Job Discussion Forums

[Jack Walker]

....does it get any worse?

In many stores such as Rossmans or Sephora,they have more "detectives" there than regular staff and customers combined.

Nothing like searching for a present for your wife, while 2 or 3 bald headed,thick necked thuggish looking"store detectives" stare you down.

They literally stand right next to you and stare you down.

In many stores in Poland, they see you not as a paying customer, but as a thief waiting for a quick haul.

When you finally make it to the register without getting arrested ,the clerks scratch and sniff and lick your hard earned bill in order to see if it's legitimate.

They flash lights on it and go all out.

The clerks hate it when you give them anything higher than a 20zl bill.

They plead for the correct change even when you show them your wallet and its contents and tell them that you DON'T have 12 grosz,or 1 zl 56 grosz.

They are terrified with the prospect of actually giving you back change!

This would force them to actually count.

I've had clerks in the past swear under their breaths when I attempted to pay for my 4 zl and something grosz purchase witha 50 zl note.

I've received the rolling eyes and the head shaking and I'm sure you have too.

God forbid you buy something in a box.

The clerks often cut the box open and check for illegal goods hidden inside.

've had many presents for people destroyed in this way.They mangle the box and make it look ugly and used.

Was at a kebab shop the other day waiting for service while the two clerks ignored me and laughed and chatted with each other for about 2 minutes.

When I finally placed my order, they told me they were too busy and not doing any take out orders.WTF???? Isn't a "take out order" also a paying order??????

Gotta love this country!!

[Mike_2007]

2 minutes? 2 minutes? I dream of only waiting for 2 mins for the waiters!

I think it's standard for the region. 99% of the stuff I read on the Polish forum could be copy and pasted onto the Romanian one. I think Romanians are a little more paranoid though - they would have store dectectives following the store detectives!

[dynow]

customer service is non-existent in Poland.

period.

it's pathetic. if Poland ever wants to be a real economic player, they gotta start treating foreigners better when they come here and spend their money.

Oh, and they gotta make the language easier. Getting rid of some of those useless case endings would be a good start. Unless you are here for 5 years or more and study relentlessly, you will speak caveman polish at best. So basically, foreigners come here, get treated like dogs when they go out to spend their money at the restaurants, and they can't learn the language well enough to complain to anyone about it besides their family and friends back in their home country.

[lundjstuart]

I dont see it at all, customer service? I dont think that a Polish person knows anything about it at all!!

A manager took my order at the good old Mickie D's and I gave the lady 51.50 for a 31.30 order and then she just gave me the wrong change completely and then I called her out on it and she told me that she doesnt believe me that I gave her any change with it just 50 z's! I Krakow, they just dont give you your change back in the old town! 2 large beers and a total of 14 zl, didnt get change from my 50 on that night also!

A tip to help the cashiers off your back, give them the 50 zl, they complain, take the money back and give them a 100 or 200 zl bill! This really makes them pissed and they are happy to count out the 50 zl worth of change! I do it all the time!

For the detectives, ask them what they are doing and if they need some help in finding something! Say it in English and they will get off your back very quick! Most of the time they dont understand and they leave!

Every time they rip my box open to find illegal goods, I tell them to go and get me another box because I wont buy an open one! If they wont, I just tell them to take it off the bill or just leave it! Sometimes you just have to be adamant about what you want and how you want it!

Its much worst the farther east you go! Just be happy that its just Poland!

[Jack Walker]

I'll have to tell you that I've been here for 5 years and my Polish is still like a 4 year olds.

Those cases get me everytime.I know hundreds of words and my comprehension is very good but, I still can't hold a "proper"conversation.

Back to the service thing:

About 3 years ago,my wife and I were walking in the city centre one evening and decided to drop into a restaurant to get something to eat.

It was a cold winter's evening and we were famished from being out and about all day.

It was a Sunday evening at about 8:15 and the sign on the door said the restaurant closed at 9.We thought we had time so we went on in.

My wife(who is Polish) and I were talking in English as we looked for a seat.

The restaurant was empty and we heard the "waitress" say to the "cook","Why must THEY come here NOW! We want to close up early and go home." She also did the rolling eyes thing and the Polish "sigh" that they do so well.

They thought my wife was a foreigner also, but being the assertive type thats she is,she told them what she thought using some colorful language, and we left and found a more welcoming eatery.We never went near that place again and told everyone we knew to avoid it.

I'm happy to say that the "restaurant" went out of business last year and is now a kebab shop run but a group of friendly,obliging Turks.

Last year,I bought a 50zl suprise bouquet of flowers for my wife at a local flower shop and paid with a 100zl note.The owner didn't give me change! I asked for my change but she told me that I gave her 50zl.

I definitely gave her 100zl but my protesting skills were not strong in Polish, so I went back to the flat and got my wife.She knew I was a foreigner from my broken ,accented Polish.

When my wife spoke to her,the owner claimed I was lying and she flashed a 50zl bill and gave it to my wife without protest.Actually,as soon as she saw me coming in the door with my wife,her hand went in the till and she said she is only giving us the money because she is kind and generous and I was obviously wrong.


That showed us that she was a lying thief.

No Polish business owner would give up money so easily if they were right.

Anyway,she kind of ruined my suprise bouquet of flowers and the whole day in general.

Thanks lady!

There are exceptions of course,but the service is shoddy about 75% of the time in Poland.

[Harry from NWE]

[sharter]

So they do staff meals at Mr. Ds Mr Lund?

Yep, that's Poland; 3rd world service at 1st world prices. It's been like that for years. I'm often asked to go and buy something so a waitress can get change. Pull a 100Zl and your screwed. Try asking for your drink to be delivered before the meal and they think you're a moron. Last trip to Poz, me or my girlfriend returned a meal just about every time we went near a restaurant in the rynek.

What about the quality of what they call building work? New flats and the plaster's cracking as you move in.Terrible plumbing, poor paint work, I could rattle on. Old flats and every Tom, Dick and Harry's had a go at DIY. The doors open into each other, fitted cupboards don't close etc etc. That's why 7-12,000/m is such a completejoke.

You're paying UK prices for awful quality in just about every area.

That's been my gripe for ages.

[Jack Walker]

Speaking of the shoddy building standards here,one of my private students is a wealthy business owner.

2 years ago, he purchased a new,900,000zl house in a high end resedential area near Krakow.One of those secured,gated communities that are becoming popular amongst rich people here.

The house was supposed to be completed in Sept,2007.Anyway,Sept became December which became April then June etc etc.As of today,they are telling him it should be all done by Christmas.

Last week, he had to get the windows and doors realigned as none of them would close properly.This is not some shantytown housing,this is a house costing almost 1 million zl!

They screwed up the outside drainage pipes and crossed them with the regular household plumbing.It had to be redone.

The outside walls of the house were not level and had to be restructured.He told me the crooked walls could be seen with the naked eye.

He's had nothing but problem after problem with the contractor.He said if he had his time back,he wouldn't have taken their offer.They also had the nerve to ask for more upfront money from him so they could meet salaries.

The Polish mentality to service here is a simple,"to jest Polska" and a laugh.

No one really cares very much I guess and it's easier to "to jest Polska" things than to change them for the better.

Went to the convenience store Zabka a few months ago, and they told me they weren't taking any 100zl bills today.The clerk asked me what she was supposed to do with my 100zl and gave it back to me.

I told my wife that in Poland, poor people can't buy things nor people who have some money either.

[Jack Walker]

I almost forgot to mention this gem.

One evening during my second year in Poland,I stopped by a cash point machine after work and took out 50zl and headed towards Mr.Hamburger to buy a 4 or 5 zl cheesburger.

The clerk took my 50zl,examined it and proceeded to tell me it was COUNTERFEIT!

The manager was called and I heard talk about "policja,policja"etc,etc.Basically,they were going to call the cops to arrest me for my "fake" 50zl which was fresh out of the cash point machine.

The manager went downstairs and left me waiting in terror above.After about 10 minutes,(I assumed they were flashing blue lights on the bill) she came back and told me the 50zl was "dobrze" and then told the clerk to give me the cheesburger.......................I had to ask for my change back! hehe

That was my first and last visit to Mr.Hamburger.

I could write a book!

[the new guy]

been here 2+ years.

i've got enough material to exhaust all the internets bandwidth.

i'll add a few bits

1- try returning a faulty item to a shop. Like Media Markt or Real/Carrefour.... thats a test.

2- i bought a 170,000PLN car with cash, and the manager of the dealership has been nothing but rude, arrogant, unfriendly to me. He even said to me:
"you are only the consumer, nothing more...."
"my job is to sell you the car, that is all"
"you come to this country, and think you are the king of the world..."

my Polish friends were ashamed to be Polish after the way i was treated.

its 2343 now..my bed is calling

[Harry from NWE]

[dynow]

[Jack Walker]

Some great stories...keep em coming.

I no longer bother to use the various Polish cases.Even Polish people tell me they have problems with some cases.

I would just say,"prosze,piec litr butelka woda zywiec"

I know that sentence is littered with errors, buy I think it would be understood.I stopped trying to use cases long ago.

Yeah the return policy in this country is lacking.It's only the past year or so that many stores actually allow you to bring back an item.Many shops won't return the cash, only give you another item.

I know we all sound like whining old grannies on this thread, but sometimes you just have to vent!

[the new guy]

Harry>> it was the Subaru dealership in Szczecin "Agrykolex". I have created a 7 page letter about my terrible experience with this dealership.

I advised the manager that I have started this letter, he told me I am making great exaggerations and claims that are not true. Well....if they were untrue, why am I wasting my time on writing a 7 page letter? I told him that I was sending this letter to all dealerships & HQ in PL. HQ in Germany, Czech Rep, UK, North America. I will also be couriering a copy of this letter to Ikuo Mori, the CEO and President of Fuji Heavy industries.

Part of the deal for the car was that the manager agreed to give me 4 winter tires. I went into the dealership last week asking about it. The parts guy said that the tires were coming in by the end of the month. I said that the manager agreed to 4 free tires for me, and he said he never heard anything about that, and will need to confirm it. It's been a week now, and have had no communication. It was interesting that I saw the manager drive his car away from the dealership 3 minutes after i arrived that day last week. I guess he wants to avoid me.

I said to the manager that after the way I have been treated by them, I will take my car to Poznan for service. He said that it would be a good idea for both of us. WTF??

Oh another great thing. After spending 170,000PLN on a car, getting it all registered and insured(which is another test of one's patience) I got the keys, turned the engine over, and noticed that the gas light was on, and the needle was at E. I went inside and asked why after spending that amount of money, they didn't fill the car with gas? THe manager said "here at Subaru we sell cars, not give away gas" I told him that I was completely shocked. so he grabbed a salesguy and we drove to the gas station and he put in 25zl or 5 litres. 5 LITRES??? WTF?

ok i gotta stop. I will post this letter for all to see once it is completed.

[Jack Walker]

Sounds like you're having a hell of a time with that car situation.

The "next week" thing or on "Tuesday" thing is also a common ploy in Poland.

It basically means,"we have no idea".

I used to joke with my American colleague about the Polish definition of "next week".

The poor guy spent 5 months last year waiting for the landlord to deal with his internet connection situation.

The landlord continually said it would be connected next week,or on Monday or Thursday evening etc ,etc.

In the end,he never got the connection, even after asking dozens of times.

At my school,we have been told the internet will be connected for teachers next week.

We've been hearing that for about 1.5 years now.

Our course textbooks were supposed to have been ready "next week" for the past 6 weeks.

I have exam groups and don't have books or cds for many of them.