The process of departing from Switzerland for a resident is a slow process, one that requires ticking off administrative tasks in the right order. The first step is to officially report your departure to the local cantonal authorities. For us, it took multiple trips to SPoMi – our local office in Fribroug – before we figured out how to deregister in Switzerland. When we finally left with deregistration letter in hand, we were able to start notifying the appropriate agencies and companies of our departure.
Our first stop was Swisscom, the Swiss equivalent of Verizon (minus Verizon’s superb customer service).
Shortly after arriving in Switzerland in July 2014, we signed a 2-year cell phone contract with them for our two mobile phones. Since Travis had a verbal contract with his new boss for two years, we thought it was safe to also sign a phone contract for the same length of time. But then Travis lost his job unexpectedly after less than a year. We were concerned about canceling our Swisscom contracts because they stipulated early termination fees hovering around 800 chf.
Ouch! That’s a lot of money.
Luckily, the folks at Swisscom didn’t seem particularly concerned about holding us to our contracts. They did ask why we were canceling them early, but when we explained that it was due to job loss, they trusted our explanation and didn’t even ask for proof. We’re grateful to them for that. We left the Swisscom shop with a cancellation-of-services letter, effective October 31st, and didn’t have to pay any fees.
We signed a two-year cell phone contract when we arrived in Switzerland, so my Samsung Galaxy was free.On top of that, Swisscom shipped off my Samsung Galaxy for repairs. About a week ago, I shattered the screen. It’s the first phone I’ve ever broken, but undoubtedly not the last.
I blame Brisco. We leave our window open for the kitties to come and go, and His Dirty Furriness acts as a broom for all things prickly or leafy outside. Every manner of debris gloms onto to his long, thick fur, which he then deposits in a trail from the window to his food bowl and then to our bed, where he sleeps. Attempting to rid our bed of Brisco debris, I shook off our comforter, not realizing that my phone was also on the bed. The screen never had a chance when my phone went flying across the room and landed on the tile floor.
Again, we owe thanks to Swisscom for the fact that we had insurance. The gal who sold us our phones last July convinced us to buy it, which I never would have purchased otherwise. The repairs should be covered 100%, leaving me with just a 50 chf deductible.
They even gave me a loaner phone for the next two weeks while my Samsung’s in the shop. Unfortunately, it’s essentially a blank phone without my contacts, apps, etc, so a week before leaving the country, life has just become significantly more complicated without my phone.
Like most folks we know, most everything we do now is through our smart phones. I suppose it’ll be nice to reconnect with “what’s important” and see how I can survive for a couple of weeks without the constant convenience of my phone.
Or I might die.
