SBB changed my dates Zurich Airport to Luzern

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    24 September 2017 at 16:59:17 #813347

    I went on to http://www.sbb.ch/en/buying/p ages/fahrplan/fahrplan .xhtml and put in my date as Oct. 12, Thursday. Without realizing it, the site automatically changes your date to one day earlier. I didn’t see this and made my purchase. I just noticed my ticket expires 5A on Oct. 12 instead of Oct. 13. I went back to see how this happened and it changed every date I entered to one day earlier. How do I fix this? I paid CHF 60 for tickets that are useless to me. Why does sbb change your dates to one day earlier than you need it?

  • Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions.

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    24 September 2017 at 20:35:39 #870137

    Hi Sabrejobs,

    I’m sorry to hear that! I have no idea what happened here. It’s the first time I see that exact ticket purchase page (the version saying “… and ticket purchase”). I usually search for train schedules at http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable, which shows the search results of the regular SBB timetable with ticket purchase options (by the way, the sites listed here sell tickets too, and are more geared to tourists). I did try your link for Oct. 12 and did not see it change the date until the last step before the actual purchase. Something went wrong in your case, but I don’t know what it was. You’d better contact them and explain it. If you did not buy a Supersaver ticket I expect you can get a refund.

    Please let us know how this works out for you, if you can.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    24 September 2017 at 20:42:28 #870138

    Thanks for the reply. I am confused about whether or not you had the same experience. You said it didn’t change UNTIL THE LAST STEP…..so, are you saying it DID change for you, too? Mine changes (each time) IMMEDIATELY…on the first page before it even goes to the 2nd page to show the departure time options. You also say “something went wrong in your case” as if you didn’t have ANY problem. Did you experience a date change at all? I am just concerned no one else is having this problem and for some quirky reason, it happens only when I do it. That would be really weird. I did write to them immediately on their site and then I went to facebook and sent the same message. I am puzzled, but even more frustrated.

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    24 September 2017 at 20:53:20 #870139

    Sorry I was not clear there. I meant to say I only tried it until that step because I did not made the purchase. I did not see the date change. It was still displaying October 12 at that point. I can’t think of a good reason it would change. I’m not sure if your browser could cause such an issue considering you are in a different time zone. You can try a different browser (I’m using Chrome). Sometimes that makes a difference for weird issues. It is frustrating, yes, I can imagine.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 September 2017 at 13:07:37 #870140

    I was on Chrome, too. I tried it again and it’s still changing the dates as soon as I hit the red button to view my options. I now have it on video. Thanks for trying it. I posted the video on SBB’s facebook page. I just hope I hear from someone.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 September 2017 at 14:05:21 #870141

    I got a reply. They said the problem is COMMON. Here’s what they said:

    We could reproduce the problem. This actually only happens with computers on which the time zone is different than “Middle European Time”. for example GMT -7 for USA. Depending on which time you’re booking your ticket, you need to either put in one day later (as travel date) or you don’t need to change the date at all.

    I am not sure what the last part of his final sentence means, but I am all set. They are going to send a refund of the wrong-date tickets once they receive my new, corrected, confirmation numbers. If someone wants to write directly because of a problem (only), they could use : ticketshop@sbb .ch to have a copy of their own request.

    I also wondered about Pilatus. I read a LOT of info on your site and I see most people take the cog rail up and the cable card down or v.v. It appears you need NO advanced planning or ticket purchase…just use the pass. Would we start our journey at the boat station or do you think we are better off ending with the cruise? Also, one person said the cruise ride back takes 1.45 hours. Could that be accurate? We only have ONE FULL day in Luzern. We want to get it right.

    DO WE NEED BOOTS at the top (no one mentions the snow in their reviews). We prefer not to pack them, but we will be there Oct. 13. I know there’s snow at the top then (and almost all year). Is it patted down enough so we can use closed shoes or do we need hiking boots?

    Thanks for all your help and support. It is immeasurable to those with short time periods who don’t have time in Switzerland to wait in lines, etc. for this same info.

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    25 September 2017 at 14:43:41 #870142

    Thanks for letting us know! So it is the time zone. That explains why it works for me and not for you. That’s a weird bug. And easy to solve I would hope. I’m glad the refund is arranged for. Now, if you have a Swiss Travel Pass you will not need tickets from the airport to Luzern, but I guess this is for a day you don’t have a valid pass yet? If so, you can either buy your tickets on the day, or buy them from the websites listed here.

    The ride to and from Mount Pilatus is indeed free with the Swiss Travel Pass so you do not need tickets (it will only be discounted as of 2018). The order of things does not really matter, but of you end with the boat you will have to plan a bit as they do not operate as frequent as the trains and cable cars. The quickest boats take less than an hour to Lucerne, but routes and thus times vary throughout the day, so it can be 90 minutes too. The cogwheel train up can be really busy in the second half of the morning, but you’ll be there in low season. It may be less of a factor but no guarantees!

    There’s mostly no snow at the top throughout the summer, and there may be no snow when you’re there either. But there could be. Hiking boots are not required for general sightseeing, but sturdy shoes are comfortable.

    Have fun!

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 September 2017 at 15:35:37 #870143

    I didn’t expect you to say there may not be snow at the top in Oct. I skied Zermatt in Oct. many years ago. There was snow at the top and all over the mountain. Anyway, I will take a chance and go with sturdy shoes. What time zone are you in? Are you in Switzerland?

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    25 September 2017 at 15:41:40 #870144

    Snow is very well possible at that altitude, but definitely not a guarantee. There have been warm falls with no substantial snow until December or so. But earlier this month there has been snow at that altitude. There’s just no way to tell until a few days before when the weather forecast is somewhat reliable. I’m only trying to manage expectations 🙂 I am not in Switzerland but I’m in the same timezone (CET/CEST).

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    26 September 2017 at 12:59:22 #870145

    Most of the mountains in Zermatt are a fair bit higher than Mt. Pilatus as well – I recall being at about 3000 meters when I skied there and Pilatus is just over 2000 meters. At the moment Pilatus is about 5 degrees with no snow as you can see on the webcams. I don’t think you would need snow boots at all. Nice hiking boots or shoes would be a good option though

  • The thread ‘SBB changed my dates Zurich Airport to Luzern’ is closed to new replies.

About MySwissAlps

We’re passionate tourists and locals. We share tips about how to plan a trip to Switzerland. MySwissAlps was founded in 2002.

Get a free account for a worry-free trip

  • Join our 10730 members and ask us questions in the forum
  • Access to member-only promotions
  • Detailed maps and weather forecasts

Planning your first Switzerland adventure?

Get a jump-start with Annika’s 20-minute e-mail course, “Switzerland for beginners”. Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock the course.