A rail passenger in Germany who arrives at least 60 minutes late gets 25 percent of the ticket price back. In 2024 Deutsche Bahn received about 6.9 million claims for compensation. It paid knapp 197 Millionen Euro, almost 197 million euros, to passengers. In 2023 it had paid 132.8 million euros.
One Day Late, and the Thesis Fails
At the University of Bamberg, a bachelor’s student has three months to write a bachelor’s thesis. For a thesis sent by post, the date of the postmark counts. Then the rule: Wird die Bachelorarbeit nicht fristgerecht gemäß § 29 Abs. 4 abgegeben, gilt sie als mit „nicht ausreichend” (5,0) bewertet. If the thesis is not handed in on time, it is graded insufficient, the failing grade of 5.0.
The Late-Filing Surcharge
Every German who must file a tax return faces a fixed deadline, and the tax code puts a price on missing it. If an annual return is not filed within 14 months after the end of the year, the tax office as a rule has no choice. A Verspätungszuschlag, a late-filing surcharge, ist … festzusetzen, must be imposed. It is 0.25 percent of the tax still owed for each month or part of a month of delay, but at least 25 euros for each month or part of a month.
The A400M
The German armed forces ordered 53 A400M transport aircraft from Airbus. The first one arrived in December 2014, years late. In January 2015 the Airbus chief executive, Tom Enders, apologized in public: Wir haben nicht die Leistung abgeliefert, die wir uns gewünscht haben, und ich muss mich dafür entschuldigen. We did not deliver the performance we wanted, and I must apologize for it. In June 2016 Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the armed forces had einen sehr handfesten Vertrag, a very solid contract, in which compensation was clearly set out. Wir werden auch diese Schadenersatzansprüche geltend machen. We will claim this compensation.
The Appointment Binds Both Sides
When a booked craftsman in Germany does not come, the customer cannot claim for a wasted day off. Einen Anspruch auf Ersatz eines vertanen Urlaubstages oder Verschwendung von Freizeit gibt es nicht, the legal portal of the insurer ERGO explains. Losses that can be counted in money can be claimed, if the craftsman is at fault. A self-employed customer’s lost earnings are one example. The rule also binds the customer. Sind Sie trotz Terminvereinbarung nicht zu Hause, kann der Handwerksbetrieb Ihnen die Fahrtkosten für die vergebliche Anfahrt in Rechnung stellen. If you are not home despite the agreed appointment, the firm can bill you for the wasted trip. In 2018 a master hairdresser in Hanover announced his own rule: Wer seinen Termin nicht absagt und wegbleibt, muss den vollen Betrag zahlen. Whoever does not cancel and stays away pays the full price.
Delivery Fidelity
German purchasing departments measure their suppliers by Liefertreue, delivery fidelity. The business glossary Welt der BWL gives the formula: orders delivered on schedule divided by all orders. A delivery counts as on schedule only if it comes nicht verspätet oder verfrüht, neither late nor early. Liefertreue can also decide supplier awards. In 2013 the machine builder Zahoransky gave its Business Partner Award to suppliers that had proved especially reliable, insbesondere hinsichtlich Qualität, Liefertreue, Innovationskraft und Preisverhalten, especially in quality, delivery fidelity, innovation and pricing.
When the Date Is the Deal
German commercial law knows the Fixgeschäft, a deal in which the date is essential. Section 376 of the Commercial Code covers sales between merchants where delivery must happen genau zu einer festbestimmten Zeit, exactly at a fixed time. If the date passes, the buyer may withdraw. A buyer who still wants the goods must say so at once. Erfüllung kann er nur beanspruchen, wenn er sofort nach dem Ablaufe der Zeit … dem Gegner anzeigt, daß er auf Erfüllung bestehe. He can demand delivery only if he tells the other side immediately after the date that he insists on it. Lawyers give everyday examples: a wedding cake, or 100 bouquets ordered for a wedding on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Not Reachable Except in a Crisis
In 2014 Deutsche Telekom said that since 2010 it had had a policy recommending that managers avoid sending e-mails after the end of the working day, for example at weekends. In 2013 the Goethe-Institut described the company’s self-commitment: müssen die Arbeitnehmer außer in Krisensituationen in ihrer Freizeit nicht erreichbar sein, except in crisis situations, employees need not be reachable in their free time. In 2013, at the energy company E.on, no business e-mail was allowed from 20 minutes after the end of the working day. BMW chose a different route: Wir haben uns im Wesentlichen für Vertrauen und gegen starre Regeln entschieden. We have essentially decided for trust and against rigid rules.
No Homework on Sundays
Section 28 of the Bavarian school regulations sets a limit for children: Sonntage, Feiertage und Ferien sind von Hausaufgaben freizuhalten. Sundays, public holidays and school vacations are to be kept free of homework.
Eight Services a Week
An orchestra musician’s working week in Germany is counted in Dienste, services. The collective agreement for orchestra musicians, as quoted by the Federal Labor Court in 2003, sets the limit. On average over eight calendar weeks, or 16 in concert orchestras, a musician has to play at most eight services a week. If most performances in that period are of works rated difficult by their score, the limit is seven. A 2008 position paper from the German Stage Association described a regular week as eight services of two and a half or three hours.