German Word of the Day: der Handwerker

If you are new to Germany, you might wonder why repairs take that long. I’m German, but sometimes I wonder about it, too.

Let’s draw the shades on this repair job soon.

On 19 September, our window shutter belt (Rollogurt) tore apart after 18 years of use. I called a couple of companies, and one of them offered an appointment (just to assess the damage) three weeks down the road. The next one offered to come the following Monday. Hurray, I thought.

When the repairman came, he told me this outer roller shutter (Außenrollo) is much harder to repair. Since the Rollo could not be pulled up more than 4 inches/10 cm, there would be no way to reach the outer box without breaking the roller shutter (Rolladenpanzer) . In addition, being on the fourth floor of the building, this would also require a second repair man for security reason.

In my mind, I saw the charges adding up. Finally, these roller shutters need to be ordered from another company, as they do not keep them in stock.

I got my estimate on 24 September of € 687,82 with a note that additional charges (unforeseen at this point) might incur. I placed the job order.

On 17 October, I made a friendly inquiry to the Rollo company to see how far down the line we were on the waiting list. My friendly inquiry got a defensive reply, ‘I told you we would call you as soon as the part(s) have come in.’

It has been five weeks today. We are still without a Rollo, and I suppose the part hasn’t even arrived yet. It takes a lot of patience to be at the mercy of getting jobs done by repairmen (Handwerker) in Germany.

I’m sure some neighbors might find it odd, and speculate what’s going on behind these blinds. Not much, I can tell you. We are also in the dark about it. 🙂 Anyway, at this rate, I hope to get this done by Christmas.

List of Expensive Verbal Insults for Drivers in Germany

So you think your German is not good enough to insult others, well, your hand gesture (the middle finger, e.g.) might be enough for you to be fined by the authorities.

Against common belief, there is no difference in whether you insult a police offer or any other person on the street, the charges remain the same. The charge only differs based on the offender’s income and social standing.

For example, a few years back, a famous German soccer player was fined € 10.000 for calling someone an ‘Arschloch’. An average worker would have gotten away with a much lower fine.

This is a shortlist of the most common insults, which come with a €1.000 fine:

  • “Arschloch”, “Drecksau”
  • “Wichser”, “Scheißwichser”
  • “Blöde Schlampe”, “alte Schlampe”
  • “Schlampen, ihr elendigen!”
  • “Sie haben den totalen Knall”
  • Sie sind “blöd im Kopf”
  • “Verbrecherin”, “blöde Kuh”
  • “Arschloch” plus showing the middle finger

Insults are not a trivial offense, but a criminal one, based on German law. This can lead to hefty fines or imprisonment.

On the other hand, the statements/name calling listed below remain free of charge:

  • “Sie können mich mal …”
  • “Oberförster”, “Wegelagerer” oder “Komischer Vogel” to a  police officer
  • “Leck mich am Arsch!” (if used around the Stuttgart area)
  • “Das ist doch Korinthenkackerei” (when arguing about a parking ticket)
  • “Parkplatzschwein” to a person parking in a non-parking zone.

Source: German ADAC – March 2019

Avoid road rage (lovely long German term: im Straßenverkehr ausbrechender Jähzorn), and keep cool.

New Court Ruling on Consumer Credit Banking Fees in Germany

Yesterday, Germany’s high court ruled that bank charges (Bearbeitungsgebühren) for consumer credits are illegal and may be claimed back from banks if not older than ten years (since 2004). So if you had arranged such a consumer credit (e.g. to purchase a car or an apartment) between 2004 and now, please check your credit contract and if the bank charged you a handling fee/service fee. If so, you may claim it back.

For consumer credits dated 2004, the deadline is by the end of 2014.

In May of this year, a similar ruling determined that banks had to pay back three billion euro in now illegally charged fees. With yesterdays ruling, detailing the beginning time of the credit, when the bank charge was applied, and many other details, the additional payback amounts to another seven billion euro.

The website test.de https://www.test.de/Kreditbearbeitungsgebuehren-Erstattung-auch-nach-Jahren-noch-4444333-0/ has much information about the latest ruling, including a sample letter to be sent to the bank and various possible excuses from banks why they try to refuse to pay it back.

Ausrede der Banken https://www.test.de/Kreditbearbeitungsgebuehren-Erstattung-auch-nach-Jahren-noch-4444333-4488122/

Sample letter:
Musterbrief – Bank

Check your contract carefully to see if the charge was applied at the beginning (one-time payment), distributed over the monthly payments, or charged as a one-time payment at the end. If the time of your credit payment fee matches the new court ruling time frame, send your letter to the bank.

I’ve got one to check myself for the loan we took out in 2007.

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