Important changes

• Carnival in Klön will start on 11 Nov.
• The Gigabit Infrastructure Act (EU) 2024/1309 will come into effect on Nov 12. It slashes the cost and time of rolling out gigabit networks by forcing utilities, landlords, and councils to share ducts, poles, and buildings. [1]
• From 2026, every new or renovated building must be “fibre-ready.” [1]
• Two months before the year-end. It's time to review your insurance and utility contracts. You can save up to 1000€ by switching your contracts every year. This includes electricity, gas, internet, liability insurance, and car insurance contracts.
• Christmas markets will open soon. Enjoy some Glühwine and wurst.
• From November 18, TV sets without HD reception will no longer receive broadcasts from public broadcaster ZDF. [2]

Black Friday Scams: What to Watch Out For

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost here. You can expect fraudulent offers to slip through the legitimate deals.

Here are some standard techniques scammers use.

• "Failed delivery" texts requiring a small fee to release your package
• Shipping confirmations for orders you never placed
• Urgent "store closing sale" announcements with unbelievable discounts
• Refund notices with suspicious links

Scammers are getting smarter. Many use AI to craft professional-looking emails and build replica websites of trusted retailers.

How can you protect yourself?

• Verify before you click. Don't trust links in delivery or refund messages. Instead, open your browser and go directly to the courier or retailer's official site.
• Examine the website carefully. Check the URL, returns policy, shipping information, and terms and conditions. Red flags include missing details, poor translations, or vague contact information.
• If it seems too good to be true, investigate further. Compare prices across multiple sites and review price history tools. An 80% discount on a product that's never been discounted before? That's suspicious.
• Double-check payment requests. Before approving any transaction, verify the merchant name and amount match what you intended to purchase.

​Common scams in Germany you must be aware of ->​

How to spot errors in your heating bill and your rights?

Before you pay the additional heating charge at the year's end, you should verify it. Your heating bill must comply with the Heating Costs Ordinance.

Watch for these common errors:

Missing mandatory information:

• No breakdown of basic costs vs. consumption costs
• Missing CO2 cost allocation (for bills from 2023 onward)
• No comparison with the previous period or similar households
• Absent contact information for dispute resolution
• Missing fuel mix or emissions data

Calculation errors:

• Wrong billing period (must be exactly twelve months)
• Math errors in subtotals or final amount
• Incorrect allocation ratio (must be between 50:50 and 30:70 for basic/consumption costs)

Suspicious consumption patterns:

• Hot water costs exceed 30% of total fuel consumption
• Your heating share is significantly higher than your apartment's proportion of the building
• Dramatic unexplained increases from previous years

Always double-check that prices per unit (kWh, square meter) match your calculated heating costs. Verify all additions and multiplications yourself.

Your Rights as a Tenant

Understanding your rights protects you from overpaying:

• Right to Timely Billing: You must recieve the heating bill by the end of the following billing year. You must receive the 2024 heating bill by December 31, 2025. If your bill arrives late, you don't owe any additional payment. The landlord's claim expires. However, if the bill shows a credit, you're still entitled to that refund. What matters is when you received the bill, not when it was sent.
• You have one full year after receiving your heating bill to file an objection. This gives you plenty of time to thoroughly review everything.
• You have the right to inspect all receipts and invoices that support the costs on your heating bill. You have two options:
  • Schedule an in-person review at your landlord's or property management office
  • Request copies by mail (your landlord may charge for copying and postage)
• Right to Payment Deferral: Suppose you object to your heating bill. In this case, you can request a payment deferral on any outstanding charges until you receive corrected information.
• Right to Cost Reductions: The Heating Costs Ordinance allows you to reduce payments in specific situations:
  • 15% reduction: If billing isn't based on actual consumption (no meters installed)
  • 3% reduction: If heat cost allocators aren't remotely readable
  • 3% reduction: If CO2 cost allocation is missing or incomplete (for 2023 bills onward)

What to Do When Your Bill Is Wrong?

Suppose you think something doesn't add up. In this case, request supporting documents from the landlord.

If you identify errors after verifying the supporting documents, send a written objection within one year. Your objection should:

• Clearly state you're objecting
• Specify the errors with references to relevant regulations.
• Demand action from your landlord. This may be asking for a corrected bill, payment deferral, etc.

Always communicate with the landlord in writing and keep all the relevant documents.

When should you get professional help?

• Your landlord refuses to provide supporting documents
• The bill contains complex errors you can't resolve
• Your landlord rejects your valid objection

Who can help?

• Consumer advice centers
• Tenants' associations
• Lawyers specializing in rental law

Current Black Friday Deals

• ​SIM24* is offering a 60GB mobile data plan for 9.99€ per month.
• ​Babble* is offering a 20% discount on its lifetime subscription.

Amazon Prime Price Hike: Join the Class Action Lawsuit to Get Your Money Back

In September 2022, Amazon increased the Prime membership fee. Annual memberships jumped from €69 to €89.90, while monthly fees rose from €7.99 to €8.99.

If you were a Prime customer when the price increase took effect, you might be entitled to a refund. The North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center challenged this price increase in court and won.

The consumer center is now preparing a class action lawsuit to help affected customers reclaim their money from the tech giant.

How much refund can you expect?

The lawsuit aims to recover the difference between the old and new prices since September 2022. Depending on how you paid, you could be looking at:

• Annual subscribers: Approximately €20 per year
• Monthly subscribers: Approximately €12 per year

Your actual refund depends on how long you paid the inflated price.

The legal proceedings may continue as Amazon has indicated it might appeal to the Federal Court of Justice. So, the exact timeline and final amounts are not yet set in stone.

Who can join the class action?

You can join the class action if you meet the following conditions.

• You had an active Amazon Prime membership in September 2022
• You paid the increased price after the hike

How can you join the class action?

Once the Consumer Center NRW officially files the class action and the Federal Office of Justice opens the class action register, you can sign up.

You can stay updated about the progress by subscribing to Verbraucherzentrale notification service here.

Source: Verbraucherzentrale​

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Latest News

• German politicians accused the AfD party of spying for Russia after it asked 47 detailed questions about Germany's military drones, bases, and infrastructure. The government refused to answer, fearing the classified information could reach Putin. Other parties called it "treason," citing AfD members' trips to Moscow, their leader's praise of Putin, and upcoming visits to Russia. [1]
• Germany is spending €18 billion by 2029 to lead the world in AI, quantum tech, biotech, fusion, microchips, and green transport. Chancellor Merz says the cash will fund new labs, satellites, start-ups, and the first fusion power plant. [2]
• Turkey issued arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 others, including ministers and the army chief, for genocide and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel called it a "PR stunt" by President Erdoğan. [3]
• The EU plans to postpone penalties and give major tech companies an extra year before enforcing its new AI law. The reason for the delay is the pressure from Trump's administration and companies like Meta. EU officials say they still support the law but want to make the rules easier for high-risk AI systems and reduce oversight requirements. [4]

Community Shoutouts! 📣

• ​SIM24* is offering a 60GB mobile data plan for 9.99€ per month.
• ​C24* is offering a 75€ bonus for opening a new account. You must also transfer your existing checking account using the CHECK24 account switching service.
• Perplexity is offering a 12-month Pro subscription for free. You can sign up here.
• Google Gemini is offering a 12-month free Pro subscription to students. You can get it here.
• ​Join our Facebook community. Ask questions, share experiences, join webinars, and stay updated about your rights, laws, and latest changes in real time.
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Instagram, and Pinterest to get more insights about Germany daily.

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• ​Don't fall for the 100% reimbursement marketing by dental insurers​
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Past newsletters

• ​Good news for homebuyers​
• ​Finance your studies in Germany​
• ​Strict rules for Bürgergeld​
• ​Electricity prices have gone down​

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