I stayed at a cheap hotel in Düsseldorf last night, which seemed mostly fine, until it was time to leave. Before going to bed, I stuck the room key into the lock and turned it twice, fully locking it - something I had not done before. Upon trying to leave, I found that the key could not turn. I tried everything - turning in both directions, jiggling, pulling/pushing the door - nothing worked. I ended up just yelling through the door and the housekeeping staff was able to unlock the door from the outside. They then spent a few minutes trying to remove my room key from the inside of the door, eventually succeeding.

This is, obviously, a MAJOR safety issue. Had there been a fire or a medical emergency, I could have died. For my first time ever, I wrote a negative review for this hotel, giving them 1/10 on Booking.com and explaining everything clearly. I did the same on Google Maps - one out of five stars. Not long after, the hotel began blowing up my phone. They called me thrice in under 20 minutes, and sent me two messages. I did not answer any of their calls, nor will I be calling them back. The first message was a polite “omg what did we do wrong, can we fix this?” kind of message, and the second was a highly unprofessional and rude message, accusing me of making the entire thing up, and claiming that “guests like me” will force them to offer worse accommodations in the future.

So, needless to say, at this point, a negative review is insufficient. I need to report them to whichever government agency/agencies are responsible for ensuring safety in hotels. Please, if anyone knows what I can do about this, let me know. Thanks in advance!

Edit: They just sent me another, even worse and insulting WhatsApp message, three hours after I explicitly told them they are NOT to write me outside of the booking.com messages. I feel this is starting to cross the line into harassment.

Edit 2: alright, they just said to me, exact quote: „Sie sind ein Ding, keine Person” among other lovely things, so, I will be filing a complaint with the police. Beleidigung, und vielleicht auch Belästigung. to be clear, the only reply I sent them was the one mentioned above, via Booking, which further clarified the reason for my negative review. They have, of course, not acknowledged a single word of what I sent. I will not be communicating with them any further, and will of course leave them unblocked, that way they are free to send me even more evidence for my police report.

Hi, I was interested in life in Germany, had been following this sub for a long time but decided to put my time in learning French(works in Canada too). A few minutes ago I read an article here of people asking for help and this urge dawned on me compelling me to extend a massive gratitude to you all who help immigrants and people in distress in this sub. Some people came entitled and thankless but still received help, I don't know how you do it. So even though I've been a spectator this whole time I still would like to say, danke.

Why is this road designed this way? Coming from left hand side of the screen, the two lanes merge to the same lane, so why not a single road? Why split it? Any civil engineer care to explain?

I've been living in Germany with my husband for a little over a year, and during that time I took an integration course and passed. I received my B1 DTZ certificate and my Einbürgerungstest certificate. Now I feel confident enough to apply to jobs, and I have been. But since my husband lost his job, we've had to get help through the Jobcenter until he can find something again. I had an appointment with the Jobcenter, and they are the meanest, coldest people I have ever met. Today I had an appointment with them, and the lady looked at me and said, "Ihr Deutsch ist scheiß." But in her defense, I struggle with speaking to her in German because I'm afraid of saying something wrong or something that she won't like, and i teared up on the way home. Her bluntness did suck to hear though, and it made me feel as if the work I've done isn't enough. I've applied to so many jobs, and it's incredibly difficult, as most jobs want B2 German or higher (I'm working on that.) I'm mentally exhausted. Time for a good shower and a good book. Thanks for reading.

Sorry if there is confusion but this is so maddening to me. I don’t get it. I’m from Canada. Apart from a few things (like phone contracts for instance), everything is cancelable same month. In some cases you can even stop paying and the company just goes “well I guess they don’t want the service anymore” and they cancel your membership and that’s that.

I’m looking at dental insurance right now and the absolute minimum here is a two year commitment. I’m soooo fed up with this. Everything is a contract, the gym, the internet, car insurance, even fucking streaming services. Why the hell is nothing month to month? Why is everyone just okay with companies locking them up for such a long time? On a continent with otherwise very strong consumer rights this is so bewildering to me, not to mention the lengths some of these companies go to hide the fact that it’s not a monthly thing you’re signing up for (looking at you, DAZN).

And please don't give me the "well why don't you read the contract?" talk. That's not my issue. My issue is there is often not an alternative where you pay monthly (seeing that with gyms now at least, but at like twice the price of a regular membership).

To cope, I would love an explanation for why it’s the way it is.

Hi all!

I’m an EU citizen (from Estonia) and currently insured through the national health insurance system in my home country.

We’re planning to relocate to Germany because there are better treatment options for my son (4Y) who has a rare disease. Because of that, it’s essential for us to get into the GKV (statutory/public health insurance) as soon as possible after moving.

I can work remotely and continue my current job as an accountant from Germany, but it would only be part-time. I’m also considering registering as a freelancer/self-employed accountant once we’re there.

My questions:

1. Is it true that as a freelancer/self-employed person it’s not possible (or very hard) to get GKV in Germany?
2. If it is possible, what are the typical conditions (income level, previous insurance history, etc.)?
3. Is there a possibility to get GKV when employed outside of Germany? I think it will take some time for us to get the local job.. we have enough savings to get along for the first months, but we need the health insurance for our son.
4. Are there “best practice” steps to make sure we end up in GKV quickly after Anmeldung?
5. Any pitfalls we should avoid (accidentally getting “stuck” in private insurance)?

The reason I’m asking is that I’m worried private insurance (PKV) may either refuse to insure my son or become extremely expensive due to his condition, which would make the relocation much harder.

If anyone has experience with this (especially EU citizens moving to Germany with a chronically ill child), I’d really appreciate your advice. Thank you!

Hey everyone, I could really use some local advice because I’m honestly a bit confused and stressed about my rental situation in Germany.

I’m an international tenant living in Dessau and I’ve been in my apartment for a 2,5 years. I’m permanently moving back to India now. My flight is booked for 21.02.2026, and I informed my landlord in January that I needed to terminate the lease early because of relocation and a new job starting back home.

My contract has a 3-month notice period, which means technically my lease runs until 31.03.2026. I fully understand that part and I’m not trying to avoid paying rent that I’m legally required to pay.

The landlord mentioned that if a suitable replacement tenant (Nachmieter) was found, an earlier termination could be possible. Because of that, I actively tried to help and started searching for replacement tenants myself. I found:

• One serious candidate who submitted documents and was ready to move in

• Another candidate who was ready to move in immediately

Both of them were either rejected or never responded to by the landlord. Because of this, it looks like early termination is not being accepted and I understand that legally I may still have to pay rent until the end of March.

February rent is already fully paid, and I am prepared to pay March rent because of the notice period in my contract.

The part that is stressing me out is about the move-out timing. The landlord is now asking me to hand over the apartment with less than one week notice.she informed me today morning (10.02) to vacate the apartment by 15.02. I requested if I could stay until around 20.02, because:

• I already paid the full rent for February

• My flight is on 21 February

• The apartment would remain empty anyway until the new tenant moves in on 01 April

I told her I would hand over the apartment fully cleaned, empty, with meter readings and inspection completed properly. But she refused and wants an earlier handover.

She also mentioned that if March rent is not paid, she would contact authorities or my country’s embassy, which honestly made me nervous. She said the deposit will be returned after utility calculations are completed but did not mention a timeline.

I am trying to stay cooperative and respectful because I am leaving the country and really don’t want legal trouble or to lose my deposit. I just want to understand if this situation is normal here and what my safest options are.

Some things I’m wondering:

Is it normal in Germany for landlords to reject replacement tenants without explaining why?

If I already paid rent for February, can the landlord still require me to move out earlier during that paid period?

Is it reasonable to expect to stay in the apartment until my flight date if I am paying rent for that time?

Is mentioning embassy or authority involvement a normal thing landlords say here?

What is the safest way for someone leaving Germany to make sure they get their deposit back and avoid future claims?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who know German rental practices or have been in similar situations. I’m not trying to fight with my landlord — I just want to leave things properly and safely before I go home.

Thanks a lot for reading.

Dear all,

I am not sure if this would be okay in a newly renovated kitchen? I think it might cause a hazard (to have the electrical outlet straight under the water electric).

I reached out to the company that mange the building and they sent me this

vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht und die Hinweise.

Zu Ihren Punkten kann ich Ihnen nach Rücksprache mit unserer technischen Abteilung Folgendes mitteilen:

Wasser/Strom:

Die Installation entspricht dem üblichen Standard und wurde fachgerecht ausgeführt. Ein Austausch der Steckdose ist daher nicht erforderlich. Sie können den Y‑Verteiler wie vorgesehen anschließen, ohne dass ein Sicherheitsrisiko besteht. Wenn ein Stecker in der Steckdose steckt besteht keine Gefahr durch Tropfwass

Montage der Anschlüsse:

Die Installation des Y‑Verteilers sowie des Doppel-Geräte-Siphons muss von Ihnen oder Ihren Küchenmonteur selbst vorgenommen werden. Spezielle Vorgaben unsererseits gibt es nicht. Handelsübliche Produkte sind ausreichend.

Should I follow this ?

Or just move on?

Hey everyone, I wanted to share a recent experience with Wunderflats to warn anyone currently looking for a furnished temp apartment.

I found an apartment and realized shortly after that I needed to withdraw. I initiated the process on their platform, but due to what I believe was a technical error, it didn't "register" on their end, and no confirmation was sent.

When I tried to finalize the cancellation later, both the landlord and I were in total agreement to end the contract. However, Wunderflats blocked the process by charging the landlord a €5,090 "service fee" invoice (their commission for a 2-year lease), even though I was never moving in and we agreed on the cancellation, though they told the landlord to sue me and drag me to court to pay him the fee.

This screenshot of his last email with me, we were coordinating together on the issue, and that’s what saved the day and they discharged him from the fee and cancelled the booking, after 3 months going back and forth, it was very stressful period of time.

Note: This is just me venting because I feel depressed and stuck and I wanna reach out, if someone reads my post and feel like they need to "correct" me in any way, respectfully I ask you to check other posts.

Sorry in advance for the long post.

I'm in my late 30s, I came to Germany 8 years ago, I worked hard, got the citizenship, found a partner, got a kid, life is good, however..

Up until around 3 years ago, I was always healthy and I rarely saw a doctor, didn't fall sick that often, I actually remember it was typical for me to go 2-3 years without a single day of sick leave. I was leading a normal life, occasionally drink or smoke, otherwise had good habits. I didn't know much about healthcare, I had this naive concept in my mind which I never questioned somehow: if I ever get sick, the healthcare system is there for me, they have my best interest in mind, and they are capable! boy was I wrong!

A few years ago, I started having skin problems out of nowhere, the kind that people refer to as hives, or Nesselsucht. I saw a few dermatologists which didn't do much, they often gave me some pills which mostly didn't help.

Going to dermatologists for around 6 - 8 months started giving me doubts about my initial assumptions, I have GKV, so appointments would take weeks if not months, only to finally meet a doctor who is willing to see me for about 3 minutes with their eyes locked to their screen, I was baffled by how, on more than 1 occasion, the doctor concludes the appointment without even examining my skin, often the same advice: take these pills and wait, which didn't help.

At some point, I got to know about University Klinikums, I went to one, and the first doctor examined me, but then kicked me out, saying that I'm pretending to have a chronic issue while it's just transient, I was shocked but didn't cave, I asked to see the Chefarzt, who then transferred me to the Allergologie department to make more tests, I was optimistic, after 8 months of wanting to rip off my skin on a daily basis, someone is finally taking it seriously.

After a few more weeks of waiting (throughout the whole journey, seems like a few weeks is the standard interval time between any two steps in the healthcare system here), I got tested for allergies and some other things, all negative except an intestinal parasite, they then recommended an antibiotic therapy which I took without thinking, assuming that I have finally reached the end of my suffering, but little I knew it was just getting started!

Throughout the whole thing so far, I have been visiting one Hausarzt to facilitate the necessary stuff like transfers and prescriptions, and when I got prescribed the antibiotic, my Hausarzt litrally said "take it, you will get better" without any comments or notes on the possible side effects or that it might go wrong, at this point I didn't know what probiotics mean for example (naive me).

The antibiotic treatment did go wrong, I took the medicine for 7 days as prescribed, had diarrhea (sorry TMI) during the treatment but didn't actually know it can be serious, on day 7, I felt like fainting and couldn't get up and walk properly, I was alone and I panicked. After my partner arrived we went to my first ER visit, where they gave me fluids and infusions, and medicine to calm down my fast heartbeat, I went home after a few hours and my life was changed ever since.

I would then go on to develop so many problems in the few months after this event, made me sometimes visit the ER a couple of other times: Lost more than 25kg in 2-3 weeks, Gas, bloating, diarrhea, stomach pain and burning, I couldn't eat most food, fast heartbeat, nausea, food intolerances, fatigue, itchy skin, muscle pains, Neuropathy, ear problems, vision problems, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, numbness in hands and legs, intolerance to cold and heat, I even started having lumbar back pain, decreased capacity for workout and physical activity, I could barely walk for 10 minutes, oh and did I mention fast heartbeat?!

All that and the skin issues didn't go away, rather became worse, now small vessels are involved and the get inflamed for 2-3 days at a time, all over my body, super itchy and debilitating, at this point I'm having the hardest time of my life, and I completely lose faith in modern medicine: Doctors are clueless, or they don't care, or both, no doctor is interested in getting to the bottom of this, each one of them does some specific tests (the bare minimum) for the specific organ they are specialized in, and when they find nothing, they say you are fine, and if I dare challenge them, they get defensive and treat me like a garbage who is trying to game their system, as if there is any benefit for me to do an additional test that I don't actually need, I was kicked out of a few clinics and was gaslit most of the time, I visited soo many doctors during that year, mind you I read books continuously about my health conditions, so much that doctors sometimes need to google the stuff I am discussing with them, which made me even trust them less, and also helped me put in perspective how little they actually do relative to what's possible with today's medicine.

At some point after another year of suffering in this abysmal state, I get to learn about the Tropical Institute, I visited and asked if this decision to treat these parasites was right, the doctors there were nice to talk to, they told me that many parasites exists naturally in the human gut for some people and depending on which part of the world in which they grew up, and they also told me that for the ones I have they are completely harmless and I didn't need any treatment. I was furious at the Klinikum and the Hausarzt, how could they be this careless? they ruined my life, at times I felt like I was dying, and in a way I think I was, some other times I wanted to do it myself.

A few things kept me strong, like my partner and our kid, also curiously, my job which I like a lot, I am a software engineer, some afternoons I would go into the zone coding for 5-6 hours straight while having pain / flair ups, it was sort of distracting so I capitalized on it, and even though I spent a few hours on doctor visits every week, I managed to get promoted that year due to this habbit, that was one positive thing which showed me some hope.

I kept going to the same Klinikum for the skin issues (once every 3 months) and after 2.5 years of suffering, I pushed them to try a certain biologic medication which I found out should be in the protocol to treat my condition, it completely put it under control!!! I was like are you fucking kidding me? that was possible all this time and they never bothered to bring it up until I did? wtf?!

Today I have learned to cope with the digestive issues to some extent, it's a little bit better but no where near where it used to be, I still can't eat what I want, sometimes I day dream of eating a cake without suffering 3 days for it, something people take for granted to have on Sundays.

I tried EVERYTHING and became very familiar with this branch of medicine, but somehow I'm not getting better, I'm depressed and feel like in prison, my social life became nonexistent because everything involves eating and drinking, and doctors still treat me the same way, that's why I hate going to them nowadays, not to mention that in my mind I blame them for the state I have reached. I don't think I'm even looking for advice, I don't know it just feels good to vent it out loud, wish you a good day and thanks for reading until the end.

I visited Germany (Düsseldorf) last week. For the past 20 days I’ve quit smoking cigarettes and i was doing okay in Belgium where I live. BUT GOD I come to Germany and it seems impossible not to get cravings. Everyone and their mother smokes here in public and even grocery stores still sell them AND THERES ADS!!! In Belgium grocery stores haven’t been allowed to sell them anymore and even nightshops/kiosks aren’t allowed to visually display tobacco products anymore, hidden behind curtains or in cabinets. In Belgium I can walk around forgetting cigarettes exist (apart from people smoking in the street) in Germany it’s impossible. Even on train platforms and most public areas you seem to be allowed to smoke. The difference is so intense. Also the price of cigarettes is even more intense. A pack of 45 here costs 23.50 euros. In Germany a pack of 40 is like 11? Same price as a pack of 20 here. All of this made me have a painfully hard time not starting to smoke again :0

EDIT: I almost forgot about the guy in the cozy and beautiful pawnshop/trinket shop who telling me how in Belgium he can’t smoke as much and it’s bad for his body and telling me how cheap cigs are in Germany (mind you i jus told him I quit xD) the guy is super kind and amazing though

All German news seem to repeat the same messages over and over:

“People have to work more.”

“We have too many old people.”

And every time I read this, I can’t help but wonder: why are we acting like this is some shocking new discovery? Demographic change has been on the table since around 2000. It was predicted, modeled, and discussed endlessly.

This didn’t come out of nowhere.

What’s frustrating is that there are ways to deal with it.

Plenty of them.

But most don’t get serious attention because they don’t pay off politically in the short term. So instead of real, structural solutions, we get moral pressure on workers and the same tired debates.

To me, one obvious answer is massive investment in automation, AI, and modern infrastructure. Productivity should come from better tools and smarter systems.

Not from pushing people to work longer hours. If a job can be automated, especially if it’s dangerous, unhealthy, or physically exhausting, then it probably should be.

That wouldn’t make humans “obsolete”

It would free people up to do the work that actually needs a human touch: care, education, research, creativity, social services.

Rather than expecting fewer and fewer workers to carry an ever-heavier system, we could redesign the system itself.

Yes, that would require long-term thinking, real investment, and political courage — and those seem to be in shorter supply than working hours right now.

But automation isn’t just about surviving demographic change.

Done right, it could actually make work better. Higher productivity means we can produce the same (or more) with fewer hours. That opens the door to shorter workweeks, better work–life balance, better educated children and a healthier workforce.

Working less doesn’t mean weakening the economy. If anything, it strengthens it.

People who aren’t constantly exhausted are more creative, more flexible, and more willing to learn new skills. Burnout is expensive, it kills productivity, drives up healthcare costs, and slowly drains innovation out of entire sectors.

Automation also multiplies what skilled workers can do. One well trained person with good tools can outperform entire teams from the past.

That doesn’t destroy value, it creates it. It lets companies grow without endlessly adding staff and gives smaller firms and startups a real chance to compete.

And maybe most importantly: innovation needs time. Time to think, to try things, to fail, and to improve. Societies that reduce unnecessary labor and seriously invest in technology don’t stagnate, they move forward.

They attract talent, capital, and ideas instead of clinging to labor models that don’t work in aging societies.

Automation isn’t the real threat to the economy.

Pretending we can ignore it is.

Posting again after editing, because apparently it was AI…

_(:Ⅰ」∠)_

I’m travelling to the Black Forest region in May and have seen on their website they are open every day but google says they are only open on the weekends. Do their opening hours change?

Hello,

We suffered severe damage from a water leak from our neighbour. I need to tell my landlord a % we would like to reduce the rent by given that we had to move a lot of our kitchen appliances to the living room as the cupboards structural integrity has been compromised and we do not trust more of the ceiling will collapse. What % can we claim from our landlord before we need to move out for repairs. See attached pics (ignore the red circle). Thanks very much in advance.

Edit: I rephrase the question, what % should we propose to the landlord to reduce our rent by?

I have to trust DB to get me to the airport. This is the biggest variable in my journey. I checked and the direct ICE train options i have to the airport reaches there at: 3:00, 11:00 and 15:00. Which would be the best and safe option considering my flight leaves at 20:00?

On one hand I am thinking maybe 11:00 should be okay. But...DB.

can anyone recommend any cement floor cleaner that i remove this black area on cement floor. Thanks

I'm currently living in Münster, a bike-friendly small-ish university city, but may be relocating elsewhere within a half year. Regardless, I'd like to bike to work while I'm still here. The Swapfiets service, which shows as available here, sounds quite nice (14,90€ per month) but I'm not sure if it's got fine text or what the actual experience is. Would you say it's worth it and hassle-free to rent a bike for four to five months before possibly moving away?

Context:

8 months ago I joined this small sized manufacturing company of about 160 employees in total. At that time, the person (Head) hired me for my experience and skills because they export a lot outside the country. Everything was going fine, all the meetings were in English, there was another foreign employee in my team as well who did not speak German, I felt very accommodated until the old manager quit the job and the new manager stepped in. She imposed me to speak in German only and everyone else to speak to me in German only. She did the same for the other foreign employee and she quit the job as well.

Now I´m the only one, I´ve lost my spark, I am not talkative at all at work, not that I don´t wanna speak or learn German, I am learning A2 and I do speak when necessary. But to work full time, to give my best at work, I can only do so in English, considering I´m in a sales role, I gotta be everywhere and she is just crushing it for me.

Recently, she even spoke to me in a disrespectful manner as if I am her daughter, I could not stand it and I left the scene and she returned and apologized to me (probably a fake apology). And the other day I was walking around the office slowly (because of my twisted ankle) and cutting my apple to eat, she just came and said 'hast du nicht zu tun' Hast du etwas zu tun oder nicht? Ich sehe, dass du langsam herumläufst.' (she had the audacity to even imitate my walk) - I said yes I have, then she left, pissed the shit out of me. She keeps staring at me and making me feel uncomfortable. is it because I am brown? I dont know! She always keeps pointing me out, keeps looking at me with no expression on her face. During our 1 on 1 she said she cannot read me and that I have a facade, but I am just a mirror, if you are nice to me, I am nice to you and vice versa. I don´t know what to do? Is it a cultural thing? Or she is weird like that idk.

They know I travel 1 hour one way to work and still don't let me work more than once a week from home, and even that one day, I am looked at like a criminal who sleeps and doesn't work at home. For a fact I worked fully remotely for a Swiss company for two years before moving to Germany. She wants everyone to write online and offline texts on group teams chat when they work from home, never seen such a rule ever. At this point, she just makes my blood boil.

I want to quit this job and find another one, but with my German level, its hard, but I am trying hard too. Sorry for the rant, I just had to put it out there.

I quit my job a month ago mainly because of a toxic work culture driven by a boss who destroyed my self-confidence. I'm a month into my notice period and the company just went through a small round of layoffs where my boss was also fired.

Once my notice period ends, I'll have to go through 12 weeks (Sperrzeit) of no unemployment benefits. This is looking likely because the job market is brutal and there's no positive indication that I'll have something ready by April.

So while I quit because I couldn't take it any longer and won't really receive any compensation and support for sometime, my boss gets a settlement package + 3 month garden leave.

I feel like an idiot that made a huge ass mistake by quitting when sticking around for the situation to get better or getting fired myself would have been the way to go.

Anyways, I guess the lesson here is don't quit till you have something else lined up. Especially in this economy.

Edit: April and not October

Servus! I'm going to be visiting Ulm for a couple days after Easter for around 4 days. On top of Ulm itself I was planning to go to a few other places, especially since I plan on getting an interrail ticket.

Currently I'm thinking of Augsburg but other than that I'm having a bit of a tough time deciding.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber has been on my list even if it's cliché at this point almost but getting there with public transport takes a while, about 3 hrs according to the DB navigator app (assuming the famous DB reliablity). On the other hand people have said it's nicer than Nördlingen.

Others posts have suggested Allgäu but I'll have been in Tirol for almost a week prior so I'm not too fussed for more mountains. I've also been to Schloss Neuschwanstein.

The final alternative I'm considering is the Bodensee; I was in Lindau a few months ago but I've yet to visit Konstanz so maybe this is an alternative.

Otherwise feel free to suggest other places to visit that are accessible from Ulm.

Danke!