Sounding very Swiss here, but rules are rules. Break them and there will be consequences unfortunately. You might get away with it if you catch them on a good day, but seems like you didnt. Tough.
Sorry sonny jim, they are not paid to analyse every single case that they encounter. They have to get through a good number (thousands?) or commuters everyday. Their job is to check that you've got a valid ticket and fine those who dont. There will be a massive backlog if 20 customers out of 300 on the train have different excuses for not having a ticket. Simple as that. Hence they gave you a separate number to call and complain.
Thing i've learned about rail conductors here is that it doesn't matter if you feed starving children, help old grannies accross the road, or save a fish from drowning... they are rather merciless in meting out punishment, even in situations where yes, they could show a bit of leniency (as where someone approaches them for advice and has clearly made a basic mistake such as in your case). However, ultimately their word is gospel, so you're just going to have to suck it up and learn from experience, and make sure you have the correct ticket in future. We are in Switzerland, and the reason things do run like clockwork is because people stick to the rules, and as such there is little tolerance for not doing so.
It seems that the conductors did take a dislike to you as it would have been appropriate to have charged you the same as your friend. I dont really understand why it was all sorted out with your friend and then they came back to you. Normally the conductors will sort out any problem there and then rather than coming back to one. Do you think that they were giving you an opportunity to unboard the tram to get the correct ticket but when you failed to do so they had no choice but to fine you the full amount?
Obviously none of us were there to know what was going on, but from my experience most of the inspectors that I have come across have been extremely patience with me and have looked for alternatives first before fining (I haven't been fined despite having the wrong ticket on a few occasions or going beyond my zones).
I would suggest writing to the company and explaining the situation and see what happens.
As already explained in an earlier post, they DID see that you didn't have a history. The 80 CHF fine is for first-time offenders only - it starts to get into the area of real money on your third offense.
This isn't Vancouver, kid. The Swiss system works incredibly well once you know the rules , but until then, it will be a bit of a pain. It's part of the learning curve of emigrating to a new country; accept it and move on. I've been fined myself (didn't know about the Nachtzuschlag at the time); you're not the first, nor will you be the last.
I can promise you that in Chicago, they wouldn't be particularly understanding of a foreigner who couldn't speak English having the wrong ticket either.
I also had the same problem, jumped on wrong train and ended up outside my monthly pass zone by 1 stop.
anyway, i got fine 80 SF in post, i rang them to ask how i pay as i dont speak German..
I then received a reduced fine in post for 40 SF...
Result...
My experience too. I got slapped with a chf 80 fine for not having paid the after midnight chf 5 surcharge. I called the complaints number and explained that I did not know that it was required. They reduced it to chf 40.
Sometimes these posts are actually funny
At the beginning people are like "yes this is the system you get caught so now pay". After they get caught though they are like "but its unfair, shouldnt be a different fine for first timers etc"
This is not in direct reference to the OP obviously just a general comment
that's a good point.
in fact, I knew someone that never bought bus tickets, nor fed parking meters ... she said she had only been fined twice in about 6 months, and it was ultimately cheaper paying the two fines than to have paid for all the bus tickets / parking tickets.
of course this was Lausanne, and it was about 8 years ago. now i understand they record each infraction, and your fine goes up for subsequent offenses...
so yes, the fine has to be reasonably high and visibly enforced for it to be a valid deterrent ... else we would all be taking our chances...
Possibly apocraphly, I heard of a lady who arrived in Basel each monday and hired a car. She'd park it anywhere and ignore the parking tickets.
A few months after she first entered the country, she got back to her hotel to find her bags packed and in the custody of a couple of police officers. The instructed her to get into their car, and they drove her, and her luggage, across the border. The unloaded her, and her luggage, and told her that she is no longer welcome in Switzerland. And then drove away.
As the quoted poster has written, many of us have written to ZVV about an offense made by mistake, with a full explanation and had the fine reduced. I would give it a try and make sure to get it right in the future.
Mistakes happen, but in CH the policy is to not look for "degrees of wrongness" but to just police and enforce the rules. That is how it is here.
fduvall
the rules are clear... not valid ticket 80fr. the internetside ZVV is in german and english. befor you travel get information. and at the ticketmachine you can change from german to english too...and around zürich there are a lot of flyers with the zones. one look and you can find how many zones you need.
And the fourth time you could well be talking to a judge.
next time run and I mean run fast for at least 80 bucks worth, take a left turn and never look back...
yes it is unreasonable and many things are
This type of collection is all about revenue generating; same applies to the unreal density of traffic cameras in and around Zurich
My experience has also been that the ZVV conductors show absolutely no mercy when fining you if you made a genuine mistake in buying the wrong ticket, e.g. as a clueless tourist. And the appeals process was a laughable waste of time and a travesty, including a complaints handler who conveniently claimed in impeccable English that he couldn't speak English. Ha, ha, pull the other one. I subsequently skipped Switzerland as a travel destination - their loss as I happily spend my time in more welcoming neighbouring countries. I spend about 15K Euro annually on holidays, so that adds up to a substantial loss to the Swiss economy over the decades. If Switzerland wants to keep its tourists coming back, they need to make them feel welcome. But frankly, I don't think the authorities give a damn.
ooo look at me I treat people and communal services like shit, but I'm rich so I can do what I like! I will spit in your face and then throw a 10 CHF at your feet. I'll buy the most expensive cinrma ticket and then shout and laugh and talk through the film! That's how we all behave in Vienna, you see. You Swiss are all poor and need my money, however antisocial and uncouth I am!
Translation : No one cares for your 15,000 Euro holiday spend. We don't want you here. Bye!
Share that maths with us, will you?
Not really. €15'000 a year to keep the likes of you out seems very reasonable.
Maybe the no mercy bit was down to your attitude more than anything else. With that post like that I can just imagine you barking at a ticket inspector, and if that was indeed the case then good for him for throwing the book at you.
So what do you propose they do? Monitor which tourists spend enough during their holidays in Switzerland and exempt them from traffic and public transport fines? Why not just let them run around drunk in the streets, smoke weed, and commit whatever crimes they might like? They're special, after all.
Take your holiday elsewhere; it will be good for everyone.