Life / New in Poland! Not yet jaded and loving it [34]

I went to the village post office to send 10 Christmas cards to England. I handed the cards over the counter, the lady added the stamps up and it seemed to be very cheap!!!, I queried the amount and said "UK"?, she looked at me and said, "Tak, Ukraina".

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


I would wait awhile. Milky has stated that prices are dropping by 3% a month so you should soon get the 30% reduction you require. I might even buy a few myself then to rent out.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


When there is a slowdown in the economy, leisure is one of the first industries to suffer, hence, restaurants and bars being empty or have you not noticed this. Weather will be another factor, to close down the rides for eight months of the year means high maintenance costs which in turn means that big profits have to be made during the milder/summer months, prices will have to be fairly high to attract investors. The parts of the park which will remain open will only be offering what is available in most cities and large towns, so why travel?

When DisneyLand in Paris was first proposed, most people were surprised about the location, many thought Disney would have chosen Spain for the guaranteed weather/climate. Disney struggled for the first few years and at one time had lost some $80 million, price restructuring and promotions have improved things but they are still barely making profit.

Having been to DisneyLand, California and Disney world in Florida, I would be afraid of trying the one in France for fear of disappointment at the French staff's attempts to be polite.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

A bit off topic for this thread and according to all the doomsayers, nobody will be able to afford to go there on their 1200 PLN a month salaries.

Law / Rights of a consumer when dealing with faulty goods in Poland? [65]


You could always go to the EU website and print off the directive in Polish, then be assertive when you present this at the counter.

Law / Rights of a consumer when dealing with faulty goods in Poland? [65]

Shoppers with faulty goods are being routinely denied repairs or replacements because they are not told about their rights under a guarantee scheme.

EU law creates a minimum period of two years in which a faulty product can be returned, and in England and Wales the figure is six years.

But many High Street stores are denying customers these rights, either because the staff don't know the law or because they think they can get away with it.

Generally, retailers hide behind the offer of a standard one-year guarantee and refuse to do anything when this lapses. Consumer experts say this means they are failing to abide by the law.

Most shoppers are in the dark about their rights and often simply throw out a faulty product.

digitalworldz.co.uk/210967-eu-law-gives-consumers.html

They have 14 days to repair, failing which they must replace or give you a full refund.

Directive 1999/44/EC, May 1999

Law / Rights of a consumer when dealing with faulty goods in Poland? [65]

Is the item battery powered or plug in?

Life / Free Poland Health Care - Paying minimal to no Zus [105]


This is what I have been doing for the past 5 years.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


Housing development is different from civil engineering, unfortunately the Polish media calls everyone builders and does not differentiate between the two. A doctor is not a surgeon although they are both in the medical profession.

I was not referring to this type of construction as the topic is habitation, not public works:-

"Poland has worked hard to try to get its road, hotel and stadium infrastructure ready for the tournament it is co-hosting with Ukraine, but the final push has left a number of leading builders bankrupt or heading for insolvency.

Up to 100 contractors are seeking about 50 million zlotys (9.5 million pounds) for their work on the Gdansk road from general contractor Hydrobudowa, part of the debt-laden PBG group."

"WARSAW (Reuters) - Spain and Croatia fans heading for the Euro 2012 Group C clash on Monday may find the main road to Gdansk's PGE Arena blocked by up to 60 bulldozers and diggers because of a protest over payments due to sub-contractors.

Local authorities stress they will provide alternative routes for trams and buses to the match, which kicks off at 20:45 local time (07:45 p.m. British time), but that may not help foreign car drivers following GPS-recommended routes to the stadium."


Some company's will take on small projects to keep key staff employed, this is not there core business but you already knew that when you posted your stupid comment.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


It would not make any difference if they were losing billions on the civils That's where you are talking about huge amounts of money.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


I think you will find that these are "civil engineering" firms. They build/maintain roads, hospitals, schools etc, government projects. The government has a budget, these firms price low to keep getting the contracts, they go over budget and invariably get into trouble. Chinese getting kicked off the A2 motorway ring a bell. The Government brags about saving 2 billion on the tender and then wonders why the project does not get finished. Same with the A4, nobody worked on section between Bochina and Tarnow last year as the contractor had not been paid, a whole year wasted.

There are only a few firms in Poland able to handle projects of this size, you cannot shaft all of them. (as much as you would like to Milky}

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

So Fitch rates Wroclaw above Spain and Italy, must be in big trouble then!!!! That news is going to make all the Polish property sellers drop their prices by at least 90%. Perhaps they will give the houses and flats away to avoid the huge property taxes?.oh, I forgot!!!...there are no huge property taxes.

UK, Ireland / Renewing passports for children? We are back in the UK. [17]

I am not sure if the rules have changed Harry but when my partner was pregnant (seven years ago), I enquired about getting my daughter a British passport but the rule then was that she had to be registered at the consulate in Warsaw within the first 6 months of the pregnancy. I thought at the time that this was a bit stupid as, anything could have happened at the birth.

Anyway, the British passport is nothing special now that they give them away with a packet of crisps. I am happy for her to be a little Polska.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

You need to know how many hours a teacher works for the state and how many hours of private lessons they give.

You are not painting a true picture as usual.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Sorry, I thought we were talking about Poland?

I am sure that there will be plenty of skilled workers who would rather stay in Poland.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


Gdańsk Shipyard to employ 600 new workers
6th July 2012

The Gdańsk Shipyard is looking for qualified workers including welders and fitters to fill 600 vacancies, reported Gazeta Wyborcza.

Approximately half of the workers will be employed this year, with the rest taken on during 2013. The best-qualified workers will be offered monthly salaries of as much as zł.7,000, the company said in a statement.

“The yard is going to be the best-paying employer in the shipping industry in this region,” said Arkadiusz Aszyk, board member of the Gdańsk Shipyard.

So welders and fitters are in the top 1%?

Spin it any way you like, it's not what you want to hear.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


So to go back to 2004 levels, wages will have to drop.

Salaries stay highest in Mazowieckie
9th July 2012

In the first quarter of 2012, the average salary in the Mazowieckie voivodship amounted to zł.4,800 (gross), according to Central Statistical Office data.

That’s more than in any other region of Poland, although differences have declined slightly in the last 12 months, Parkiet reported.

Mazowieckie is the only voivodship where salaries have increased by less than the inflation rate since the first quarter of 2011. This shows that other regions are slowly catching up.

There is still a lot of work to be done, though. The gap is large, with the lowest average salary amounting to zł.3,360 (in Podkarpackie).

I bet this is something you do not want to read, or do you still want to insist that everyone in Poland earns 1,500 a month.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

And that's why you still cannot afford to buy.

Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]


Compared to what?

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2168507/Footage-shows-brand-new-Angolan-city-designed-500-000-lying-empty.html

News / Poland's Economy Is Booming! The EU's Success Story? [711]


Is this the same European Commission that stated the Euro crisis was solved?

UK, Ireland / British person entitled to see a GP in Poland at no charge? [10]


You can always pay ZUS. A voluntary payment of around 320 złoty per month gives you the same cover as a Pole. You must be fairly up to date with your British NI contributions, otherwise there is a lump sum payment to join the scheme. You can pay by internet but when you see a doctor or go to hospital, you have to print out your (up to date) payment as proof and show them. You will also qualify for subsidised prescriptions.

Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]


Even the educated are having problems:-

Number of graduates in menial jobs doubles in five years with 10,000 taking posts that do not require a degree

Read more:
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2166241/Number-graduates-menial-jobs-doubles-years.html#ixzz1zAOPyl3k

Travel / Poland in photo riddles [3134]


A herd of Bison?

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


Who mentioned a house?, the topic was flats?

On all the projects I have done, both in the UK and Poland, the banks have never sent anyone around to check on quality, you have no idea what you are talking about.

Real Estate / Banks in Poland selling fewer mortgages in 2011, down 49% [285]


I love this post from last November. Now for the reality:-

Angela Merkel rules out eurobonds for 'as long as I live'

Angela Merkel has firmly rejected the use of eurobonds ahead of a crucial summit in Brussels this week, ruling out jointly guaranteed eurozone debt for "as long as I live".

Man makes plans and the Gods laugh.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


If it's built, why are they showing an artist's impression and not a picture of the real house? Is it a re-possession on a half finished estate?

News / Poland's Economy Is Booming! The EU's Success Story? [711]


But if the scenario I outlined above happens, particularly:-

"Hundreds of thousands of jobs could be outsourced to other countries, and thousands of companies could go under".

Poland could gain either way.

News / Poland's Economy Is Booming! The EU's Success Story? [711]


They may not be in a position to dictate anything:-

Costs of Crash for Germany Could Be More than €500 Billion

The dream of balanced budgets would be dead for years. Government debt would rise sharply as tax revenues declined and government spending, on everything from bank bailouts to unemployment insurance, increased. Hundreds of thousands of jobs could be outsourced to other countries, and thousands of companies could go under.

According to a scenario by the major Swiss bank UBS, if the financial risks resulting from the decline in exports, the necessary bank bailouts and the company bankruptcies are added together, the total cost to the German economy could amount to a quarter of Germany's gross domestic product -- well over €500 billion.

spiegel.de/international/europe/fears-grow-of-consequences-of-potential-euro-collapse-a-840634-3.html

Interesting times.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


To be honest with you Delph, the banks do not do quality control. They have their security and the portion of any financial loan they give is on stage payments, ie, up to first floor level, up to roof, roof on and finishes. When you apply for a payment on any of these stages, they send someone around to check (take a photo) and then put the money into your account.

Quality control is down to the builder and the building inspector. I personally, always take 100's of pics throughout the project as a reference to what's been done and if it was done properly. There is also a building book which lists the materials used and where they were purchased including the names of the media installers and certificates and guarantees.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

I do have a weakness for Toblerone :)