A month has passed and I have not received a single message from SBB regarding my case — a backpack I forgot on a train bound for Locarno. It is sad and truly disappointing. I might have expected this situation in many countries, but not in Switzerland, where organization, security, and public trust are said to be so high.
Perhaps the issue lies in the fact that the bag contained money, because how could one explain if the clothes and socks were returned, but not the money? That would certainly be strange.
In the end, I know many will say that it is not the country’s fault, nor the company’s. And yes, I was the one who forgot the bag. But this is not about blame — it is about character, competence, and common sense. These are qualities every traveler expects from a nation that presents itself as part of the so-called “first world.”