Status: 18.12.2023, 17:44 PM
By: Kai Hartwig
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Many families come together at Christmas. Deutsche Bahn picked up on this in an Instagram post. But the reactions were not as hoped.
Munich – Only a few days left until Christmas Eve. The anticipation of Christmas is increasing for many people. Apparently, Deutsche Bahn (DB) is already in the Christmas spirit. At least that's what a post from the company's social media department, published on Instagram on December 12, suggests. However, the railway had probably not expected the reactions to the Christmas post.
Because instead of contemplation and positive feedback, there was a hail of criticism without end - and this ranged from the DB board of directors to the railway app to the well-known problem of unpunctuality. But first things first.
Deutsche Bahn's Christmas post backfires – "What I don't like..."
The railway posted a picture of a Christmas stollen on its Instagram account "dbpersonenverkehr", including the lettering "Siiimplyyy haaaving a wonderful Christmasstollen". Loosely based on the chorus in Paul McCartney's Christmas song "Wonderful Christmastime". The DB social media team wrote: "In our on-board bistro you can get the perfect snack for the 'Driving Home for Christmas' – STOLLEN!" Two is better, the railway employees probably thought. And with the hit of the Irish singer Chris Rea, they tried to create another classic of the Christmas charts.
Meanwhile, the enthusiasm on Instagram was limited. Instead of Christmas greetings, many users left bitter criticism of the railway in the comments section. "If the on-board bistro is open at all," one user said. "I could already like the stollen," commented another: "What I don't like is the topicality of the information in the app: I'm at work and look at the app that tells me a) my train is coming and b) it's coming on time.
c) I stand on the train track in the rain and wait 20 minutes for my train! Congratulations."
"You don't seem to have any other problems" – DB post on Instagram receives a lot of criticism
One user wrote: "Again and again the trains are cancelled. Incredibly unreliable," one user wrote. The DB employees were still trying to limit the damage, asking for more detailed information about the customer's failed connections. "It's the same every time. Real. I'd rather drive a car and mess up the environment than ride with you," he replied.
"You don't seem to have any other problems than the good Stollen?! How about punctuality or cancellation of trains, or the thought of the working people who depend on the railways? That's really cheeky! What you're leaving, aehh studs," said another user.
Deutsche Bahn has repeatedly struggled with the punctuality of its own trains. © Christoph Soeder/dpa
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"Your board is like your railway – a complete total failure"
Another user's comment was directed against the company's top management. "Your board is like your railway – a complete total failure. A piece of toast would manage your business better than your board of directors, which is made up of losers. With your performance, any normal employee would receive a warning, but you full whistle courageously reaches into the tax coffers," another user ranted. He was probably referring to the whopping millions in bonuses that the railway bosses collected despite missing targets, according to a media report.
The frustration and anger at the train is obviously very deep in some people. The recent increase in strikes by the train drivers' union GDL is also likely to play a role in why dissatisfaction with Deutsche Bahn seems to be growing. After all, there was recently speculation about a possible wage agreement between GDL and DB before Christmas. If this does not succeed, there may be a threat of new strikes in January 2024. Then it should not have been the last post from Deutsche Bahn that evokes significantly different reactions than desired. (kh)