I’ve went through hell with the mobile company to buy a phone with a new subscription. If I would’ve known that it will be so difficult, I would’ve probably not started the whole thing in the first place.
Placing the order online went smoothly. After a couple of weeks I’ve received an email that I should email or fax copies of the following documents:
- Identity card or passport
- Proof of address (electricity, water or GEZ-bill, vehicle registration, tax card or proof of income)
- if applicable, German residence documents (right of residence)
- EC card
I’ve emailed them a copy of my passport, the confirmation from the local residents’ registration office for the address and a copy of my EC card. Because there’s a law that EU citizens are free to travel and stay in any EU countries, I wrote in that a document to prove my right of residence in Germany is not applicable in my case.
After one week, they sent me the same email, requesting the same documents. So I’ve emailed all of the above again. After another week when I received the same email for the third time, I called them asking what happened to the copies I’ve sent already twice. They claimed that they didn’t receive any emails from me and I should fax them over. I was slightly pissed off about this but I eventually faxed all the stuff which I’ve emailed already twice.
After a few days I got another email asking me to give them a call because something is still missing.
It turned out that the official confirmation from the local residents’ registration office is not enough for them as proof of my address. They need specifically a recent bill or monthly salary statement. Why is an official confirmation from an official state office not good enough?
Second, Customer Service claimed that they need a document proving why I’m here in Germany. Say what???
What she didn’t know, which kind of document I needed to send them so I had to call then another department, called Bonitätsprüfung (solvency check), to find out that the Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung was missing and my order will be pending until they will receive it. This is just a document which basically confirms what the law already states. Based on the passport, they know that I’m an EU citizen so with the already existing law, why do they need this document anyhow?
Nevertheless, I wrote a letter to the foreigners’ registration office requesting this document but it took two to three weeks until I finally got it because the bureaucracy here is so terrible. They sent me first a form to fill out before they can send me this stupid thing.
So I finally had this Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung and made a copy of my last salary statement, which I then faxed over to them. I’ve waited 2 days without getting any answer.
Luckily I called Customer Service because otherwise I could have waiting forever! They “kindly” informed me that my order was cancelled because I sent these documents too late. Wait a minute, how is that possible?!?! My order should have been pending, according to the Bonitätsprüfung! So I called that department and they told me that my order is actually not cancelled. They have received the documents I faxed the last time and Customer Service has to forward them the order again. Unfortunately Customer Service didn’t want to accept this and told me that I have to place a new order which was completely unacceptable! That means I will have to go through this all over again. I made another call to the Bonitätsprüfung and finally got a nice lady on the phone who offered to clarify this with the Customer Service herself. She was so kind to call me back and confirm that everything is ok now, I’ve passed the solvency check, my order has been approved and I should expect the delivery of the phone the following days.
But everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. When I called the Customer Service the next day to double-check when they will deliver the phone, the very unfriendly lady practically shouted at me that they don’t have an iPhone in stock. It might take one week, two weeks or who knows how much. I will just have to wait for my turn. According to this *nice* lady, I will receive an email notification when it was shipped and I should expect the phone in two to three days.
Well, I finally received the iPhone today without any email notification. I usually hate surprises but this was a pleasant one so I’m not complaining!
My number is not activated yet so I’m just sitting here now and looking at my hopefully-soon-usable iPhone. But I have a feeling that this whole process was worth it. 😉
FitGeekGirl 