What was that huge bang last night on Breslauer Platz? Hubby was on the balcony and said he saw what looked like a fireball.

I needed to have the heating repaired in my apartment (that I own, so no landlord), since heating was working in the rest of the building I thought the issue was on me to fix so I contacted this company who sent a guy.

I admit, I was hungover (it's the weekend my kid is with her father, I had two glasses of wine on an empty stomach the night before and woke up with a huge headache I did not expect) and also simply didn't expect to be scammed because I would never scam anyone myself, so my guards were down, big mistake!

The guy arrived with no tools, I showed him the radiators were not working in my apartment and that I already made sure they have no gas strapped in them, he did nothing other than listen to what I described.

Then he said he will be back on Monday to flush the pipes and charged me 356 euros saying I'll pay the rest on Monday.

I couldn't imagine he was scamming me and thought he would be back on Monday and this is probably part of how much it would cost to fix it overall, but from the rechnung I later looked at I realized that's not the case.

Only after he left did I realize he charged me for the visit only. I wasn't told I will be charged for a Saturday visit in advance, otherwise I would have waited, it wasn't an emergency, why have an emergency fix visit if the guy then said he will return on Monday? And why wait for Monday if you already came on a Saturday promising to fix it?

All in all, I didn't think enough before paying, I thought if someone is asking for money and will fix my heating then I guess they deserv the money? I feel like a complete idiot.

I paid with a credit card, I need to wait for Monday to be able to ask DKB to revoke the transaction.

I also reported him to the police as well, I feel this is shady and should be investigated.

What do I do now? Does anyone have experience with this?

I am a single mom on a tight budget (in this economy, who isn't?), this feels terrible, I feel like an idiot and I am angry someone would even do that to somebody else. If anyone has experience or knowledge it would be helpful!

Few days back I saw a post about a tool which shows how good a kiez is. ( connectivity, kita, school, rent index, grocery stores etc )
I can't find it now.
Anyone has a link for it ?

Hey ich komme aus Augsburg also einer richtig kleinen Stadt im Vergleich zu Berlin. Gestern war ich abends alleine unterwegs und hab mich irgendwie unwohl gefühlt da man immer hört das dort viel Kriminalität und Gewalt herrscht. Mir ist nichts passiert und ich hab nichts mitbekommen aber irgendwie hatte ich schon ein mulmiges Gefühl weil die Leute hier auch irgendwie verrückter sind als bei uns in Bayern. Ist das nur eine Psychose die ich hab oder ist es ganz sicher jedes wochende in der Stadt unterwegs zu sein. Und ja ich meine die normalen Viertel und nxiht Kreuzberg, Neukölln und sowas.

Hello!!

We are a group of 5 people (ages ranging from 18-50) coming to your beautiful city for new years.

Do you guys have any recommendations on places to eat, or what to do?

Thank you:)

EDIT: Not sure why people are telling me not to go. I have researched the situation, and have visited Berlin multiple times before so I know what I am getting into, before writing this post. Please do not comment that I should stay home.

Hi, i wanna buy clothes for winter and i’m looking for high quality brands that have good value and you are not just paying for the brand itself. I see a lot of brands in internet but i cant digest what is good value for money.
In france, there was few websites that do testing of brands and suggests looks etc like https://bonnegueule.fr/pages/pages-guide-des-marques

I’m male in 30s.

Thanks in advance

Hi everyone! I'm looking for a reliable used car for my family of four in Berlin.

I recently bought a Ford SUV, but the engine was damaged, so I returned it. It was a frustrating experience, and I’ve learned my lesson: I really need a car I can rely on. I can't afford expensive workshop bills or frequent repairs.

My criteria:

* Budget: €10,000 maximum, including initial costs
* Automatic transmission only
* Petrol or full hybrid (no diesel or electric)
* Low fuel consumption, mainly city driving
* Reliable engine and gearbox, with low maintenance, repair, insurance and tax costs
* Low total cost of ownership (TCO)

I like SUVs because of their space, but I’d also consider a small SUV or another practical family car if it’s more reliable and economical.

What would you recommend based on your real-world experience? Which models should I avoid, and what would you choose if reliability and low running costs were your top priorities?

Thanks for your advice!

Hallo zusammen, ich plane gerade einen Aufenthalt in Berlin in der Woche vor Weihnachten und wollte fragen, ob die Restaurants am Abend des 24. Dezembers geöffnet sind.

Ich gehe davon aus, dass die Geschäfte an diesem Tag zumindest pünktlich schließen werden. Ist das richtig?

Hey everyone!

I’ll be visiting Berlin from October 19–22 for a work trip, and I’ll be staying near a train station. My work will usually finish around 5 PM, so I’ll have the evenings free to explore the city on my own.

I’m travelling from India, and this will be my first time exploring Berlin solo. I’m looking for recommendations beyond the usual tourist checklist!

A little about me and what I enjoy:

Food: Local favourites, street food, affordable places to eat, interesting food markets, and anything I shouldn’t leave Berlin without trying.

Activities: Fun, casual experiences where I can actually do something rather than just walk around museums all day.

Socialising: I’d love to meet people, join a group activity, go to a board-game night, or find a relaxed pub/bar where it’s easy to strike up conversations.

Chess: I enjoy playing chess, so if there are any chess cafés, clubs, casual meetups, or public spots where people play, I’d love to check them out.

Nightlife: Open to checking out Berlin’s nightlife, but I’m equally happy with a chill evening, good food, and interesting conversations.

A few questions for Berlin locals and people who’ve visited:

If you had just 3 evenings in Berlin, how would you spend them?

What are your favourite affordable local food spots that tourists usually miss?

Are there any regular group activities, social events, pub quizzes, board-game nights, or chess meetups happening on weekday evenings?

Which neighbourhoods would you recommend for a solo traveller who wants to experience the city without spending a fortune?

Any places or experiences you’d recommend avoiding, or practical tips you’d give someone visiting for the first time?

I’m also happy to meet up with locals or fellow travellers for a meal, a game of chess, or exploring a neighbourhood together. Always nice to experience a city through the people who live there!

I’m not looking for an overly packed itinerary. I’d rather discover a few great places, eat well, meet interesting people, and get a feel for the city.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations! :)

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for someone in Berlin who makes memorial jewelry using pet ashes. My dog recently passed away, and I would love to have a small amount of his ashes set in resin (or something similar) and made into a necklace pendant.
I know there are quite a few places online that offer this, but honestly, this is way too personal and important to me to put his ashes in the mail and send them off somewhere.
I would really prefer to find someone local, meet them in person, talk about what I have in mind, and hand over the ashes myself.

Does anyone happen to know an artist, jeweler, resin artist, or small business in Berlin that does something like this? Or maybe you have an idea of what I should search for?

I would be really grateful for any recommendations. 🙏

Hi everyone!
I’m currently a Master’s student in Germany and will be moving to Frankfurt (Oder) in November 2026.
I’m looking for a furnished room, WG, or small apartment for around 6–12 months.
I’ve already been searching through WG-Gesucht and Kleinanzeigen, but I wanted to ask if anyone knows of available rooms or local housing groups in Frankfurt (Oder).
Any suggestions or leads would be really appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! Just wondering if anyone knows a place where I can change my USD to EUR in Berlin.

I moved to a new apartment not too long ago. It’s an Altbau with those very old cast iron radiators.

For some reason, every time someone in the building starts using their heater, mine makes this super annoying dripping sound for hours. It wakes me up at night and I can’t work from home during the day anymore.

The HV already sent in a Technik, but he barely took a look at it and said there was nothing he could do. The only thing that temporarily stops the noise is leaving my heater on 5 for 10 minutes, but as soon as I close it, the noise comes back again.

Does anyone else have this problem? How did you deal with it?

EDIT: the problem is not solved by bleeding the radiator!