Prelude: I wasn't in a Migros store last Friday (July 8) and didn't need my electronic Cumulus card. That's why I didn't realize that Cumulus had crashed.

Act 1: Today, July 12, I want to pay at the checkout, call up the Cumulus card on my cell phone (iPhone), the QR code appears and disappears again immediately. Instead, I am asked to log in with my Cumulus number and password so that the electronic Cumulus card is available. As I obviously don't know the 13-digit Cumulus number by heart and the stupid window can't be clicked away, I grumble loudly at the till and pay without the Cumulus points due to me being registered.

Act 2: I call the Inofline at home. A gentleman there tells me that I just have to log in again. After my insistence and endless questions, he finally gives me my Cumulus number.

Act 3: I enter the Cumulus number and password. Result: An error message. Either I am not connected to the www (which I was) or there is a technical problem.

Act 4: Another rather exasperated call to the Infoline: Answer from the lady: I would have to order a new password.

Act 5: I order a new password and call up the corresponding page using the link provided in the e-mail. Result: There is no password on the page and I can't generate one either.

Act 6: I call infoline again and tell my story, exasperated. The lady at the end of the line tries to interrupt me. I insist on finishing the story first. Result: She hangs up the phone.

Act 7: I take a deep breath and call the Infoline again, this time from a landline. The lady on the other end explains to me how I can easily log back into the system on my cell phone. I don't need a new password, just a little know-how. After a minute, everything is done.

Aftermath: The Cumulus number can be seen at the bottom of the home screen if you scroll down a bit, I realized later. But apparently nobody at the Infoline knew that.

Final question: Will the Cumulus points be credited to me now that I have scanned and sent the shopping list?