so on the weekend, the volvo had a flat tire, and the spare was also flat (damn) - bought a can of tire inflate and managed to get some air in the spare. went to a tire shop in lugano and they the installed a new valve and put the original tire back on the car - they did not charge us anything - wow.

sometimes we hear a lot about the nasty side of the swiss and i wanted to share this moment of good karma.

More Italian than Swiss, Lugano is Ticino (Italian Speaking)

I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd help elsewhere in this country as well. It's just that we run into the few deviants from time to time.
We don't count the number of people we interact with who don't hassle us do we?

Yes i had a few occasions when people helped us in Switzerland. When we moved to winterthur from singapore, it was a shock for us coming from a tropical country because we moved in winter. Our neighbours finding that we were ill equiped to deal with the cold went out shopping to get us appropriate clothing.

I would like to think that there are many such people here in Switzerland but as the old saying goes a few rotten apples is enough to spoil the entire basket.

Last year our exhaust came loose at the back end. I popped into our local Landi to see if I could get some sort of strapping to hold it in place until I could get a new one. I couldn't find anything but the manager took a roll of copper wire off the shelf, cut off a couple of metres, climbed under the car (in the wet) and tied it in place.

Again, no charge, and we're in the German part of CH

Best for me was a German speaking Swiss youth of about 17 chasing me along the road as I ran for a tram in Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich, getting on the tram with me, handing me my wallet back which had popped out of my back pocket, and then getting off at the next stop, refusing to take a 20 Chuff for his trouble.

I could repeat this story in different versions many times over. If you are going to misplace your wallet or purse in Switzerland, you have a mighty good chance of having it returned, contents intact.

Having said that, caution is still advisable, as pickpockets are on the rise here ...

Yes, I once left my purse in the pub, and another time my whole bag, and both times they were handed in intact - a huge relief. A colleague of mine dropped her purse when getting on a bus, and it also got back to her intact. However, the next week she was "hustled" onto a train, and found that her newly-returned purse had been lifted from her bag!

My story highlights that there are kind and honest people still out there and that I'm a complete idiot!!

While moving from a flat in town to our current home, myself and a friend where moving the last few bits in a rented van. Later that afternoon I had a phone call on my mobile from a Swiss lady asking if I'd lost a laptop. After realizing that I was actually a laptop down, she offed to meet me the following day.
When loading up the van I must have put the black laptop case against the black bumper and not noticed it hadn't been put in and driven off, leaving a laptop in the middle of the pavement in Seefeld! She'd picked it up and found a receipt for some Mobile phone credit with my number on in the case and she drove out of her way to get it back to me.
Thanks again kind lady and it just goes to show you there are kind and honest (and extremely stupid) people still out there!

I left my purse on top off my car and drove off forgetting (yes another idiot) when i got home i relised what i had done drove back to the Jumbo where i had been shopping and some kind gentleman had handed it in with everything still in money credit cards e.t.c.

"More Italian than Swiss, Lugano is Ticino (Italian Speaking)"


i would love for you to provide me with any evidence from this forum that the Italian region (ticino) is nasty, indeed if you actually ever read this forum it is zurich that seems to be uptight. as many vets have said, you should read and search the forum before you shoot your mouth off.

Yes i repeat what you said, you need to read and search and also understand the sentence before you shoot your mouth off.

What you are saying is exactly what i was intending. My meaning was that the kindness was received in ticino, which is different from the German or french part of Switzerland. And it is these areas which have a reputation of being very unhelpful and upright, though i personaly have come across some good people in the german Speaking region.

Anyway it was supposed to be Joke and i would prefer to drop it here and continue with the original poster's topic

I was just going to post a random acts of kindness thread when I found this one.

We have so many posts where people complain about rudeness against foreigners and things that upset us in Switzerland etc. But I was just down at the Coop supermarket at the train station in Uster. I did not that have that much to buy, so the woman in front of me with her big trolley moved aside of her own accord and let me go ahead of her with a nice big smile on her face. This in itself was enough to make me smile and think this place isn't so bad! But then the woman who was 2 people ahead of me offered her Merkli (saver points) to anyone in the que who wanted them. These two selfless and random acts of kindness gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.

Lets all try to do some random acts of kindness for the locals, and do our bit to get rid of the auslander stereotype! It shouldn't be them and us.

I predict a tightening in the rental mrket in Uster

Good thing that my apartment is rented in the name of my Swiss better half then!

No Irish need apply!

When I was still on crutches, struggling about and miserable, an elderly gentleman stopped the traffic at a crossing for me. It was unnecessary but very kind and made me smile.

Two today - a lady asked her little girl if she would give one of her two balloons to child Mk. 1 and the girl happily agreed and came over. Lovely people.
Secondly, we didn't validate our tickets on the bus back from Ikea (the aisle was blocked with pushchairs) and we forgot at the train station as we were watching Mk. 1 get excited about the steam engine at Burgdorf. The conductor came over and I realised as I handed the tickets over that I hadn't stamped them. I tried to explain and he just smiled and stamped one ticket, winked and told me next time it was a five frank fine and gave Mk. 1 a kid's ticket, thus leaving us with an unused ticket.
It's been a lovely day.
Mrs Boris bought two pairs of very nice boots for CHF 7 a pair and a pair for Mk. 1 that had her dancing around happily over the idea of new shoes (shoes are genetic?). We bumped into a friend at the station, which was nice, too. We even managed to find the Swiss equivalent of Calpol. And I've been cheerfully obnoxious at the television and all the idiots appearing on it this evening, which makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Mk. 2 said her second word today (not bad for eight weeks old).
It's been a lovely day.

I'm a scatter brain and due to a few family bereavements even more so. I was shopping in the Glatt Center and because of extra bags, failed to realize that I'd left my hand bag sitting on the bench of the bus shelter. I'd only gone one stop with the bus home when I realized.
I jumped off the bus and raced back, no bag. As I got to the information desk in the Glatt I saw my bag on the counter. I was over the moon, there was stuff in that bag that no insurance could ever replace.
I phoned the lady who handed the bag in, maybe I should look through old threads I'm sure I've told this one before. Alls I can remember is the lady that handed it in was frightened that even by taking my bag to the desk she could have been stopped as a thief.
She told me when i phoned her ,she was worried that I had little children and that I would struggle if I lost my purse.She didn't want a reward, she didn't want to give me her address.
That women for me was a heroin. I'm eternally grateful to her.
Human nature, at it's best.

A few weeks ago I locked my keys in the car at a ski resort. While contemplating rocks to smash the window, a Swiss man (from Zug from his car plates) came passed and I explained my delema.

He found out from a local where the nearest VW garage was, about 2km away and drove me there. Form thence I was back with an expert at bending Golf doors to get grabbing wire in - the key was out in a minute or two. As the car is serviced by a VW dealer 'AutoMobile' cover is included free - which also covers getting keys out of locked cars...

Well i'll be ed, people who are without soul,that are branded racists,arrogant,miserable tight arses and dead in bed and love are also very honest and friendly!!!!
I've certainly seen a lot of friendliness shown towards me in my 10years,
here, but i guess what goes around comes around.