Today [14.2¾]

LOL! Thanks old-timer Nigel.

Today (or rather yesterday, Sunday started over an hour ago here) I had the most strange experience with an overzealous public servant I have ever had.

Early afternoon I stepped out of a Leipzig City tram in my neighborhood, I have some 300 meters (less than a quarter of mile) to walk home from this tram stop. Went first to a bakery in the corner to buy bread for the weekend. In screenshot below, #1 is the tram stop, #2 is the bakery, the red line shows the route I walked from the tram to bakery.

This small neighborhood bakery has a few tables in the street and is quite popular place, cup of really good coffee costing less than one Euro and all the bakery products being very reasonably priced. In one of the tables in the street, one ticket controller of the city's public transport company LVB was having a coffee break. Usually they work in pairs, one stepping in from front of the bus or tram, one from behind, writing €40 penalty tickets to those without a valid ticket but this one was alone.

He was sitting quite next to the entrance to the bakery. As I passed him, he stood up and told "I noticed you came from the tram #4 just now, could you show your ticket". No Good afternoon, no presenting himself as a controller (recognized the uniform, though), nothing. As the reason I had been in the city and now coming home with a tram was not a pleasant one and I was in a bad mood, I just told him "No" and went in to buy my bread. I mean, what right could he possibly to have to ask a ticket from a passenger who had already walked over two pedestrian crossings away from the stop, past at least three trash cans where if using a single trip ticket the said passenger could have discarded it.

A minute or two later I was back in the street, this controller was standing there demanding to see my ticket or he would write the control ticket (€40) for me for refusing to show a valid ticket. I said nothing, first, but when he asked me to ID myself I told him I'd rather suggest he should call the police as there was not a chance I would show him either a ticket or ID.

Whether I had a valid ticket, which I had, or not is irrelevant here. I just turned around and walked home, was not interested to continue the argument or see if he really would have called the cops.

In the US, we would have been allowed to shoot him :) Sorry, I know you are frustrated my friend

A Guy

I don't even own a gun so that was not an option :).

This was bothering me all the day, finally now after midnight I checked the complaints email address on their website and wrote a complaint.

Was he possibly an impersonator hoping to get 40 Euro pops from people?

A Guy said:

In the US, we would have been allowed to shoot him

I miss the US. I spent a lot of time there in my twenties, it was with work but I made sure I got to know the places I went quite well. Atlanta was probably my favourite place (had some great times there) followed by Kalamazoo.

Britton30 said:

Was he possibly an impersonator hoping to get 40 Euro pops from people?

He had a uniform. I am not sure but I think that those control fees are not paid in cash but instead they just take your details and you get a bill by mail.

Weird stuff Kari
I don't blame you for walking away I would think these controllers.. would be at the exit not at a coffee house trolling pedestrians ?
Cheers.

I had a similar experience and when I mentioned to go ahead and call the police the guy backed off.

Today I got a rather nice tip from a customer I had not charged for a service call because I missed part of an issue on the first call.
As I was leaving her residence I noticed this device out of the corner of my eye. I said "I haven't seen one of those since I was in the Army many years ago." She said "My late husband and I would take it on camping trips and listen to all sorts of channels, It still works and since you are interested in it it's yours." I said "No I couldn't accept that as it has sentimental value." She said "Look I am clearing out the garage and my late husband was an a**hole so please take it."

I laughed then said sorry and loaded it in my truck. Really nice find, and it does indeed work.