Law / Registration of right hand drive cars in Poland - possible? [82]

Some news on this, law coming in next month


wyborcza.biz/biznes/1,100896,18001849,Wkrotce_bedziemy_mogli_jezdzic_autami_z_kierownica.html?biznes=local#BoxBizImg

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

The Poland consumer office has clamped down on shops that insist on receipts when returning goods

pieniadze.gazeta.pl/pieniadz/1,136159,17965956,Reklamacja_wadliwego_towaru__Rekojmia__gwarancja_.html#MT

News / Presidential elections and debates 2015 Poland [472]

AFAIK from chatter around the city, Komi won in Wrocław by a large margin, with Dud in third place and the rock star in second.

Wrocław seems awash with rich locals, never seen so many new and expensive cars in my life on packed roads. A lot of people here are doing very well and buses 'n' trams are more and more jammed full of people going to the malls and I assume to their jobs, businesses and universities. I think the population here has increased quite a bit in the past 12-18 months or so.

Those not doing so well are bound to vote for change, but seems the haves outnumber the have nots here or they bothered to vote in greater numbers.

If I had a vote here (I don't) I'd have voted for Dud and hope he won't turn out to be one. Komi has had a go and probably it's now time for a new approach. Lots left to do including less red tape for small businesses - that should have been sorted (especially the huge ZUS every month, regardless of profit) ages ago.

Law / Car insurance cost for old used car in Poland (OC) [17]

Not so AFAIK with old cars, Michelle. Insurance can be quoted at equal to the car's value or more. They take account of whether it's the insured/driver's first policy, age, etc. It might be the car that's technically insured but the policy premium is for a large part based on the hands on the wheel.

Law / Car insurance cost for old used car in Poland (OC) [17]

Cheap compared to where? They are rather expensive compared to the UK.

1300 zloty ? You'll be lucky if you're 22 and it's your first policy. When you go to the broker and they start entering your data, the insurer's computer will probably ask for nearer 2000 or even 2500. That said, one or two smaller insurers MIGHT be around 800-1000 if you shop around, but I am not sure due to your age.

After a few accident-free years, it might come down to 1300 or less, it depends.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]

Gumishu, that reminds me of this quotationspage.com/quote/2298.html All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]

Nazi invasion of Poland:

thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/170612,Worlds-oldest-man-born-in-Poland

holocaustcenterseattle.org/survivor-stories

edition.cnn.com/2012/05/21/world/europe/poland-pony-nazi/index.html

It was Nazis. Average Germans did not set up the horror of the concentration camps, it was Nazis. Saying Germany/Germans is the same misnomer as when people suggest Jews and communists are one and the same.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]

Pray tell, why does Shrudrich avoid the term Nazi? Is that his way to suggest only Germans were to blame? How naïve.

Law / What is PIT? and how does it affect online donations in Poland? [4]

Merged: The free PIT (Personal Income Tax) calculation programs forcing the 1% donation

I wondered why these programs were free. I think I know now. Is it because each of them has a designated charity for the 1% donation thing that the taxpayer cannot change? In other words, you do the return and then as a thank you to the program vendor you give your 1% to the charity that the vendor is aligned with.

That certainly seems the case.

Law / Recording someone in private - is it legal in Poland? [14]

If a security/CCTV camera outside a dwelling (on the dwelling or its land) is not hidden, is it still a legal requirement to have a sign/notice displayed warning of its presence and recording?

Food / Is black tea disappearing from supermarkets in Poland? [29]

I think ZAS, at Simply and Leclerc, may fit the bill. Natural AFAIK
zas-herbaty.com.pl/?p=169
(loose leaf version available in many Simplys)

Law / New Poland law -- old car insurer obligated to continue insurance on a vehicle that is between renewals? [23]


Thanks, I shall bear that unfortunate confirmation in mind :(

Law / New Poland law -- old car insurer obligated to continue insurance on a vehicle that is between renewals? [23]

Is it legal to not renew and have no insurance if a car is unused and off the road such as stored in a garage?

Law / Car Insurance in Poland - any company that will honour British no claim bonus discount? [30]


Did you need to have your UK no claims translated into Polish by a sworn translator? If I drive here, I've been told I might need to do that to get my no claims honoured. (I realise the post was 2008 but if anyone knows this?)

Also, what happens if I buy a car here and take it off the road to store it while I am back in the UK or for whatever reason? Do I still have to pay car insurance when my car is off the road and stored in a garage for months? One person told me I must always have my car insured wherever it is, off or on road, and another said I can legally cease my insurance if not driving it and it's off the road. Which of them was correct??

Law / Cheapest BUSINESS bank account in Poland for a small business? [12]


Which one, please? The "Earning" account? They seem to have withdrawn it.


I'll look into it, thanks.

The Alior Earning account, the one which was probably meant in Post 12, is no longer available despite being shown on their English website. All they now have is Partner which is only free if you're doing 2500zl of business each month and putting the credits through your account. Otherwise it's 25zl each month. For some people, that's going to be just fine. For newcomers with uncertain income, it's likely to be another 300zl to find each year while you establish yourself. (The now discontinued Earning account and Partner, apparently Alior's cheapest, as advertised in Polish only English translation


aliorbank.pl/pl/wlasna_dzialalnosc/rachunki/rachunek_partner)

PKO has an 18-months for free account called Biznes Debiut 18. The form is all in Polish. After month 9, your average balance has to be 500zl.

pkobp.pl/firmy-wspolnoty-spoldzielnie/firmy/rachunki/pakiet-biznes-debiut-18/?s=%2Ffirmy-wspolnoty-spoldzielnie%2Ffirmy%2F&med=button&sequence=4
It asks for a Poland ID card number but also gives the option of entering a foreign passport number instead.

ING has a conditionally free account called Konto Direct dla Firmy
ingbank.pl/male-firmy/konta-firmowe
Again, the form is all in Polish and additionally it seems to introduce an additional obstacle of asking for a Poland ID card - a mandatory field to complete. The account is free if active or 2000zl is put through it each month.

A banker told me that people do use their private account for small business use and receiving payments, but that it is "an offence" technically and officially prohibited.

Life / Barking Dogs in Poland [57]

Where I lived before had a dog barking much of the day and many evenings too. Very common, even on supposedly good estates. Barking for hours at a time, no one seems to mind. I politely asked for some quiet once and was promised some, but sadly that was an empty promise. Didn't have the strength to argue or complain, so just moved. One very big advantage of renting.

Law / How much would I have to earn before paying the tax office in Poland? [17]

The ZUS is about 400zl each month for a limited time, then rises to around 1000zl. It's paid regardless of turnover or profit.
The income tax threshold is something like US$1000 per year (per tax year), after that you must pay tax on profits.

Life / Cost of medical treatment in Poland? In particular, home visits from a nurse to change dressings [7]

Merged:

Medicine prices increasing in Poland from 1st March

fakt.pl/polityka/lista-lekow-refundowanych-nowe-ceny-lekow-1-marca-zdrozeja-leki,artykuly,527296.html

Seems to be harsh.

Language / Google Translate - want know if the Polish pronunciations given are on an accurate level? [17]

Kawa (coffee) always sounds quite close to the English word "carver" to me. Carver chair, Sunday roast carver ....
In "I drink coffee" it probably changes to carvehh.

Real Estate / Sweeping powers? What rights do chimney sweeps have when inspecting rented properties in Poland? [8]

@Roger5, I am a naughty lil' quoter and perish the thought I dare mention here again in a grey box what you said about the insurance co regs! I am grateful to yourself and my cousin thrice removed inkrakow for bringing this factor about the insurance to my notice. I'd prefer a sweep to put a card in my box to make an appointment with his tariff itemised rather than have a sudden hawker on my door in some odd outfit similar to a pantomime character. If the landlord isn't expected to do or organise this check, I'll get it done shortly. Much appreciate this info, thanks again.

Real Estate / Sweeping powers? What rights do chimney sweeps have when inspecting rented properties in Poland? [8]


:)


Yeah I think if the owner had sent them he'd have had their name in a book. I very much doubt he was sent by the landlord.


Yes that's for blocks and I have seen those notices. I am in a rented semi detached house. It's privately owned by a landlord. He's very persistent, especially with his continual doorbell ringing. I'll have to write a polite note saying no thanks and hope he leaves it at that.

Please avoid excessive quoting

Life / Planning to relocate to Wroclaw, Poland [17]

I only applied for 1 job, but for what it's worth it asked for a native English speaker to work in a department (not teaching) and field that I could easily demonstrate my experience and knowledge in. I never even got an interview (I am in my 40s). From that I conclude they had a respectable number of native English speaking applicants. So, I don't think it's easy to find non-teaching work here. I also believe the teaching opportunity is much less than it was.

It might come down to networking and contacts for the best or only chance of a foot in the door.

Real Estate / Swiss Francs Mortgages in Poland [71]


Indeed! Seems that way almost always.
Just got a mailing from one of the portals, and I see a place that I offered on maybe a year ago is still for sale but now at 1.5% off !! :D A few developers have posters up saying 'nowy cena!' but from memory the prices are the same or very similar, so far. All around they're building new flats, all over the place. Some are nice, some are ghastly slave boxes. Quite a few houses being built here and there as well as refurbs. Had a look at the prices yesterday and don't really see any bargains.

Real Estate / Swiss Francs Mortgages in Poland [71]

It'll be interesting to see if asking prices accelerate their price falls. Not really seen much downward movement in the last month or two, and yet the properties I check are still plodding on and for sale at the prices no one wants - for a year or two now.

Law / Price on printed pack of product sold in Poland differs from barcode & shelf price. System. [4]


Thanks.

Yes, it's definitely that yogurt the price on the shelf refers to. I didn't see an asterisk on the product price, but I know what you mean because we have the same in the UK.

It's a mid-size supermarket, not one of the big ones.

As for the portion size, I believe the manufacturer has recently downsized the portion size but kept the price (in most supermarkets) the same. This has also happened a lot in the UK over the past few years.

Life / Electricity in Poland: plug and voltage? [72]


Yes, you're right. I spoke to a Polish man last night and he also had problems getting an electrician and with them cancelling and so forth.

In this video, which appears to refer to AC current in the USA, the speaker says that it DOES matter which way an outlet is wired (ie where N and L are). He suggests it could otherwise be hazardous. There are many similar videos saying the same.

I would just add that I have UK extension sockets with a pilot light plugged in to the Polish circuit and those UK extension socket pilot lights glow even when the extension is plugged in but the switch on the wall is off. What happens is that if I then turn "on" a connected extension socket switch the glow extinguishes and of course the connected appliance does not work. But this does show that current is flowing. This suggests to me that the RCD trip would not work unless the wiring was changed, I assume it would be a simple case of swapping the L and N over on the plug but I don't know because of course I'm not an electrician. Anyone using UK equipment in Poland and vice versa should speak to a qualified electrician before connecting things, so as to ensure usage is safe.

In a nut shell: don't assume your UK appliance in Poland is safely disconnected just because you switch off the socket, and vice versa. And don't assume the RCD would work if needed with appliances wired for the UK and vice versa if in the UK.

Life / Electricity in Poland: plug and voltage? [72]


Can't get anyone to do the work. No one's interested, they have lots of work on or don't speak English and can't be ar$ed. Several electricians said they were coming to do this and that and give me a price for the rewiring, but no one showed up. They're snowed under with bigger jobs and don't need to mess around with a Brit who can't speak Polish. Think I'm kidding? I wish I was.

Work / Questions about moving from UK to Poland - work, taxes, child benefit [30]

Just to add, about jumping on a plane: Unless you book 3-8 weeks ahead, that jumping on a plane thing will cost your friends a good few quid Something like 200 quid return minimum excluding baggage and much more if less than a week before departure or peak time. So I hope you're all very well off because 20 quid fares have to be booked well in advance and even then they're not so easy to find.

I hope all goes well for you, but don't expect it to be easy in Poland.