last 3 months had started (I intended to keep the phone and contract). The guy in the shop said that it was a pity I had not cancelled because he could have got me a far better continuation deal if I had.

On the subject bahn card again the EM fan card 25 also runs out soon and will be auto renewed for one year on the 31 October!