Customer Service in Poland, what are your experiences?

It's a pretty good theory though!

I lived in both the North and South of Poland last year. Observations are thus.

Yes most women on the till are called Magda. They were that generic blue housecoat thing. They rarely speak to the point of being surly. They never give you your change in your hand but in that glass soap dish thing. Such a refreshing experience compared to the in your face customer service crap we get in Western Europe.

HI! I went back to Poland about 10 years ago. After 15 years away.
Tried to get in touch with my friends. My parent's phone book was from...1969!!!
No kidding.
Went to the Post Office to check the current one. I was not allowed to handle it myself. I had to give them the names and addresses (which I was searching for to start with) of every person I was looking for. It took about 45 minutes and no results of course. After that Phone Book fiasco, I have moved to another counter 2 buy stamps for my postcards. Nobody in front of me - after standing there for about 5 minutes, watching the person on the other side of the counter finishing her x-word,

I demanded service.
If only the looks could kill! LOL
Is it still like that? I am thinking about relocating back in about 6 months - hence my presence here.

Hope not for your sake otherwise you'll need a lot of patience.......that's funny :)

Dear AngeINC - if it sux in PL so much...what the hell r U still doing there after 4 years plus? Complaining? I assume U r a Pom... maybe something positive in your brain would change your attitude? If U don't like it > don't live it!

I assume U r a Pom

There is your first mistake. :) Or is it second? I am losing track. It's like watching your favourite tv show standing outside Rumbelows it's dark, don't go in there she's going in he's going to kill her look he's hiding behind the couch i'm sure he was holding a knife oh god don't go in or at least put the light on looking through half closed eyes now.

Phew it's a surprise birthday party.

Le client n'a jamais tort apparently so he either gets a cake if his pizza is not delivered within thirty minutes or it means that no one demands to see a passport before taking the order pepperoni for all even non EU nationals. :)

just about to go back there again...scared, very scared.......... LOL

I find customer service interesting over here. In the majority of places it's ok, just what I would expect, people are polite and very obliging when I ask for something in my minimal Polish. Some places are excellent and others are horrendous, bordering on offensive when they hear you speak English - even if you speak Polish to them.

I'm lucky though, even though it's not a small town I'm living in, there is very much a village feel and so most of the shops and bars I go to know me and don't mind if I totally screw up my Polish.

I hate that thing.

Why? I find it quite handy. I don't have to wait for the shop assistant to have a free hand to accept money from me, or keep a free hand for the forthcoming change. The dish thingy is not restricted to Poland, either. I'm sure I've seen it elsewhere in Europe.

I was in Poland recently and had a funny experience...

Was in a bar which had a really crap layout - three massive booths that would sit a group of about 8 people, and then no other seats. One of the booths had a reserved sign on the table.

I watched a couple of groups come in, sit down and then leave minutes later. I then decided to sit down at the booth - even though there were only two of us (Mr LC and me).

The manager came up to me, and told me that the table was reserved and that I couldn't sit there. I asked if I could sit there until the people who had made the reservation turned up, explaining that I would have no problem in moving once they arrived.

The manager (just a young guy - mid to late 20s, I guess) insisted that "rules were rules". Even though I suggested that it would look good to have all of the booths full (because they were all in the window, so would make the bar look busy and lively), he just kept insisting that rules were rules.... <sigh>

unfortunately its getting worse. im in the shop today to buy one fecking pack of cigarettes and the salesguy, smiling and trying to be funny, goes with all this hello, how are you, hows the weekend and have i seen the note 'smoking kills' on the box. wtf? i came for a pack of camels not to make friends with this sucker. dont wanna talk, smile and i dont give a flying fcuk whats on the pack except of the five letters starting with a C. or im in a store for like a 30 seconds and there comes the shop assistant, happy like a retarded kido, asking me 'how can i help you'. get the fcuk out of my face. im here for less than a minute and i havent enough time to look around, if i need you pryck ill come and ask you myself.


damn kenyan chickens, they are pretty fast

That was a hospital and that was the chief of medicine ;)

still have a time for that scenario. i hope (:

In September of 08 I went to Poland with my wife so whe could pick up her Candian PR from the Canadian Embassy, I speak fluent polish and english so there is no language barrier. Im at the warsaw train station to ask if I can buy a tkt for the earlier train to rzeszow, I had printed out the train schedule 3 days prior while in Canada, had it in my hand. I asked over 7 cashiers who all directed me somewhere else, I finally get to the customer service desk and ask to buy 2 tkts (in polish). The cashier snaps back with such attititude as if I just stole her baby, that this departure trip was canceled. Fine, so I take out my printed schedule and point to the next trip, that when the horid B***h says to me in Polish, "LISTEN, DO YOU NOT URSTAND ME, IT"S CANCELLED"

I felt like jumping over the counter and sticking my foot up her @ss, never in my life have I experienced such ****** customer service like in Poland.

This attitue seems to affect all middle aged polish women, as In canada I get similiar service at the Polish store, yet when I get served by an Indian or Asian person, I treated 400% better, like royalty.

old polish women really got to get out of the "communist era" mind frame.

Not to be recommended!!!