I stepped off the U-Bahn in Berlin that morning feeling good… tired from the long week but excited for the journey home. Berlin had been everything I hoped for: museums, history, people from every corner of the world, energy in every direction. I had taken photos, walked the city, ate well, and soaked up every second.
Now it was time to return to Belgrade.
What I didn’t know was that the return trip, not the city would become the story I would remember most.
The Calm Before the Chaos
I arrived early.
I stood exactly where the FlixBus app told me.
The street was quiet, a few people dragging luggage, a couple of tourists with confused faces — typical long-distance bus station energy.
I checked the app again.
Everything looked fine.
Then something strange happened.
The app suddenly updated — not hours earlier, not even the night before — right then and there.
A new time.
A new stop.
A new location.
All silently changed inside the app without any proper notification.
It felt like the ground shifted under me.
A bus leaving earlier and from a different street?
How do you plan for that?
I walked fast.
Then I walked faster.
I kept scanning the street for the green FlixBus that never appeared.
And then I saw it — far down the road — already driving away.
That sinking feeling?
That “Did I really just miss my own bus while standing here waiting for it?” feeling?
Yeah, that one.
I knew in that exact moment I was in trouble.
The Moment You Realize You’re Alone
I opened the app to contact support.
I explained everything clearly.
And then the reply came — fast, robotic, cold:
“Not our problem. We cannot help you.”
No apology.
No alternative.
No attempt to understand.
Just a wall.
In one sentence, everything became my problem.
The irony?
I was the one physically at the location printed on the boarding pass.
The bus was the one that changed, not me.
I stood there alone on a street in Berlin, holding luggage, realizing I was now stranded because the company didn’t feel accountable.
Forced to Buy Another Ticket
I didn’t have the luxury of panicking.
I needed to get home.
So I bought another ticket — a brand new one — at full price.
Not because I wanted to, not because I made a mistake, but because there was no choice.
One moment I was a traveler heading home.
The next I was a customer paying twice for the same journey.
That’s when frustration turned into disbelief.
The Refund Game
Days later, I contacted FlixBus again, expecting at least fairness — if not empathy.
Instead, they processed a refund for a completely made-up amount:
- They claimed my ticket was €71.97
- They refunded €56.97
- They deducted a fee that doesn’t apply
- And they ignored the official price printed on their own PDF:
€137.95
I stared at the email, half-confused, half-amused.
Where did they even get €71.97 from?
It felt like watching someone pull a random number out of a hat and insisting it’s the truth.
Worse, when I pushed back, their response was:
“Other passengers boarded, so the ride operated.”
That’s like saying:
“If other people made it, your experience doesn’t matter.”
Absurd.
Borders, Baggage Checks, and Perspective
As I traveled through Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Czechia, and Germany on my second ticket, border police boarded the bus multiple times, checking passports and inspecting luggage. I sat there thinking:
- What if I didn’t have extra money?
- What if I had a time-sensitive appointment?
- What if I didn’t speak the language?
- What if I was someone older, or vulnerable, or traveling with kids?
It hit me how easily this situation could break someone.
Traveling across Europe by bus isn’t just transportation — it’s trust.
And that trust was broken completely.
Why I’m Sharing This
This isn’t a rant.
This isn’t revenge.
This isn’t anger.
This is me saying:
Travelers deserve better.
People deserve transparency.
Mistakes happen — but excuses shouldn’t replace responsibility.
I’m filing a dispute with my bank, and I’m confident I’ll get the full refund. Not because I’m lucky, but because the evidence is clear and the principle is simple:
If you pay for a service you didn’t receive, you should get your money back.
And if a company refuses to acknowledge its own documentation, the bank steps in.
What I Learned
Here’s what this experience taught me:
- Always screenshot your boarding pass and app screens
- Never rely solely on the app for live updates
- Arrive extremely early
- Don’t trust “temporary stops” without signage
- Don’t accept partial refunds that don’t match the official ticket price
- Know your rights under EU Regulation 181/2011
- Don’t let travel companies intimidate you
- Keep your cool, but document everything
- Banks exist for moments like this
- You are your own best advocate when traveling
This situation could have ruined my trip.
But I chose to treat it as a story — one I can use to help others.
Final Thoughts
Berlin was beautiful.
The journey home wasn’t.
But experiences like these shape us, sharpen us, and remind us that even when things go wrong, we still find clarity, strength, and lessons worth sharing.
If you found this story helpful, feel free to share it or leave a comment.
And if you’re planning on using FlixBus?
Just be prepared — and bring your screenshots.
