UK Citizen - Detox Centre Fine from Poland

Hi all,

Just looking for a bit of advise, my husband got himself in to a drunk tank whilst we were visiting Kraków just over two weeks ago.

Today I just had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach when I realised that he hasn't paid the fine yet. We both forgot about it due to returning home to quite a bit of bad news so it simply slipped both of our minds.

In order for him to pay the fine via online banking, he has to use his card reader which we didn't have with us on holiday so he decided to wait until we got home.. It wasn't explained how to pay the fine, just a letter in Polish with some account details that he will try to decipher.. I was at the centre the next day and brought money with me to pay the fine, I don't know why they wouldn't take it then.

Thing is we are both now worried that he hasn't paid on time.. He was given 14 days to pay the fine, them 14 days ran over yesterday.. We are back in the UK (Northern Ireland) and worried that there might be a penalty for the fine being late, has anyone had experience with this before?

Also, the conversion of pounds to zloty.. I k ow sometimes that the rate is different in many places, so would you recommend sending an extra few pounds? Maybe say, an extra 10/20 zolty?

Thanks in advance for any and all help

he sounds like a keeper

Very constructive Rozumieminic I only I wish I had married someone with your wit... 🙄

Any serious answers please.. We all make mistakes, thanks

I am not gay though...
I have no idea why any woman would want to be with someone who has such loss of control over a bit of alcohol.<shrugs> I guess he must be a big lad or something. UK people acting like that is pure embarrassing tbh.

Constructively though, I guess just pay it off asap, to avoid further problems

There was no loss of control, I have video evidence of the whole scenario, I'm not getting in to it with you, a complete stranger. I'm merely hoping to understand a bit more about his rights, as his wife, I think I'm allowed to be curious to know more :) . If this was a thing that happened alot, then yes, I'd understand, but you don't know more nor my husband, and this is the first time anything like this has happened.. your are making assumptions, Also as mentioned in the first post I'm not long after having bad news, so a little sensitivity wouldn't be alot to ask for.

If you don't have anything nice to say, please don't say anything- Trolling is so 2016

Also, please refrain from flattering yourself lol, I said only I wish I had married "someone" with your wit, that could be aimed at any gender, not you specifically 🙄

Please go on about your day :)

it's not 'gender' it's sex. Just saying.
You videoed your husband getting lashed and taken to the drunk tank?
OK!
Honestly, love, just pay it. he doesn't have any "rights". He went as a tourist to a foreign destination, got a taste for the cheap alcohol, and couldn't handle it.

Just cough up and move on.

It should be possible to do a bank transfer. If you take the letter to the bank they may be able to help. Otherwise, take a photo of the bit with the account number (no need for any personal details), PM me with it and I'll translate that bit to English.

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In theory they could add interest, in practice they won't for a few days. Nevertheless Polish bureaucrats can be unpredictable and vindictive. Adding 20zl won't hurt.

Honestly do you not know the definition of the word gender? lol

As clearly stated we are paying it :) please just read and understand what is being asked before responding you seem to have no clue what I'm asking for and you are not helping

Please, move on little madam :)

@jon357 thanks so much! This is EXACTLY what i was asking for lol.

I seem to have translated a good bit of it using Bixby translate- however were not sure about the account details- hes going to go to his bank today and see if they can help with international the international transfer as the account details are very different.

yes I do, and only idiots use it these days. I have my own reason for rejecting this silly word, but it would take a whole other thread to go through it. 'lol' and you probably wouldn't get it.

You asked what you should do about the fine - I suggested you pay it to avoid future problems. I don't have any comprehension problems. reading back again, it sounds as though you are looking for reasons to not pay it.

Also, next time you are due a holiday, don't go somewhere where the beer is cheap.

have a great day love.

You didn't initially suggest to pay it, you made an assumption about the type of man I married.

I hope trying to belittle someone asking a genuine question made you feel better though :)

You didn't initially suggest to pay it, you made an assumption about the type of man I married. Now you are assuming that the fine wont be paid??

Why would I even bother to post this then?? The fine will be paid this afternoon when we go to the bank, end of! I was asking if it comes in a day late will there be repercussions.

I'm currently dealing with a lot and want to have one more thing off my plate, not deal with some snotty person behind a keyboard judging one mistake made- he wasn't loud or abrasive, and after speaking with many people from both Poland and the UK, it seems to be quite common to have spent a night in the drunk tank

I hope trying to belittle someone asking a genuine question made you feel better though :)

no i didn't make any assumptions. You married a man who cant handle his drink and goes mad at the sniff of cheap beer. You cannot argue with that, you said it yourself.

What exactly did i "say myself"?

I married a man who has had pancreatitis throughout his life and two beers make him stagger- not the sniff of cheap beer.. alcohol isn't that expensive, come on now.. the video was streamed live and many agreed he was mistreated, He was put in the detox centre for his "own safety", and seen a doctor the next day... people are so judgmental! we are both hard working, smart, well traveled, and decent people, we had a bad experience whilst abroad, we are paying a fine, a day overdue from another country, and cant find anything online regarding what happens after the 14 days have lapsed. I came on this forum hoping someone may have been in the same situation that can help, or some kind person with the knowledge would be able to help with advice... then you commented 🙄

I arrived home to news of cancer and my dad having just had a stroke, and I want to get this cleared asap so I can concentrate on the health of my family

I think I have given enough detail on this for now that i hope you will mind your own business and move on :)

Yes, the OP asked - and you went into your full Queen ***** mode and mocked her.
Very classy - you'd be well useful in a crisis - not. A waste of space, more like.

@Dougpol1 Thank you! - is there any way to report someone for trolling? I really don't need to deal with this..

Nah - Rozumiemnic is alright. Obviously suspicious of your post, and wanted to express that. Also a feminist, probably had experience of drunks, and when you wrote "drunk tank" it set her off for some reason. We're all a bunch of ______ here - but my hunch is that you knew that already.

Don't stress about it. Make the transfer, make sure to pay a bit more to cover any costs, and you'll be clear. They won't bother you if the fine is unpaid for a few days.

She wasn't trolling. She gave you her honest opinion, which is what happens when you post on an internet forum. If you don't want to hear others' opinions that are not to your liking, then you might want to rethink the wisdom of asking for advice on an internet forum.


You don't "need to deal with it". You could just ignore it and move on with your life.

@Dougpol1 haha, its been a loooong time from I've been on a forum to be fair, i remember how harsh people could be on a forum lol!

Well thanks anyway, it was a genuine question, its just a pity people cant be nicer to one another :(

I have been calling it a detox center, but whilst trying to find info, seen that alot of people were referring to it as the "drunk tank" rather than detox center when googling it.. i thought this would have made more sense- I probably should have known better than two write "Drunk tank"

@delphiandomine Thank you so much! hopefully that is the case! He has just left to go get it paid :)

@ DominicB posting on a forum was my last resort, but yes, ill be ignoring it now as some kind people have instilled a little reassurance

It translates as 'sobering up chamber'. Questionably illegal, a lady lawyer got a 10000 euro payout because she was over a limit but not disorderly.

Make sure when you pay that you quote the correct reference number. There's also no harm running it by the Irish Embassy in Warsaw (they're very helpful and approachable) to make sure the money's gone to the right place and that the matter's closed.

Yup, very good idea. If they're from Northern Ireland, the Irish Embassy will surely help without question.

oh yes the Irish embassy would be the first port of call for a Brit, of course.

@jon357 Ah that's interesting to know thank you!

Yeah when he was first brought in that night I read up a lot about it, he knows that there is a low tolerance and feels bad that something like this would even happen, in fact quite embarrassed about it..

Ill give them a call now actually to make sure, thanks so much for the info, this was very helpful :)

@rozumiemnic @delphiandomine - I'm an Irish citizen, we both are, held Irish passports our whole life, but this thread isn't regarding Irish history

Absolutely. The police could round up anybody they have a grudge against. Much as the UK police have body cameras, there's nothing to stop the civilian doing the same.

Obviously they would have to stream it, like the OP says here. So, if she's unhappy, she could seek damages.
Of course - info for any tourist here - the police in 1. Warsaw 2. Krakow 3 Katowice (in that order) are as lawless as the population, so stay well clear - never have any dealings whatsoever with them, and you should be OK:)

It would if they were Northern Irish, given the uselessness of the British Embassy here. They even helped a friend of mine who could merely be claimed as Irish, even though the claim was through his grandmother that was born in Northern Ireland in the 1940's. The British Embassy gave him a list of lawyers, the Irish Embassy made one phone call and the problem was fixed.

They routinely take it paid to the bank account, I think. Once I was fined 20 zl for crossing the road at an unauthorized place, so I wanted to pay on spot, but they refused to take the money.


Being late a few days shouldn't be a problem at all.

Ahhhh that explains it! I didn't understand why they wouldn't just take the money then lol!

Its been paid now anyway, lets hope that they don't mind it being a day late!