Getting ripped off in Poland! Is it normal? or should it be tolerated?

Poles never tip. It's rude to tip. ;)

I can remember when I went to Rhodes I hired a moped. Went into the rental place saying "kalispera" good afternoon in Greek. Told them I'd spent some time in Thessaloniki a few years ago. Got me a moped for something like 3000 drax/day.

Went back the the accomodation and told my neighbour about this great moped hire place. He was your typical Brit - not a word of Greek. He was charged a lot more. Something like 4500 drax/day.

This is perfectly normal. What's the problem. If they think you're a foreigner and not savvy they'll take you. You just have to appear more savvy. It ain't rocket science. ;)

Good point.
A few years ago I read about some gizmo that was sold in the US and in Canada. The US price was higher, and the explanation was that prices are based on whatever market will bear.

There are quite a few things Americans go to Canada to buy. Toilets, is one of the more amusing items.

It's rather common to be ripped off or stolen here in Poland.

Only 3 days ago, one friend of mine got mugged in Lodz by some shaved heads poles. That city is falling apart.

OMG!!!!

I was like driving around Cambodia last week and stopped in Battembong because the name was kinda funky.

I found this bar called 'Smokin Pot' and so I thought I'd pop in to see what the local homies were hanging with. There was this pierced up German hippy traveller type who wanted to sell me some of the stinky green stuff for $20. I was like OMG!!!!

Dude, don't try to rip me off!!!

Apparently it had been imported especially from Laos.

OMG!!!

Like whatever, dude!

youtube.com/watch?v=KMhi12obtmg
here's some cheating of Poles by Poles. It shows how desperate some people can be. It's quite a harrowing tale that she tells.

Such people know the desperation such Poles feel and they swick like mad. It shouldn't be tolerated but what's to be done? It happens!

...
Il say nothing.

lol

If they were any good, why couldn't they do it?

I want to know how Poles ever do a deal with each other...

lets say some guy is selling a car... its worth 1000 zl... Being a Pole the guy knows its worth 1000 zl , but wants 2000 zl for it...

Fine if the buyer is a silly English person , but what if the buyer is a Pole...?

the buyer knows also that the car is worth 1000 zl , but he wants to pay 20 zloty for it...

so..the seller wants 2000 zl , the buyer wants to pay 20 zloty... how the hell do they do a deal...neither party is going to be happy unless they have totally ripped off the other....

Ever heard of haggling? It's an art form.

Unfortunatly...not one that Brits are very good at....

In PL it is not haggling, it is befriending - you only give a good deal to friends and family.

I wonder why?

Wildrover, you have got it so wrong, Brits are very good at haggling and know how to do a deal and honor it. The difference in PL is that there is no honor in business or transactions. The Poles don't trust themselves and therefore are the classic " deal creepers" a trait that both Americans and Brits despise. Wildrower when you sit with Poles and do a deal, that is the 'begging' point of negotiation for them, so that is when you let the Polish lawyer take over.

Indeed.

On the other hand, it can be good - I've found that serious threats of legal action tend to frighten people here, whereas in the UK, we'd be all "okay, fine, let's go". Had one just a few days ago - late payment of an invoice. Asked the person why they hadn't paid, was met with a bullshit answer - and sent off the formal demand for payment the same evening. Funnily enough, the money arrived in my account a day later ;)

I'd say that the number one skill in dealing with Poles is being able to walk away from any deal.

No, the difference in Poland is that they have less money to go around so in order to make more than your competitors you HAVE to be more ruthless and cunning, basic economics. Most of the financially successful people i know are the dirtiest business men.


Ohh they're shite scared of any type of higher authority alright, communist throw back i reckon.

We can hide it in different wrappers WB, still my point is when I deal with Poles in business I do not trust a word they are saying, I have also found that by telling them this in the begining of a conversation, makes interesting body language. As Delph pointed out they are concerned when you bring lawyers in, because that means extra cost on their side.

Haggling? Bargaining? That reminds of a Middle-Eastern fair and if either parties could just cut to the chase it would save a lot of bull shite time.


Never buy from frends or family. If it breaks (and it surely will) you'll have to kick your uncle's or cousin's arse. not a nice option. It's better with a stranger because you can claim things.

What are you talking about? what honour has to do with businesses and businessmen? they are cheaters or either they would not be successful !

This is how you are so wrong, 80% of your business will come from 20% of your clients, so client service is paramount in any business. Business ethics and client service is very important. Unless of course you are a one time charlie, who would like to sneak in through the back door and smash and grab.

Poland has a lot of catching up to do in the area of client service, outside of the foreign internationals.

What is your reason for:


you made an accusation but no back up. There has to be motive other wise thats a racial comment.


Only if they lose the case, usually the very mention of court and they run a mile, pay up instantly or what ever - jump through hoops.


Carrefour the other day had ran out of carrier bags again, it doesnt even bother me anymore. Also last Sunday that really nice summers day when everybody was out and about. McDonalds had no ice cream, now that did annoy me as i like those ice creams.

Customer service sucks. I just put that down to people generally being p1ssed off because they hate their jobs.

Oh bad bad Poles, they always try to ripp people off and the "westerners" never ever do that.Yeah,f u c k you guys you can tell this bullshit to someone who never lived in a "western" country but not to me.I can only talk about US so:

A landlord was trying not to return my security deposit thinking probably that I am a stupid illegal immigrant affraid to go to court.Well I wasn't and got my money back.

A employer was trying not to pay me for a week of work thinking I am an illegal immigrant and won't go to court.I did and got my money.

A "chink" broad was trying to ripp me off on $10 at chinese food place,I got my money back after I called police.

A mechanic charged me $100 for a voltage regulator he said he replaced,I went home pulled that thing out it wasn't new so I went back and got my money back after telling him I will go to court if he won't give me my money.

A cab driver (an American) was trying to ripp me off on $20 but he didn't know I used to be a cab driver in the same town and I knew exactly what I should pay.

Do you see me starting a thread "Is it normal to get ripped off in the US"?
P.S Another piece of s h i t American never paid me a $300 rent for a taxi I leased to him and he disappeared.Cry me a river about how you get ripped off in Poland I can only say "Good"!

How is that even remotely related to


?

I mean, if a shop runs out of bags, how on earth can an employee rectify that on the spot? I guess they probably receive a given no. of bags per day from somewhere?

And hey I also know about HVAC bussines owner (an American) who will damage or break your stuff when doing estimate just so he can later charge you for a repair ot replacement.

Well if the shop had enough stock for any eventuality they could, same reason for having a float in the till with enough change, so the customer doesn't have to spend minutes counting out the exact change.

Hey..easy there....nobody is saying the Poles are the only people on the planet who would rip anyone off...it happens to anyone who is a stranger in any country , but this just happens to be a Polish forum , so not suprisingly we are talking about Poles ripping people off....

I have Polish friends who got ripped off in my country , the UK , it happens everywhere.... the Poles are not the only ones who would take advantage of a stranger in town...

You can't sit across a table shake hands and it's deal done, it all has to be signed sealed and notarize before it's a done deal. There is no trust in PL, trust is an act of two honorable parties. One of the changes I find in my own conduct is the more time I spend in PL the less trusting I become and it is something I have to be aware of.


I experienced a similar attitude in another post socialist/socialistic country, the mentality was the company is there to provide for the worker, not that the worker was getting paid for doing a job. So they don't go that extra mile.

I don't want to seem as though I am knocking the Poles as not being trustworthy, I have many Polish friends who are not business related , that I have known for years and they are close to me like family, I would certainly go down the river with them.

Places I've been ripped off the most was in Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Greece. I even got pick-pocketed in Spain and Southern Italy....ugh.

so you dont really know why a shop would run out of carrier bags then? this seems to be an issue with Poles. A shop without carrier bags is like a burger joint with no burgers, a mechanic with no oil, a carpenter with no drill, come on get with the program here.


I did write something earlier but deleted as i thought it off topic, but here it is again.

In Poland they'll scam you for a few hundred zloty in the UK its a few grand.