What's next Jaeggle? ESNFlight 2011

So, Bernhard Jaeggle has not paid us back a single penny. Probably he'll never do that.
Jaeggle needs all leftover money for a great new project. Yes, we are talking about ESNFlight 2011.



This will be a great new project to bring Europe together.
We are all waiting for that amazing project.

The plan of Jaeggle is that the supplier for ESNFlight 2011 (an airline) will give Jaeggle the plane, the pilots, and the jet fuel for free - that means without any prepayment obligation.
Thousands of volunteers will help Jaeggle to organize that amazing project.
For that ESN Switzerland (all buddies of Jaeggle) will take over the leadership of ESN International. After that ESN will start another great marketing campaign to lure thousands of Erasmus students to sign up and pay for that amazing ESNFlight 2011 project.

One thing is for sure. ESNFlight 2011 is going take place 100% sure*. No students will get stranded that time.

*of course in case of failure ESN will not assume any responsibilities. Students have a contract with Platform2 GmbH.

Does Platform GmbH EQUALS ESN Switzerland?

Is Platform GmbH EQUAL ESN Switzerland?
After the bad events of the last 8 months, we know the answer. Platform GmbH is solely responsible in compensating the damages to its 1000 participants.

But what is that?

http://www.scribd.com/doc/22709259/ESN-Alumni-Meeting-Minutes-Prague-October-2008
http://alumni.esn.org/files/ESN%20Alumni%20-%20meeting%20minutes%20Prague%20October%202008.pdf

This document was written in October 2008. The writer clearly meant ESNTrain 2009, not ESNTrain 2007.

Who wrote this document?
What is this ESN Alumni organization? Who is behind that?
Where did they get the information that ESNTrain was organized by ESN Switzerland?
Was this another attempt to trick people believing that ESNTrain was organized by ESN?

"Cancel-Jaeggle" replied the open letter with a very negative answer

See it here:

http://www.esn.org/files/uploaded/Platform_reply_open_letter.pdf

Erasmus Student Network AISBL

Marketa Tokova, President

Rue Hydaulique 15

B-1210 Brussels

Männedorf, 09 November 2009

Dear Marketa Tokova

I acknowledge receipt of your open letter addressed to platform GmbH, dated 6 November 2009. Therein, you state to act on behalf of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) and undoubtedly your letter is addressed to and beyond the entire, international ESN-organization.

In contradiction to your writing and according to our personal and minuted E-Mail correspondence, you had been informed on platform’s situation, especially in regard to ÖBB for a longer period of time already.

Furthermore, you were given additional information on the occasion of the mediation day, held in Vienna on 10 October 2009. This, especially regarding the legal actions in preparation.

Please, Bernhard Jaeggle tell the world what additional information were given out to ESN on the mediation day!

Today, I must learn that you disregard our Viennese conclusions and fear that your open-letter-action will severely jeopardize platform’s diligently and cautiously prepared endeavors towards ÖBB to compensate or at least minimize the immense damage caused to the disappointed passengers who booked and paid their journey.

What? What is this Viennese conclusion? Bernhard Jaeggle, how dare you attack the President of ESN that way. ESN was the organization which helped you so much to organize that train project.

The further and sadly enough, you force energy and attention towards the past instead of to the present and even more important, to the future. This, disregarding the mutual wishes by all parties present in Vienna.

Hey Bernhard Jaeggle! I thought the mediation round was confidential. You are breaking the confidentiality. You are twisting the truth! How dare you say that there mutual wishes at the mediation round. According to the final communique of the mediation round there was no mutual agreement or mutal wishes. ( http://www.esn.org/esns_communication_after_the_esntrain_cancellation ). As far as I can tell from comments on this blog and on Facebook, these participants are very angry at you.

In consequence of ESN’s actual policy as demonstrated by your open-letter-action, platform GmbH henceforth reserves the right to inform its publics on all issues and parties regarding the March disaster as it might occur necessary to achieve platform’s goal: full compensation of those damaged financially and in person.

1) With "full compensation of those damaged financially and in person" you mean yourself, isn't it? You want to be compensated from ÖBB and participants, who attacked your judgment on that blog?

2) OK, you Bernhard Jaeggle disrespect the requests of the open letter.

You know what Bernhard Jaeggle. I believe that you don't have any shred of evidence to force through your claim against OEBB. No, you don't have it. Tell us the truth, JAEGGLE!!! Where is our money?

With kind regards,

Platform GmbH

Bernhard Jäggle

PS: I will join the WEP 2009 in Zurich from the 19th to the 22nd November 2009 in order to minimize and prevent damage.

I can only recommend ESN to not allow you to participate in WEP 2009. You have no moral right to be part of the ESN organization anymore, BERNHARD JAEGGLE!!!!

Another thing: Look who is organizing ESN WEP event. ( http://wep.esn.ch/content/organization-committee )
Uhh surprise surprise: Martina Bader and Martin Kos

A failed mediation round; an open letter by ESN to Jaeggle; an aggressive reaction from Jaeggle

The last seven days were indeed very interesting. A lot of things have happened.

First of all know now that mediation round, which took place in October in Vienna, has practically failed. According to the "Official statement regarding the outcome of the ESNtrain mediation" the parties (ESN, Jaeggle, participant) did not come to an agreement, no solutions were found.

Secondly we know that ESN (the President Marketa Tokova) published an open letter to Jaeggle. In that she requests that Jaeggle should make his contract with OEBB and his books available to ESN and the ESNTrain participants. "At the moment, however, it seems to us that the current communication policy of platform GmbH seeds mistrust among the interested public against such well-meaning projects and against the ideals we share."
This sentence in the open letter is a drastic departure from previous ESN policy on this topic. The blame for all the bitterness is now shifted to Jaeggle. And since ESN wants to see the accounting books of ESN, there seems to be a fear by ESN that the accounting books are of Platform are not free of problems.
Finally the good friends of Jaeggle inside ESN are really getting tired of him and turning against him. This is good news for all participants!!! We are one major step closer to justice.

Thirdly Jaeggle answered that open letter with a aggressive email, he sent to all participants. In that he does not directly reply to the open letter and its request. Instead he attacks OEBB, puts all blame on them, he attacks (apparently) this blog, threatens legal action against dissenting voices and talks about a follow-up ESNTrain project. Again, Jaeggle is continueing his strategy to twist the truth to gain himself an advantage. Our call to Jaeggle to show us any proof for his accusations is again ignored.

This is all a great theater. Each reader should ask herself: Do you really thing that Jaeggle is the innocent victim of Austrian Railways?

1) Failed mediation round

2. November: Official statement regarding the outcome of the ESNtrain mediation

The mediation on the ESNtrain case took place in Vienna on 10 October 2009. The following persons were present:

* ESNtrain participants: Christian Doni, Francesco Martino, Dmitry Nikolaenko, Alexander R.
* Platform GmbH: Bernhard Jäggle
* ESN: Christophe Andrey, Troels Christensen, Marketa Tokova

The mediation lasted for about 7 hours, from 10.00 to 12.30 and from 15.00 to 19.30. During lunchtime, between 12.45 and 14.30 a facultative meeting with Mr. Narrenhofer from ÖBB took place in his office, the content of which is entirely of public domain.

The parties have commonly agreed on this present statement.

Discussions turned around the following main points:

* Trying to understand what has actually happened regarding the ESNtrain cancellation
* Mutual understanding of the situation / point of view of others
* Possible compensation of the ESNTrain participants

Despite the development of some options, no solution could be found in the end that would sufficiently satisfy all parties to resolve the issue or that would point out directions to continue the mediation process. Thus, the mediation will not continue. The parties agreed preliminarily on keeping confidentiality over the discussion, in order to facilitate a fruitful process which could have produced a quick and satisfactory solution for every party, without resorting to legal actions. However, since the mediation failed to achieve such purpose, the participants felt the need to discuss with ESN and with the mediators whether to keep or to reconsider the preliminary confidentiality, but eventually the parties did not agree on waiving it.

2) ESN Open Letter to Jaeggle

6th November 2009, Brussels

Open letter: To the attention of the CEO of platform GmbH, Mr. Bernhard Jaeggle

Dear Mr. Jaeggle,
Herewith I am requesting on behalf of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) that the platform GmbH provides ESN and all its members with a full view of the contracts it entered into and of its accounting related to the ESNtrain project, which the Austrian Railways ÖBB cancelled at the very last moment at the end of March 2009.

Despite ESN having no contract with platform GmbH, there are several reasons that allow me to make this kind of request towards you.

At first, ESN trusted you with the organization of the ESNtrain – by allowing the usage of ESN name and design and supporting the project (promotion within and outside the network and involvement of ESN sections in organizing the events alongside the route of the ESNtrain). Thus, we now claim our right to know all the background information and all the reasons leading to the cancellation.

Secondly, opening up the books and contracts would restore the confidence of ESN and its members towards platform GmbH. So far, participants of the ESNtrain (many of those being members of ESN) were not only deprived of the travel they bought and of the reimbursement of their money, but most of them are also angry and frustrated by the lack of communication and information on the part of the project organizer.

Thirdly, the vision of the ESNtrain was to bring people together throughout Europe to establish intercultural communication platform. It was one of the main reasons why ESN supported the project in the first place. At the moment, however, it seems to us that the current communication policy of platform GmbH seeds mistrust among the interested public against such well-meaning projects and against the ideals we share.

My open request is coming now, more than 7 months after the cancellation. We have provided platform GmbH with time and possibility to act in silence, as requested after the first demand for information. However, it is now up to platform GmbH to show your will to the cooperation. I would like you to open books and contracts to ESN, its members and all the ESNtrain participants, to help us all understand the situation.

I sincerely hope that your sense of fairness, honesty and your responsibility towards the hundreds of ESN members who volunteered for the ESNtrain project will allow you to positively answer our request.

Sincerely,
Marketa Tokova
President of ESN AISBL

3) reaction of Jaeggle to that open letter (www.esntrain.org)

Dear all

Platform GmbH urges the ÖBB-Board of Directors that ÖBB compensates the
damage caused by their cancelation of the ESNtrain-Project, March 2009.
Furthermore, to immediately return the prepayment made by platform GmbH.
In addition, platform GmbH is taking measures against untruthful and
insulting E-mails and blog postings, which have been made public after
the cancelation of the project.

With letter dated 14 October 2009 platform GmbH requested from the Board
of Directors of ÖBB full compensation of the immense damage caused to
many by the one-sided and unnecessary cancelation of this unique
project. Platform GmbH is supported in this matter by law firms
domiciled in Vienna and Zurich.

The train journey had been prepared by hundreds of railway specialists
and student volunteers over a long period of constructive and fruitful
cooperation by all parties, especially ÖBB. This intercultural
undertaking was impeded at the day of departure, 27 March 2009.
Thousands of participants from 98 nations from all over the world, who
had paid for their tickets already, had to end their travel plans with
disastrous outcome. Not to speak about the damage caused to other
parties such as suppliers, security and many others, including the many
participants organizing the events on the more than 40 stops along the
train’s route.

Since the cancelation platform GmbH has limited public discussions to a
minimum in order to find an amicable solution with ÖBB. The numerous
attempts went unheard.

The public interest for a follow-up project is huge. But first the past
must be settled.

Sincerely,
platform GmbH,
Bernhard Jäggle

After 5 months of silence we hear from you, Bernhard Jäggle

Thank you very much Bernhard Jaeggle for drafting this very harsh email, which you published on the ESNTrain homepage.

You'll receive an answer:

Sat 06.11.2009
The following email was sent to all participants:

Could you please do us a favor, Jaeggle!
Make these 1000 email addresses of participatns available to a neutral institution. We angry participants would like to write all participants more about our perspective. So we can have a fair and balanced debate. Because many people sharply differ with your view of the world.

Platform GmbH urges the OEBB-Board of Directors that OEBB compensates the damage caused by their cancelation of the ESNtrain-Project, March 2009. Furthermore, to immediately return the prepayment made by platform GmbH.

Who covers the damages of OEBB? They ordered tracks and cars for you in good will. Only you were the party who failed to make the payment, you agreed on. Heck, you even admitted to the Tagesanzeiger newspaper, that you had an agreement with OEBB that you have to pay EUR 250,000 to OEBB before the departure, but you didn't pay that. This is not a lie of this blog, this is what you've been saying. ( http://www.scribd.com/doc/16620844/ESNtrain-Articles-20090530-de-Tagesanzeiger-Switzerland )

In addition, platform GmbH is taking measures
against untruthful and insulting E-mails and blog postings, which have been made public after the cancelation of the project.

Please elaborate about that, Mr. Jaeggle! When you take words like "untruthful" into your mouth, could you please elaborate a bit more about why Platform stated in the marketing material that two thirds of the total costs are covered by sponsors and goodwill. Yet, on the day of the cancellation you stated to Belgian press that "there was almost no financial support", one of the main reasons why ESNTrain had to be cancelled ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvMjs5yJKmg ). Where does that leave the word "truthful"?

With letter dated 14 October 2009 platform GmbH requested from the Board of Directors of OEBB full compensation of the immense damage caused to many by the one-sided and unnecessary cancelation of this unique project.

You seem to forget that you wrote Austrian TV ORF that you had no contract with OEBB ( http://esn-train-cancelled.blogspot.com/2009/07/jaggle-didnt-have-contract-with-obb.html ). Everything was based on emails. So you are really trying to tell us that you have a contract with OEBB, which would allow you to claim all the damages. This would include our ticket costs, participation fees, our damages we incurred. This is very interesting. But I assure you are pretty alone with this legal opinion. It would take years to fight that in court.

Platform GmbH is supported in this matter by law firms
domiciled in Vienna and Zurich.

Instead of spending our money on law firms, maybe you should think of returning this money to us.

The train journey had been prepared by hundreds of railway specialists
and student volunteers over a long period of constructive and fruitful
cooperation by all parties, especially OEBB. This intercultural
undertaking was impeded at the day of departure, 27 March 2009.
Thousands of participants from 98 nations from all over the world, who
had paid for their tickets already, had to end their travel plans with
disastrous outcome.

Again, the cancellation was very predictable for you - weeks before. Since you didn't have the money (not even the EUR 250,000) any serious business man would know that OEBB would have the right cancel that train because you breached the contract. This mess of people stranding all across Europe was your fault, Mr. Jaeggle. You could have warned us weeks before that the finances of ESNTrain were really bad.

Not to speak about the damage caused to other
parties such as suppliers, security and many others, including the many
participants organizing the events on the more than 40 stops along the
train’s route.

Yes, that's why it is so important that we learn what really happened and who's fault it was. Most of these things point into your direction, Mr. Jaeggle.

Since the cancelation platform GmbH has limited public discussions to a
minimum in order to find an amicable solution with OEBB. The numerous
attempts went unheard.

1. Oh really! It was published in that blog months ago that OEBB sent you a legal letter to stop making false accusations against the OEBB in the press. Apparently you stopped your media campaign against the OEBB from that point. Were you scared because of that legal letter from OEBB? So your action went not unheard. You just didn't get the reactions from OEBB which you hoped for. Or is this what I am saying again a untruthful and insulting statement from this blog against you?

2. Since you didn't find an amicable solution with OEBB, we of course are looking forward that you extend and improve the public discussion. We are really interested that you show us the contract you had with OEBB. You have your claims, you say all fault lies with OEBB. So please prove that to us! Do not forget, you owe us money, not the OEBB. You use OEBB always as an excuse. So please make it official! What do you have in your hands against OEBB?

The public interest for a follow-up project is huge. But first the past
must be settled.

This really scares me. How can you think about a follow-up project? You failed twice with your big ESNTrain ambitions. Thousands of people suffered greatly. Do you really want to risk that it happens a third time?

Sincerely,
platform GmbH,
Bernhard Jaeggle

Oh, ESN had already a bad feeling about ESNTrain in March

It seems that there was no mediation round in early October. I mean, I still haven't seen any minutes or facts about that mediation round. The silence is fascinating, isn't it?

But don't worry - there are other news about the ESNTrain failure!!!

Did you read this?

This was written in the executive summary about the ESN AGM Utrecht (the big annual meeting of all ESN sections) from March 26th to March 30th 2009.

The text suggests that there was some tension between ESN and Jaeggle (ESNTrain organizer) already before the cancellation. Also the issue of controlling the project on behalf of ESN was critized.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/21915568/AGM-Utrecht-Report (wait a bit, the PDF there is still being converted)

It’s important to say, that ESN International was not organizing ESNTrain, meaning the train itself. There was a separate ESNTrain team behind it, having a specially established company Platform GmbH. It was done, as any large project has risk to fail and this way ESN as organization does not have any financial or legal responsibility of ESNTrain. From my side I can just say, that the project management and control was not the best, as it was too much left on this one project team that we all trusted too much, while ESN was busy with organizing local activities in cities, which train was supposed to visit. But as soon, as we knew about the problem, that was too late, of course, we – CNR and ESN International board – tried to do all possible to save it.

Well, I just can hope that ESN will learn from that terrible mistakes. Over 1.000 students suffered greatly - also in part because that project was not properly controlled.

Of course, we have to ask why did that happen? Why wasn't the ESNTrain project properly controlled? Who's fault was it? I thing this is an important question ESN should answer.

Here is something more interesting. We all have heard that they were some efforts to save ESNTrain at the AGM in Utrecht. Read this! Apparently there was never a realistic chance to bring up the money, because the annual budget of ESN was much lower that the EUR 150,000.- Jaeggle requested from ESN.

ESN International Board and CNR discussed all possible solutions on Friday night as well the Annual General Meeting held a vote for ESN International to guaranty those 150 000, what, fortunately, was not approved, as it exceeds ESN annual budget. On Saturday, the ESNtrain organizer Platform GmbH, officially announced the cancellation.

So, Jaeggle must have known that, too. Why didn't he cancel ESNTrain immediately he knew he couldn't afford ESNTrain? According to comments in this blog, Jaeggle asked ESN AGM Utrecht one day before the intended departure of ESNTrain to give him that money. So, instead of wasting his time at AGM Utrecht, Jaeggle should have written all participants one day before the departure, that ESNTrain was definetely cancelled. That way maybe fewer innocent students would have stranded all across Europe!!!

What takes them that long?

From the ESN website:

10. October: Mediation round in Vienna

The mediation round took place in Vienna. The final communique will be published as soon as all the participants of the mediation round approve its final wording.

I frankly fail to understand the problem.
This final communique should just contain what was actually said in the meeting - word by word.
We want nth. more. This shouldn't be a problem.

We as participants want to know when we finally get back our money!!!
What did Bernhard Jaeggle say about that?
Dear mediation people: Do not test our patience!

Mediation Round - What is important?

Participants demand full and complete minutes from the mediation round.
I appeal to all people who travel to the mediation round in Vienna to do so.

In case if Bernhard Jaeggle doesn't show up, we demand a full explanation.
The pool I took indicated that almost one third of voters believe that
Jaeggle is not going to show up in Vienna.

I must remind every one that Jaeggle has not paid a single cent back
since the cancellation to participatns - and that more than half a year later.
We have received no further information.

The goal must be that ESN would do everything in his power to (1.) punish
Jaeggle, (2.) get our money back and to (3.) investigate the real reasons for the cancellation.

In that regard I would like to summarize all the rumours, which can be found
on the internet and in this blog (esp. in the comment sections)

• 1) Jaeggle hopes to receive a large sum from the European Union to pay for another ESNTrain sometime in 2011. Our tickets would be valid on that. That hope is the reason why he doesn't declare Platform GmbH bankcrupt. This hope is of course total nonsense.

• 2) Jaeggle approached several Swiss Universities around 2-3 weeks before the cancellation to give him several hundreds of thousand of Euros. That proves that he knew about the impeding cancellation and the demands of ÖBB. The question is why didn't Jaeggle warn the participants of the problems. Why did he continue to sell tickets for ESNTrain? Proving that he intentionally misled us would land Bernhard Jaeggle in jail.
  

• 3) Jaeggle had almost ZERO sponsorship money for ESNTrain despite him promising that two thirds of the total ESNTrain costs would be covered by sponsors. Jaeggle misinformed us and especially the ÖBB. There were shocked as well when Jaeggle failed to pay agreed on EUR 400,000 prepayment in time.

• 4) Most of our money (participants paid Jaeggle almost a quarter of million Euros) went to finance ESNTrain staff (Yes, these were not only volunteers). Just EUR 100,000 went to ÖBB. The rest was wasted by Jaeggle. You don't believe me? Well, Bernhard could not pay back a single penny to us. So it is clear: Jaeggle spent almost all of our money.

• 5) ESN Zuerich made perfectly clear in the last weeks (remember the furious discussion about the publishing of email addresses?) that they stand firmly behind Jaeggle. They reject any notion to oust Jaeggle from ESN Zuerich at all. At the same time people from ESN Zuerich enjoy having "great" parties together with Jaeggle, e.g. at Jaeggles farmhouse in Maennedorf.

What would you ask Jaeggle during the mediation round?

Did you ask yourself why the mediation round on October 10th is taking place in Vienna and not in Zuerich (where Jaeggle lives)? The answer is quite simple. If Jaeggle doesn't show up during the mediation round (which would take place in Zuerich), the students will most likely take the bus to Zuerich-Maennedorf to meet Jaeggle there.
Now, because the mediation round takes place in Vienna, no student will most likely fly to Zuerich to meet Jaeggle there.

Stay tuned: party photos with Jaeggle after the cancellation

Party Jaeggle! This is the guy who let strand hundreds of students all across Europe.

Stay tuned for that.
There are apparently many party photos which show Jaeggle on parties after the cancellation right next to the printed guides and esntrain t-shirts. He is having some good times.

Here is the link to the gallery (thanks to Google Archive)

Party Time at Jaeggles Farmhouse near Lake Zuerich with our paid Stuff (June 2009) VERY VERY INTERESTING PHOTOS!!!

Thanks to my two mates who made this photo gallery possible and finally found these photos!!!

Update:

Here some photos of the "awesome" ESNTrain presentation by Jaeggle at the AGM ESN event in Bresancon in early 2008.

Look you see Jaeggle and his good pal ESN President Matthias Fenner pitching the ESNTrain project.

Some words of caution for Bernhard Jäggle

According to my information the mediation round will take place on October 10th in Vienna, Austria.
This information have not been verified, yet.

We all know that Bernhard Jäggle (the crooky organizer of the failed ESNTrain project) practically stayed silent for the last two months. Considering the fact that Jäggle is owing us all a lot of money, the behaviour of Jäggle shows us his real character. He gambled with our money. He played poker with our money in order to realize his dream of an ESNTrain, which he knew he couldn't pay. Once in his life he had a lot of money (OUR MONEY!!!) on his bank account which he blew and spent, spent, spent on sh*t.

Bernhard Jäggle is a person who is trying to do everything to get his own a** out of this sitation after the damage has been done. He is very manipulative person. He is a coward who doesn't want to take responsibility. Jäggle is not even accepting postal mail at his company address anymore.

Some facts about Jäggle his behaviour:


1) Jäggle successfully obstructed the mediation process, which have been proposed by ESN in May. Actually the mediation should have taken place in July/August together with ÖBB. Jäggle has achieved to postpone that mediation until October (buying him more time) and without the participation of ÖBB. As we all know: Bernhard Jäggle nonetheless is not going to appear on October 10th at the mediation round in Vienna (he will use some quite of lame last-minute excuse not to participate)


2) We know by now that Jäggle had no formal contract with ÖBB to deliver ESNTrain. ÖBB actually had no obligation to deliver ESNTrain at all. Moreover, ÖBB didn't accept the notion of Jäggle that a prepayment of just EUR 100,000 was sufficient to deliver ESNTrain. ÖBB informed Jäggle early enough that he has to pay a prepayment of EUR 500,000. So the cancellation of ESNTrain was unavoidable BUT TOTALLY EXPECTED to happen. Jäggle knew very well in advance that many European students would strand all across Europe, because he couldn't afford these EUR 500,000. Yes, Jäggle knew that in advance.
Nonetheless he still even sold ESNTrain tickets in the end of March, just days before the cancellation. He is such a crook
Yes, this is the hard truth. This is exactly the reason why Jäggle is so quite and is not telling us anything real about the causes of the ESNTrain cancellation. I mean Jäggle doesn't want to admit this truth. This truth will at the end will land him in prison, because at one point the state prosecutors of Switzerland will become active.


3) I am very confident that we can bring punishment on Jäggle through the legal and court avenues.
Yes, a lot of time passed by already. A lot of time had passed because Jäggle has done everything to prolong everything.
But one day we will catch this guy with all legal means and then he is going to serve his time in prison.


4) We know there are many die-hard fans and friends of Jäggle, who still support him and believe every word he says. Well, we will prove all these people wrong and show them what kind of "wrong" friend they have. After we won the legal fight, Jäggle will never recover from that ESNTrain scandal.

Jäggle has to blame only himself. He sold us a train he knew he never could deliver.

What Jäggle wants you to believe.....

To all readers of the blog: I would like to give you one important suggestion. Do not believe what Bernhard Jäggle, the organizer of ESNTrain, tells you about the cancellation.

Jäggle wants you to believe that ÖBB, the Austrian Railway company, breached their part of contract at the very last minute. Thus, ESNTrain had to be cancelled, because ÖBB suddenly and shortly before the intended departure date wanted to have EUR 500,000.- as prepayment instead of EUR 160,000.-

This story is absolutely false!!!

Bernhard Jäggle is spreading this false story. He is trying to manipulate us all.
Why is he doing that. Well, he wants us to think that the fault of all the ESNTrain mess lies with ÖBB. Thus, he is not responsible for anything. Thus, we should all forgive him and we should understand that Jäggle is too powerless to fight against ÖBB to get our money back. Thus, we should accept that our money is lost and we should not press Jäggle anymore to pay back our money.

This is the reason why crooky Jäggle is doing that.
I know this guy, he is ruthless. He may thing I am exaggerating again. No, I am not exaggerating. Bernhard is a guy who would do anything to lie himself our of this mess.

Here is one example
One participant demanded payment of his tickets on July 19th 2009 by email.
Well, we know that Jäggle is always busy doing vacation, so he only responded on August 1st 2009 with this garbage und manipulative statement:

Sehr geehrte Frau ....

Vielen Dank für Ihr Email.
Leider ist wahrlich viel Zeit seit Absage des ESNtrains vergangen.
Viel Zeit für Sie und für uns - leider aber sichtlich nicht für die ÖBB,
denn es kommt keinerlei Reaktion von den österreichischen Bundesbahnen.
Daher sind wir gezwungen die kommenden Schritte einzuleiten, auch wenn
diese Zeitintensiv sind.

Wir bedauern auch die leider zu zahlreich verschwendete Zeit und können
leider nicht mehr machen, als widerum um Geduld zu bitten.
Wir arbeiten nach wie vor an der Lösung!

mit freundlichen Grüssen
platfrom GmbH
Bernhard Jäggle

In English:

Dear Ms...

Thank you for your email.
Unfortunately a lot of time has passed by since the cancellation of ESNTrain.
Indeed a lot of time for you and for us - but apparently not a lot of time for ÖBB.
I haven't received any reaction from the Austrian Railways.
That's why we are forced to take the next steps, even if it takes a lot of time.

We regret the time that is wasted. However, we cannot do anything more than to ask you for more patience.
We are still working on a solution!

Best Regards
platform GmbH
Bernhard Jäggle

So, Jäggle is blaming the ÖBB.
I hope at one point that the ÖBB is going to take legal steps against Jäggle - prohibiting Jäggle to publish such a nonsense.
On the point of the manipulations I would like to highlight a comment, which was made to this blog yesterday by someone close to the mediation round.
"--alex" is initially talking about why Jäggle wants to prevent participants meeting with ÖBB during the medation.

I think it is fair to get ESN out of the line of fire.
Who do you think doesn't want participants and ÖBB to sit on one table? It is not ESN, but it is someone else.

In fact I believe Bernhard wants to present his case and arguments during the medation.
In that he can claim and say whatever he wants.
It would be tricky for participants to challenge Bernhards arguments, because no one of the participants has any real insights into the relationship between Bernhard and ÖBB.

That is the reason why I lobby hard to initiate a second mediation round. This time only between ESN, participants and ÖBB. That way the ÖBB can tell us their side of the story and can invalidate the arguments of Bernhard.
Bernhard would certainly not like such a second mediation round.

Two things matter for me personally.
When do we get our money back?
Who was responsible for this disorderly cancellation process?
Both questions are heavily interlinked, because the person who caused this disorderly cancellation is the person who has to burden all the blame and who has to bear all the costs.

Bernhard indicated to us that the disorderly cancellation process was the fault of the ÖBB, because ÖBB unexpectedly increased the amount of money they wanted a prepayment shortly before the ESNTRAIN departure date.
If this story was true, then Bernhard would have a case to go against ÖBB and demand money to pay back our tickets in full.

However, I do not believe this story at all. And Bernhard has not produced any evidence to support his story.
According to my sources ÖBB clearly informed Bernhard multiple times how much money they wanted to have as prepayment. The ÖBB just needs to show us a document or email from early March, where the ÖBB demanded 500.000 Euros as prepayment from Bernhard.
If ÖBB produces such a document, the story of Bernhard will be pretty much invalidated, because in that case Bernhard actually needed to cancel ESNTRAIN in early March. Such an early cancellation would have saved us all a lot of money. ÖBB alone had to pay their suppliers and other railways 169.000 Euros due to the late-night disorderly cancellation process.
With an early cancellation this money would have been still there to pay back back part of our tickets.

I am very confident that ÖBB has such a document invalidating the story of Bernhard.

I would like to point out, if I find any hard evidence that Bernhard lied or mislead us after the disorderly cancellation, Bernhard will face serious consequences.

Friends of Bernhard Jäggle tell the same lies

Update:
Do not miss this all-new German-language radio interview concerning ESNTrain.






Anne Karppanen organized ESNTrain in Finland. She practically made a lot of advertising and lured people into that scam. Mrs. Karppanen studies at the University of Oulu.
She was asked about her reactions. This Finnish women accuses the ÖBB for the failure.
This is a email from Anne Karppanen from July 25th 2009 she sent out to an ESNTrain participant.

Dear ...,

First of all, I, too, am an ESNtrain participant that lost a lot of money because of the cancellation of the ESNtrain. And yes, I am very sorry that the project got cancelled and that the Austrian railway company broke the contract they had made with the ESNtrain organizers and therefore the money hasn't been returned. And if any people decided to join the ESNtrain because of my actions, I am very sorry about that as well.

Personally, I was responsible for organizing the Finnish evening on train and forwarding e-mails from ESNtrain OC to the ESN sections of Finland ...

I haven't offered any personal apology to the participants of the ESNtrain because the people who actually were responsible for the organisation of the project have already done that...

Sincerely,
Anne Karppanen

I would like to remind readers of this blog that there was no written contract between Platform GmbH and ÖBB, so ÖBB couldn't breach a contract which didn't exist.

Roland Albrecht, a very good buddy of Jäggle, wrote this on May 2nd 2009:

I know Bernhard personally and I know he has worked a lot and spent all his time to realize the ESN train project. It was his dream to realize a unique multicultural platform where people from all over europe would meet and spend an extraordinairy time together.

I don't know what went wrong and who's to blame for that. Usually in such cases it's quite complicated to tell where exactly it went wrong. It's more a series of several mistakes.

I definitely understand that everyone wants to get back it's money. But as it was a huge project involving companies all over europe sorting everything out will take some time.

So attacking Bernhard and the rest of the team and claiming they are just forgetting everyone is not true and not fair. I still admire Bernhard and everyone involved in the team for the courage and enthusiasm for trying to realize the project. They have spent a lot of their spare time for the project and their failure has broken their hearts. And I am sure they are trying everything to sort it all out.

Claudia Kafka, also a good friend of Jäggle, wrote this to participants:

I know Bernhard personally and am sure that he tries everything to get this issue solved out asap.

It's not as if his team chose to cancel the trip out of nothing! Returning money to +500 participants plus reacting to mails such as yours is not easy. Besides many people on the team have got jobs as well which they need to tend to!

As mentioned on the website last week..be patient....and of course nobody can answer to hundreds of emails! Give them time! I know him...and if you'd had a look at the patronage comittee you would know that they aren't reckless! They just need time to sort it all out! I guess he even had to make downpayments which he didn't receive back as well...

So..NO...i won't tell him! He will do it anyway! Bear in mind that this is not a huge organization, but individuals who wanted to connect people across Europe and unfortunately failed!