Hello,
My name is Tanjim Ul Islam, my wife (Faria Reza) and I are visiting Switzerland for two days from Canada. We arrived in Switzerland from Paris today, May 22, 2024, at around 11:30 AM at Zurich HB via TGVLyria train and we also had purchased our tickets to Zurich Airport together along with the long distance tickets as we are staying at a hotel near the airport. After our arrival at the Zurich Airport around 12:20 PM, we went upstairs to purchase our day pass at the airport kiosk. As this is our first visit to Switzerland, we asked for assistance from the customer service representatives regarding the tickets. When we showed them our train tickets from Paris to Switzerland and inquired about buying tickets to our hotel, they clearly mentioned that we did not need to purchase tickets for today as we had a whole day pass included with our train tickets, allowing us to travel freely on all transportations- buses, trains, metro, etc., for the day. Assured by the customer service at the ticket counter, we went out to explore the city with the understanding that we had valid tickets. I specifically asked the customer service representative, “Do we need to scan it anywhere?” she responded, “No, you don’t need to scan it anywhere, you can just hop on the bus, train, etc., for the day.”
However, while traveling back to our hotel after we spent the day in the city, our tickets were checked, and we were informed that they had expired. We tried to explain the whole situation, but they still insisted we pay the fine. Consequently, we both received fines for expired tickets. The person who issued us the fines mentioned that our tickets expired at 12:44 PM today. My questions are: first, someone had already confirmed to me that the ticket was valid for the whole day; and second, there were no options for scanning the tickets. As first-time travelers to Switzerland, how could we know that the person who told us the ticket was valid was incorrect, especially when there was no way to scan the tickets?
This situation seems completely unfair to us as the customer service representative misled us, despite our intention to purchase the necessary tickets. We also visited the SBB Customer Service office today at Zurich HB to discuss potential ticket options for tomorrow and found a suitable one, which clearly shows our intention to always travel with valid tickets.
As responsible citizens, we always respect the law and order of any country we visit. This unfortunate experience during our first visit to Switzerland, coupled with the unjust fine, has left us both upset and saddened. I kindly request that you reconsider this matter and refund the fines issued to us due to the miscommunication by the customer service representative at the kiosk.
I am attaching our Paris-Zurich ticket and the receipt of the fine for your reference. We look forward to your reconsideration in this matter.