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Michael Buchmüller (55) from Kaiseraugst AG was left standing by the TCS.
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In the middle of Spain he stays …
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5/6
But despite the ETI protection letter, Buchmüller has to organize the towing service himself.
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Daniel Graf from TCS speaks of an “isolated case”.
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Michael Buchmüller (55) from Kaiseraugst AG is still angry. When he was driving from Valencia to Barcelona during his vacation in Spain, a car tire bursts. It is impossible to continue driving. For Buchmüller it is clear that this is a case for the TCS.
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After all, he has been paying for the ETI insurance cover for over 20 years. This promises “comprehensive travel protection”, including “breakdown assistance throughout Europe”. On the TCS hotline, Buchmüller first receives information that the towing service has been organized. Shortly afterwards, he also receives an SMS with a dossier number. But what starts well ends in disaster.
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«Call 112»
An hour later there is still no trace of the towing service. That’s why Buchmüller calls TCS again. But there it just says: Everything is in order, help is on the way.
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After two more phone calls and more than six hours of waiting at more than 30 degrees on the motorway, the bad news follows from the TCS: The partner can no longer be reached, Buchmüller has to help himself. “When I asked the employee who I could contact, she said: ‘Try 112.’ That was a joke, I felt really fooled,” says Buchmüller.
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Finally, the local police help him. She immediately organizes a towing service. «That was also thanks to my Spanish-speaking friend. Without her I wouldn’t have had a chance. Because the TCS completely let me down, ”says Buchmüller.
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Buchmüller is annoyed
After his return to Switzerland, Buchmüller sent a registered letter to the TCS on July 23. In it he complains about the incident and demands the money back for the self-organized towing service. Despite two inquiries, a month later he still hasn’t heard anything. “It just makes me angry, I get brutally angry,” he says. “I’ve had this insurance for over 20 years, but I’ve now been left in the lurch.” How it will go on and whether he will change his insurance, he does not yet know.
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TCS apologizes
In fact, things only got moving when Blick confronts the TCS with the allegations. Media spokesman Daniel Graf explains why Buchmüller had to wait hours in vain for help in Spain: “Our local partner could be reached at first, but then had problems with the IT system, which meant that the phone failed and no mail was possible. Finally, the TCS recommended Mr. Buchmüller to dial the emergency number 112. ” Graf emphasizes that this is an isolated case.
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Buchmüller will finally receive mail from the TCS “in the next few days”. «The TCS apologizes in every form for the circumstances that Mr. Buchmüller had to endure. The costs will of course be fully reimbursed to him, ”promises Graf.
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