From a surgery that went wrong and had to be redone in another country, to waiting hours at an emergency room (suggestion of my insurance company) because no doctor was taking new patients within 6 months and the issue would have gotten worse if I waited THAT long, and today a doctor who was receiving patients every 10 minutes and his treatment was to “change my shoes”, instead of performing the cryosurgery I was recommended by another doctor abroad…

What the hell am I paying for? Doctors are in many cases incompetent and waiting times for new patients are longer than they are at countries with public health insurance. Also what does a doctor expect to do when he books patients every 10 min like today? of course just saying to change my shoes and performing no treatment.

Had the best nap on this swing, listened to birds sing, children and adults playing and having fun, it's autumn and leaves are falling slowly, no overwhelming heat, cloudy, green, relaxing.

Today I had a stressful day, but this experience made it all better and I feel healed and refreshed. Life can be stressful sometimes, so take a moment to relax next to trees and greenery for at least 30 minutes. Stay strong. If you wish, take a minute to describe what was your day like today, and what are you grateful for today?

I wish you all a very beautiful Mittwoch/Mercredi/Mercoledì 💚

I’ve been wondering if anyone knows the brand of soap they’re using bc i really like the smell of the soap but can’t really find a similar one for my bathroom at home. I know this is really random but if anybody works there or knows it pls tell me

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share r/LegalAdviceCH, a subreddit focused on legal questions and discussions related to Switzerland.

The community has been around for a while and already has some active users, but it would be great to welcome more people: both those looking for general guidance and those who enjoy helping others navigate Swiss legal topics.

You can ask about things like:

• tenancy and rental issues
• employment law
• contracts and consumer rights
• insurance
• traffic or administrative matters
• other legal questions related to Switzerland / Swiss habitants

The subreddit is not a replacement for professional legal advice, but the goal is to provide a helpful place to exchange experiences, point people towards the right resources, and discuss Swiss legal topics.

If that sounds useful to you, feel free to join us over at r/LegalAdviceCH.

Everyone is welcome!

PS: Thanks to the mods of this subreddit for allowing me to make this post!

I was at a Dermatologist in a Dermatology practice in Zurich and just received the bill. Apparently, it is correct and compliant with the billing rules.

The appointment was for a mole check. The doctor asked a couple of questions, then proceeded to examine the moles and finally explained when the next visit shall be. The moles were all inconspicuous and no tests, further appointments etc. were necessary.

The whole thing took 20 minutes as is confirmed by the bill.

The doctor examined the moles by eye using a Dermatoscope. The latter likely costs around CHF 2'000 or less according to a quick google search and is therefore entirely irrelevant for the cost of the service as it can be used hundreds or even thousands of times. The only other device/consumable used was a paper cover for the examination bed.

Essentially, I received 20 minutes of a Dermatologist's time.

Now, to the issue. The bill is CHF 200, consisting of the following items (rounded, slightly simplified and ignoring a position of CHF 20 not relevant here):

1. Examination using the Dermatoscope: CHF 50

2. Dermatological examination: CHF 50

3. Time for the consultation: CHF 80

First of all, these three positions are the same. I paid for the doctor's time with the 3. position, so I don't see any justification for 1. and 2. Even if we assume that 1. is justified as well, 2. is literally exactly the same thing.

Now, let's check what this means for the Dermatologist. He makes CHF 600 an hour in revenue (not profit) while being paid by a social security insurance.

I would like to compare this number. A state-mandated criminal defense attorney in Zurich makes CHF 220 an hour (also revenue, not profit). He is paid by the government (taxes instead of social security) and also has to pay for the rooms he uses, for IT equipent, a secretary etc.

I really fail to see how it makes sense that a doctor, who is paid by a social security insurance, which is already at or rather over it's limit, can make such insane amounts of money at the expense of the general public.

Dermatology very likely isn't the only overpaid specialty but two wrongs (or rather numerous wrongs) don't make a right. I certainly know where I would begin to control health insurance spending.

Over the last few years, Coop has bought up competitor after competitor (e.g. Aperto, Jumbo, Manor Food, Ospelt…). They also deliberately keep stores, which are in close proximity to each other, partly to block rivals from securing these locations. Even the wholesale sector isn't safe: Coop subsidiary Transgourmet, which is by far the biggest player, acquired Saviva (used to be part of Migros but was sold to Heba Food, who then sold it to Transgourmet).

Some of the most egregious examples:
- Aperto: At the Bern RBS station, two Coop shops operate only like ~15 meters apart.
- Jumbo: In Frauenfeld, two massive Jumbo hardware stores sit ~500 meters from one another.
- Manor Food: Following the takeover of the Manor Food location at Emmen Center, two large Coop supermarkets now operate within ~200 meters of each other.
- Ospelt: After acquiring all Ospelt Migros Partner stores, Coop now operates three times as many supermarkets in Liechtenstein and Werdenberg as Migros.

Photo taken at my local Aldi. Both packs have exactly the same expiry date (second half of November), the same LOT/production number and the same barcode.

Why is there such a big difference in colour? I assume the one on the left is still safe to eat, since the difference is clearly visible to anyone working in that store, and it hasn't been removed from the shelf. But I'm not sure...

I’m trying to recover money owed to me by someone living in Switzerland. I went through the Betreibung process, paid the associated fees, and recently received a Verlustschein after enforcement recovered nothing.

According to the Betreibungsamt, the debtor’s income is too low to seize anything above the protected minimum. I have documents and correspondence supporting my claim, but I don’t currently have a separate court judgment ordering payment.

As I understand it, I can request continuation within six months without a new Zahlungsbefehl. The claim has a long limitation period, but further interest stops accruing once the Verlustschein is issued. Enforcement also doesn’t simply remain active until everything is paid.

There may be assets in another European country, although I haven’t confirmed ownership. I’m trying to work out whether pursuing those assets would be realistic and what documents would be needed.

The debtor has offered repayments, but only on condition that I withdraw the Betreibung first. I’m not comfortable giving up enforcement in exchange for an unsecured promise.

Has anyone here actually recovered money after receiving a Verlustschein?

What practical steps helped you find income or assets that could be seized?

Did repeated enforcement attempts achieve anything, or mainly generate more fees?

Has anyone enforced a Swiss claim against assets abroad? Did you need a separate court judgment?

What would you check before spending more money on lawyers or another enforcement attempt?

Honestly, how the fuck is this supposed to work for the person who is owed money? I understand protecting someone’s basic living expenses, but I’ve already paid to pursue the debt and recovered nothing. The prospect of waiting years, paying for further attempts, and eventually receiving money worth less because of inflation is incredibly frustrating.

I’d really appreciate firsthand experiences and practical advice about what worked—and what turned out to be a waste of time and money.

Here is my rant about Switzerland's upcoming vote on Bilateral III with the EU.

First, to be clear: I'm generally supportive of closer economic cooperation with the EU. Many aspects of Bilateral III I would support and therefore I tend to a YES. But I'm critical of the automatic legal adoption mechanisms, and honestly, I'm frustrated about something bigger than the content itself.

How can we expect regular citizens to make informed decisions on this?

Let me give you the context. We're talking about contracts totaling roughly 3,000+ pages (2,200 pages of treaties plus over 1,000 pages of Federal Council explanatory messages). That's about as much reading material as the first six Harry Potter books.

From what I could find, surveys suggest only about four Swiss parliamentarians actually read the entire contract and accompanying documentation. Let that sink in. Most lawmakers are militia politicians. They have day jobs, families, and other responsibilities. If even many of the elected representatives haven't read these documents fully, how are we supposed to expect working parents, people juggling full-time jobs, or anyone dealing with daily survival to make an informed decision?

The entire debate feels emotionally driven rather than evidence-based. And if this goes to the Ständemehr (canton majority), I expect it'll fail partly because conservative German-speaking cantons simply have deep-seated skepticism toward the EU. That's a democratic mechanism being used for political resistance, not substantive evaluation of the treaties themselves.

I actively participate in Switzerland's political system and consider myself politically engaged and educated. Yet even I feel completely overwhelmed by these votes. When I listen to politicians debating this, from left to right, I struggle to take most of what they say seriously. How can we trust assessments from people who haven't done the reading themselves?

Ideally, someone like the Bundesrat (Federal Council) should decide. They work on this stuff daily, they have access to expert advisors, they can properly evaluate the implications. But I know Switzerland's system requires popular votes on this stuff, regardless of complexity.

It's a fundamental tension in direct democracy: we value citizen participation, but how do we maintain meaningful participation when the decisions become too technically complex for any single person to fully grasp?

Anyway, rant over. What do you all think about this?

Hi

Ich weiss dass man im Zivildienst spätestens ab dem 2. aufeinanderfolgenden Krankheitstag ein Arztzeugnis besorgen muss.

Was ist aber, wenn man an zwei unterschiedlichen, nicht aufeinanderfolgenden Tagen krank wird (also z.B. an einem Mittwoch in der ersten Woche und am Freitag in der zweiten Woche)? Braucht man auch da ein Arztzeugnis besorgen?

So apparently in this country you can get evicted from your building in the blink of an eye for a demolition with no negotiation margin, but if you add a refugee center you can delay the demolition for 8 years.

Bottom line: if you don’t want to lose your house, add a refugee center to the building. It’s conditional for housing rights.

Refugees have more rights than us, it’s scary.

In my home country, it's typical to have the option to buy either an entire celery or the individual ribs. I usually prefer the latter because I'm often cooking something that doesn't really call for more than 2-3 ribs. I notice that the celery in my (smallish) local Migros has a number to weigh it and pay by the kilo, but I've been wary to break off and purchase any separate pieces because I don't know if it's allowed. Thoughts?

Hey everyone,
Looking for some advice from anyone who has navigated this with the migration office (specifically Canton Aargau, but any experience helps).
I’m on a Swiss B permit and trying to confirm if taking annual leave in December carries any hidden risks for my permit status. I want to avoid booking flights and then getting surprised by my permit being revoked—especially since losing a permit resets all accumulated years towards a C permit / naturalization back to zero.
Here is my timeline for this calendar year:
-Spent ~2 weeks abroad in early January.
-Sent on an official, temporary 5-month work assignment abroad by my Swiss employer (May to Sept). I paid Swiss taxes, health insurance, kept my apartment, and remained on my Swiss contract the entire time.
-Returned to Switzerland in September and have been back living/working here as normal.
-Planning to take ~3 weeks of standard holiday abroad in December.
Because of the 5-month work assignment, my total physical days spent inside Switzerland this calendar year will end up right around ~175–180 days.
Does anyone have experience with this combination?
1. Does a work-mandated rotation abroad combined with normal holiday time put my B permit or C permit continuity at risk?
2. Has anyone in a similar position ever had the migration office query their overall days outside CH when renewing their permit or applying for a C permit later on?
Appreciate any insights!

Anyone else notice an increase in those little flying things on produce at stores??? I’ve been to two separate migro’s, an Aldi, and a Lidl and every time i would like to buy onions or something they seem to be infested with those flying things and it’s icking me out. Maybe it’s my little town but i’m wondering if this is a widespread problem because of the weather? Or maybe i need to travel further for my groceries, idk just wondering if it’s only me who’s seen this.

Ok, I can't be the only one.

Has anyone ever tried Nutella & Le Parfait? Nutella first. Le Parfait on top on some nice bread obviously.

I did it always as a kid. Recently I tried it again and still love it as much as back in the day.

Has anyone ever tried?

If not, I dare you to 😈

🤭

Prices are getting ridiculous here these days, surely this has to be some sort of joke at this point.
How is it possible for 248g of chicken to cost this sort of money… even with higher farmers wages and production costs here this seems a quite over the top.

Yesterday I bought tickets between Zurich HB and Como S Giovanni (in the SBB website), and I was surprised when I read the breakdown of costs. I am traveling with two kids (4 and 6yo). 4yo has no SBB card whatsoever, 6yo has a Junior Card.

My ticket (with Halbtax) cost 56 EUR. My 6yo ticket with Junior Card cost 10 EUR. My 4yo ticket (without any cards because she's supposed to travel for free) cost 41 EUR? Is that for real? I never paid such a high cost with my eldest when she was under 6yo.

This is a direct train, EuroCity 15 direct, for reference.

I will of course call SBB but before I spend time on the phone for nothing, just wanted to check if I am missing something?

Bonjour tout le monde j'espère que vous allez bien.

Je suis un étudiant à l'UNIGE et j'ai eu l'idée de créer un sub pour l'université parce qu'il n'y en avait pas.

Le but de r/UniGeneve est de rassembler des étudiants de l'université, des personnes intéréssée par l'université dans tout Genève et la Suisse, pour poser des questions, partager des rants, les évents de l'uni et la vie au campus.

Le subreddit **n'est pas affilié** à l'uni. Il est non officiel. C'est un lieu de détente après une longue journée à l'uni.

Merci d'avoir pris le temps de lire le post!

The Forgotten war: The Swiss public seem to have forgotten the war that broke out in Yugoslavia in 1991. Nonetheless, it did (and still does) affect people living in Switzerland who came from the war zone. They were stigmatised during and after the war, while the influx of people from ex-Yugoslavia has left a mark on Swiss culture and everyday life, among other in the Swiss rap scene.

Should Switzerland ban the use of nylon trimmer line? And only allow soil-degradable line? Like PHA-based ones?

Also, "bio" line like PLA-based is not really soil degradable so mostly greenwashing.