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Posts by Richfilth  

Joined: 8 Mar 2009 / Male ♂
Last Post: 16 Nov 2016
Threads: 6
Posts: Total: 415 / Live: 411 / Archived: 4
From: Warsaw, Poland
Speaks Polish?: Nie

Displayed posts: 417 / page 1 of 14
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Richfilth   
16 Nov 2016
Work / What salaries are for IT specialists (Senior QA Engineer) in Poland? [59]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread rather than start a new one.

I'm a Technical Writer with a few years' experience, and my Project Manager is pushing me towards QA/software testing so that I can, in corpospeak, wear many hats. From a salary perspective, does it make more sense to focus on my Technical Writing skills or to rebrand myself as a QA tester?

For reference, the only way to reach 15k PLN net as a Technical Writer is to invest in software and training, on tools that cost a minimum of 1000EUR.
Richfilth   
23 Jul 2014
Life / Is there anywhere in Warsaw I can contact regarding my missing parcels? [11]

Had a surprising twist. The latest package actually had nothing to do with Poczta Polska - Royal Mail handed it over to GLS because, as the RM woman told me on the phone, they simply weren't happy with PP's service. So if your package goes missing from the UK it's worth contacting GLS instead of Poczta Polska.

However, others have given me some handy pointers about my other missing packages, so I'll chase those up and report back if I get any answers.
Richfilth   
23 Jul 2014
Life / Is there anywhere in Warsaw I can contact regarding my missing parcels? [11]

I know Poczta Polska gets a bad rep, but after 10 years in Poland I was pretty happy with their service; I'm on first name terms with my postman and I get my tax bills delivered with alarming regularity.

But in the past six months five parcels have gone missing, two of which were posted from the UK. The latest one was even insured and tracked, and although the Royal Mail website says that a delivery attempt was made, the Poczta Polska website has no record of that tracking number at all. The women at my local branch couldn't find any mention of that number, or my name or address, having an outstanding parcel either.

Is there anything I can do? Is there some sort of central depot or Buiro Kontroli in Warsaw that I can contact? I know parcels disappear sometimes, but if Royal Mail have info that delivery was attempted, then the package must have shown up on PP's system somewhere at some point - how do I find out?
Richfilth   
21 Apr 2013
Real Estate / Bank for mortgage in Poland? - I have an excellent credit ratings [4]

Having just spoken to pretty much every bank on the market, they'll be looking at:

a) proof of continued employment for at least a year
b) average income of earnings over the last six months

and those were the most liberal criteria. Other banks took longer periods to calculate their average, or discounted employment periods of less than two years. However, I have no idea if they'll take into account overseas earnings. If you step off the plane and into a bank, they'll not have anything with which to measure your credit worthiness, and will have to reject you on the spot.

On the other side, most banks only require a 10% deposit, with a few requiring 20%. Citibank openly state on their website "Polish Citizenship Required" so they've obviously had their fingers burnt by overseas investors in the past, so it's worth talking to a mortgage professional now to find out what paperwork they'll want from you in order to grant a mortgage.

Related: Need a bank for property purchase in Krakow

What is the best bank for foreigners buying property in Krakow?

Thank you for asking this question grspring.
After much research on the internet I saw how beautiful Poland is, and I would also like to know if foreigners can buy property in Poland. If it is allowed, which one is the best bank to approach?

Any replies would be greatly appreciated.
Richfilth   
2 Apr 2013
Real Estate / Negotiating a Mortgage for a new apartment in Poland [7]

Check BGŻ, BOŚ, BPH and Getin too. They used to have good deals.

BGZ and KredytBank are now combing their loan systems (one bank bought the other) so I'm waiting to hear from their advisors. I've chosen not to talk to BOS or Getin because they have extremely suspicious clauses in their offers and bad reputations. BOS want a "carte blanche" as a security from you - a paper you sign saying you owe them X zloties in the event of a default, but you leave the X blank. Shocking! Unfortunately, BPH these days just aren't competitive.

You're right that I'm confusing prowizja and marza (stayed up too late reading too many offers). Having called a few banks, it just seems that most of the online calculators are hopelessly out of date, so I'll be calling ten banks in total as well as discussing things with the financial advisor connected to the development, since I'm looking at new builds.

This isn't my first mortgage in Poland but you've explained things beautifully Grzegorz, so thank you.
Richfilth   
2 Apr 2013
Real Estate / Negotiating a Mortgage for a new apartment in Poland [7]

Thanks Grzegorz, you pretty much confirmed what I thought. I'm expecting to negotiate around 10% on the price of the flat, but they all seem to offer a parking space for 30k PLN, and I have no idea if this can be added to the mortgage or needs to be paid in cash so that will be my negotiating territory.

As for the mortgage, I'm seeing some good offers from PKO, Millennium and Bank Zachodni. Citibank's page says they only lend to people of Polish nationality, and ING still want a 20% deposit.

It's the high marza (loan price?) that's got me most worried. I never understood that idea of charging an up-front fee to lend money.
Richfilth   
1 Apr 2013
Real Estate / Negotiating a Mortgage for a new apartment in Poland [7]

I'm looking to take a loan for a new apartment, and wondering how much I can trust all these online credit calculators. Considering the state of the current banking climate, it seems incredible that some banks are offering 1.5% "provision" and 6% interest, while others charge 4% provision and 8.5% interest! (yes you, Multibank).

I know I'll have to visit half a dozen banks in person to get a straight answer, but how much flexibility is there in these offers? I'll be looking to borrow around half a million zlots, if the amount will affect things.

On a side note, can anyone recommend any current bank's offers or products?
Richfilth   
19 Mar 2013
Real Estate / The current property boom in Poland is a bubble [342]

I'll give an anecdote that supports the stubbornness-of-Poles argument. A friend had an apartment to let in Warsaw; wanted 2400 for a two-room 40m2 place. It stood empty for two months.

She then got an offer of 2200. "It's all I can afford" said the prospective tenant. "But the price is 2400" said my friend, and refused to let it. It stood empty for at least two more months.

So that's four months' rent lost. 4 x 2400 = 9600 zl.

If she'd taken that tenant at 2200, she'd only have lost 4800 (two months' rent, plus the difference for the other two months). I tried to explain this; if you take a 200zl drop in rent, you'll lose the same amount of money over the whole year rather than in a single month. For every month the flat stands empty, you have to rent it out for another year to recoup your losses.

But she couldn't see it. "I need the money now, I have to pay the czynsz and the mortgage". Even though she was losing money hand over fist, she was determined to hold out for the perfect tenant rather than stem the financial haemorrhage.

And the twist? She is a Financial Analyst who graduated from Warsaw School of Economics.
Richfilth   
19 Mar 2013
History / For what the Germans owe Poland one trillion U.S. dollars? [299]

Quit obsessing about the Past and get on with building a country.

This has been my mantra for the past decade of living in Poland. Not a single person posting on this forum was alive during WW2; they've had their entire lives to work, save and build. Blaming someone else's dead grandparents for your current lack of Mercedes is infantile beyond belief.
Richfilth   
10 Mar 2013
Law / Do I really need an accountant when I'm self-employed? [16]

Nothing in Poland is in English.

To run yourself as a company (self-employed, effectively) you need to register your company with the Urzad Miasta, register the company address at the same urzad, different department, if you don't own the property you need to provide a rental agreement on it, plus apply for a tax number (NIP) and REGON.

Every month you will have to pay ZUS, and in the simplest way you will have to declare your income every three months to pay your tax. Every 12 months you will have to submit a tax declaration of all your incomes and costs and either receive a rebate or pay more tax.

It is a long and complex process, with lots of penalties, fines and delays if you get something wrong. For the sake of 100zl a month (which is tax deductible anyway) just pay an accountant.
Richfilth   
18 Feb 2013
Law / Overstaying Tourist Visa and not getting deported from Poland? I'm from USA [13]

I would spend at least $20,000 in Poland

So one year's salary for a Pole on the very bottom of the scale, or six months' wages at the Polish national average. And six months (180 days) is the length of your tourist visa.

So come here, spend your cash, then p*ss off if you're not prepared to play by the rules.
Richfilth   
5 Feb 2013
Language / Does Polish have a plural of "You"? [51]

citizen67, "you" in English is the plural. We don't have a singular "you" any more (except for certain Northern English regions that cling to thee/thou, especially around Lancaster). However, since "you" is doing a double job there is an emergence of "y'all" and "you guys" to perform the plural function.

Every other European language has a singular-plural distinction here, and it's often referred to as the T-V distinction:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-V_distinction

Where Polish differs is that it uses a very formal system alongside its T-V system. Whereas French for example will use plural you ("vous") for singular you ("tu") for politeness, Polish will use Pan/Pani (Sir/Madam), as a British shop keeper would do before WW2. "How is Madam today? Did Madam have a good weekend?". A plural form of that, "Panstwo", (Ladies and Gentleman, almost), allows a group of people to be referred to politely. You'd only use plural you ("wy") for a group of friends or colleagues.
Richfilth   
27 Jan 2013
UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]

The vote in the papers had three results; Yes, No and Don't Know. Of those three, Yes had 40%. But if you remove the Don't Knows because, well, they don't know and therefore don't count, then of the remainder, 53% voted Yes, We Want Out.

It's the usual trick of massaging the numbers to get the story you want.
Richfilth   
27 Jan 2013
Life / What is the penalty for driving a car without the annual technical inspection? [17]

If you have a classic car and you want "zloty tablice" - classic car registration, then you have one massive inspection and then that's pretty much it. They believe that by owning a classic you'll be responsible for maintaining the car.

On the other side, standard cars go through a standard test as Dreadnought says. It's all computerised so you get a print-out report on the strength of your brakes, the balance and power of your suspension, your steering alignment and so on. Exhaust emissions, lights and beam pattern and horn are also tested. What it doesn't check is for structural corrosion, which is what most British cars fail on. If cars were failed for "sharp, jagged or protruding edges" then as Dreadnought says, 90% of cars would be off the road overnight, but it's not in the government's interest to allow that since a mobile workforce is a productive workforce.

In a few years, when Poland has enough of a middle class, the car manufacturers will lobby for stricter tests that will remove a significant proportion of junk cars each year to drive up new car sales. Combine that with accountable test stations, where cars involved in a crash have their condition checked against the latest technical report and the tester fined accordingly, and you'll get rid of all these Fat Jaceks giving out przeglad stamps for 50zl.

For me, I've driven once or twice without a technical stamp (naughty, I know). It was a lot easier to say I'd left all my documents at home and take the 200zl fine for lack of papers, than risk showing that my docs didn't have a valid stamp. But as others have said, if I was involved in an accident without papers I'd have suffered the full might of the law, and deservedly so.
Richfilth   
26 Jan 2013
UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]

You might be thinking of the BNP, pawian.

"They steal our jobs" is a common phrase thrown around Britain ever since we started the Industrial Revolution , when the Luddites smashed up weaving looms for depriving honest folk of honest jobs. And although it's been proven wrong countless times, ten generations have completely ignored the Lump of Labour fallacy so the idea isn't going to leave the voters' minds any time soon.

What does annoy me is the approach to funding. When the Eurozone needed 50bn to bail out the PIIGS countries, what was the proposal? Tax the banks. Of course, it was all the banks' fault from the beginning, so it's only right that they should pay.

What wasn't highlighted was which banks had lent the money. As can be seen on this chart:

2010/05/europe-debt-web.jpg

You can see who owes money to whom. Add up the totals, and you'll see that although Britain lent nearly $420bn, Germany exposed itself to $704bn and France an enormous $911bn - more than double that of Britain. In all, Germany and France are owed 75% of the total.

So when the proposal came to tax the banks, why was it done in a way that would mean 80% of the tax? It would be generated by the City of London in a so called "tobin" tax, which charges a fee per financial transaction. In that way, Britain would generate an incredible 40bn euros in tax a year... which would pass to France and Germany's coffers to pay off the PIIGS debts. This was the famous British Veto of October last year.

Is that the solution? Tax the Brits to fix the French economy? What about the other EU funding? What about CAP, the EU programme that subsidises farmers? What about the fact that CAP amounts to 20% of the EU budget, and 20% of CAP goes to France's 500,000 farmers. That's right - 4% of the entire EU budget goes to 0.1% of its population. 17% of CAP is shared among the 12 "new" EU states, even though Poland alone has four times as many farmers as France does. And yet every time the budget comes up for debate "Vee vill not diskuss CAP" say the French. "Non non non, no discussion".

That's why Britain wants out. In comparison to the leech that is France, the few hundred thousand Poles in the UK, who actually work for a living, are no bother at all.
Richfilth   
20 Jan 2013
Life / Is it true that Polish don't like small talk? [7]

Pretty much yes, they hate it. In lifts, shops and buses you won't engage in a chat about the weather with someone next to you. If you try and spark up a conversation with a cashier you'll get a tired stare that will tell you to shut up.

On the flip side, it's more than acceptable to meet your neighbours and chat to them in the street if you bump into them; how was your summer, how was Christmas, isn't this terrible snow blah blah blah. But expect it to revolve around how awful absolutely everything in the universe is - that's the favourite topic of Poles.

However, this may be a biased view. Coffee shop workers and receptionists may chat with a foreigner more because it's a novelty, or the mistakes we (I) make in Polish are entertaining. Other people, like post office workers, don't have the time or the energy to waste on frivolous chit-chat.
Richfilth   
19 Jan 2013
News / Only 1 in 3 firms in Poland pays income taxes [20]

If those companies had to find 32bn in taxes to pay, how many people would they fire as a result? And then how much would my taxes go up to cover their unemployment welfare?
Richfilth   
19 Jan 2013
Real Estate / The current property boom in Poland is a bubble [342]

Yesterday's announcement regarding the postponement of the Rodzina Na Swoim replacement will also send tremors through the markets.

Wyborcza reported yesterday that Mieszkania Dla Mlodych will be postponed until 2014. This caused outrage among developers who have promised to lobby against it.

The ramifications are serious. Developers who had built a glut of new real estate were counting on government sponsoring to shift units. Without that incentive, demand will slump, pulling prices down.

The most important change is the consent of the Ministry to the fact that in the villages adjacent to the provincial cities increased price ceiling giving the right to purchase an apartment with government support. Indicators still will differ from those for cities , but much less than expected .

In fiscal subsidies are to benefit only those who buy a new apartment in a price not exceeding the specified index by the governor of the average cost of construction . It is determined separately for the province and the provincial capital , for example . Warsaw price sqm . Could not now exceed 5790 zł per sq m . , And the rest of the Mazowieckie - 3450 zł per sq m.

Richfilth   
3 Jan 2013
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Does anyone here have any real anecdotes about getting 17-20% off the asking price? I'm looking for a new apartment and all the current "investments" seem ridiculously overpriced - 7000zl/m2 on the edge of Wola's industrial wasteland in Warsaw seems massively overpriced IMO (ul. Jana Kazimierza, if anyone's interested).

Similarly, after six months of watching allegro, gumtree, oferty.net, gratka et al, it seems the same old offers are on there day in, day out - no new properties advertised, and 20 agents all offering exactly the same apartment on the secondary market. Either there are no new properties coming up for sale AT ALL, or I've somehow missed where all the real property is being advertised...
Richfilth   
28 Dec 2012
Life / Video games centers and culture in Poland [22]

One of the biggest contemporary games was Wiedzmin ("The Witcher"), a fantasy hack-em-up based on the Polish novels of Andrzej Sapkowski, and released by the Polish studio CD Projekt RED, who are listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
Richfilth   
21 Dec 2012
Travel / Castles and Palaces in Poland (with pictures) [154]

The girlfriend and I explored the ruins of Odrzykon as one of our first dates: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odrzykon

Very picturesque in the autumn mists...
Richfilth   
18 Dec 2012
History / 'Prehistory' Celts in Southern Poland [20]

Because I've read some of his books and come to those conclusions, as was discussed in the "Norman Davies" thread on this forum. If you want to discuss that, then let's do it in that thread and not this one, so that this can remain the Celts in Poland thread.
Richfilth   
18 Dec 2012
History / 'Prehistory' Celts in Southern Poland [20]

Norman Davies has to be one of the most dubious "historians" I've ever read. His work is unashamedly biased and while his research may be credible, his presentation puts him in the same airport-junk-fiction category as Bill Bryson IMO.e.

The documentation for Celts is pretty massive. You should focus your research on La Tene culture, which was the dominant branch of Celt in this region. However, considering the Celts were developed in the sense of crafts, language and trade, you get a broad range of cultural artifacts that mean a Celtic tribe in west France will have many similar characteristics to an Eastern* European one of the same period. However, they are considered a pre-Roman culture in this region, so their timeline effectively starts at 450 BCE and dries up around 200 CE.

What in particular interests you in them? Their impact on modern Poland, or something else?

*now Central Europe, but Eastern at that time.
Richfilth   
13 Dec 2012
Food / 'Wigilia', the traditional Christmas Eve supper in Poland [77]

In Poland, to grab a burger means you will have to hit McDonald's...on Christmas Eve. How sad for you. Why would you even go to grandma's? Come on, tell us "Out of respect, of course."

Pretty much, yes. But don't worry, after all these years I think she's got all the English lessons she will ever need, so I'm sure I can expect her to dump me any time now.

barszcz z uszkami done well is far from bland

I completely agree. It falls into the "utterly disgusting" category.
Richfilth   
13 Dec 2012
Life / What are the best cars to buy in Poland? [39]

why not?

"Hidden" issues. This is what my Polish-bought BMW looked like when I took of the front wing (fender):

Poland BMW Rust