Language /
I need advice - how long does it take to learn Polish? [70]
The point was that he was "honest" to a fault, minimalist to a fault, in that he didn't consider that maybe he was using so few words that it wasn't communicating what he really intended to communicate - I didn't understand what didn't work.
But this is again a cultural thing. If I asked for a phone top up and got told that it doesn't work, I'd know instantly that the machine was broken - I don't need to know the why and why not, I only need to know that I can't get it.
Why didn't it work? Did it not work in general at Play stores, meaning that there was some other way that I was required to load money on my account, instead of doing it in person? Did his internet not work, or was the system down, meaning I couldn't go to another Play store and do it there instead?
Again, cultural. A Pole would know that probably he had no idea himself, therefore there's no point in asking. If he knew, he probably would've told you the entire story of why it doesn't work and why the company is useless.
I know I know, I'm American and therefore have unrealistic expectations of customer service.
The thing is that even the idea of customer service is different here. People don't necessarily like the Anglophone way of doing things, and they often perceive it as being very insincere.
What is your Polish idea of abrupt, then, if not that?
Abrupt is when someone makes it seem like your presence is a problem. It's often non-verbal clues that give it away rather than verbal ones.
