How to call
What to say in the first minute. Most firms answer in German.
Before you dial
Have the postcode, the floor, and one sentence about the fault on paper. Have the German message from the messages guide ready, in case the call is too fast.
Daytime calls are the normal path. A card marked 24h is the one that has said it answers round the clock. The other cards have not.
The first twenty seconds
Say your name, then the street and the postcode, then the fault. Pause. If you can, add: «Ich schicke Ihnen eine Nachricht auf Deutsch.» That means you will send a German text.
Ask «Was kostet die Anfahrt?» if someone must come out before they can see the job. That is the trip. Ask for the figure before they leave their yard.
If you cannot follow the answer
Ask them to say the appointment and the price again, slowly. Then send the German message so the address and the fault are in writing. Do not pretend you understood a sum you did not hear.
After you hang up
Write down the firm name from the card you actually called, the time they offered, and any sum. The card list does not pass your call on. You are talking to that firm.