The 301st attempt

It’s worth not giving up. I learnt that again today. Four weeks ago, I lost my key on the S-Bahn. The lock on my flat had to be broken open. But I would have liked to have my bike key, front door key and letterbox key back. In the long run, it’s just a nuisance having to laboriously fish the post out of the letterbox.

I’ve phoned the Deutsche Bahn customer service number countless times. I haven’t kept count, but it must have been 40 or 50 times. The line was constantly busy. Then I actually managed to speak to a real person. He told me that it’s legal to charge for time spent on hold and that many companies deliberately limit the number of customer service staff in order to profit from not providing service. Including Deutsche Bahn. I don’t know if that’s true – I haven’t even managed to get through to the queue yet. They seem to be taking this ‘limiting’ business a bit too far.

But now. A real person who takes a warm, personal interest in my request. Who compliments me on how well I’ve described my key. Who packs it into a small parcel so that I’ll receive it safely and the envelope doesn’t disappear into the depths of my letterbox.

It’s worth sticking with it. At least for a reasonable while.