Life / Queues in Poland - everyone in line is sandwiched [44]

Yes and dont ask anyone how they are. Often in the UK when you say "hello, how are you?" its met with a "fine thanks" or something similar. In Poland the greeting is taken as a question and a license to start talking about their problems.

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]

Actually they dont do a bad job of keeping prices on the shelves low either. Bad end of last year Wawel tried to raise its prices given the large mark-up in cocoa prices but Biedronka threatened to pull the pull on their deal. Wawels share price collapsed and that got them to reach an agreement. Biedronka is as tough as they come, they hold no prisoners and will dump one brand for another to keep products at the prices they want.

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]


Morawiecki was the CEO of BZWBK, owned and streamlined by Santander of Spain and he learned much from there expertise. Not the largest, but one of the fastest moving well run banks in Poland. Santander has a history of picking up solid but badly run banks and getting them into shape.

Another Polish entrepreneur, Switalski was responsible for starting both Biedronka and Zabka, he then made the choice to sell them on to foreign companies. Those companies then took those businesses further. The problem isnt that its not possible, its the genrally mentality of people in Poland, they tend to be cautious. It took years to convince many of the idea of home ownership via mortgage rather than rent. You still have a large proportion of people living in cramped conditions because they fear taking on a 20-30 year loan.

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]

Young Poles over the last decade have become more westernised and have learnt how to play the business game. Look at Czarnecki and Getin Bank. Yes its struggling a bit now as are most smaller banks but its a Polish bank built from nothing by a Polish man. There will be more of these but you have to stay integrated with the UK. Just like the Chinese did, they watched, they learned and they made billions.

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]

A a for-profit company is an entity not a human being, its remit is to maximise return for owner/shareholders within the bounds of the law under which it operates.

News / Poland economy is a financially drained economy of suppliers? [33]

It doesnt matter where it is written or who wrote it as long as its accurate. You cant deny the money and investment hasnt come in. Foreign corps fill holes in the market. Polish enterprise couldnt offer a solution for Polish people at the time so foreign corps did. There is no hard and fast rule that only foreign corps can succeed, The Polish people chose to do business with foreign corps as they were getting a better deal with them than what was on offer at the time. And for what its worth the likes of Google dont pay taxes anywhere, thats the cost of them operating in you region, providing jobs, skils and investment. Its a two way street, coc za cos, but you can be sure if there is a better way of doing something, or one that makes more sense for business or consumer, someone will quickly come along and do it.

Law / Buying a car from Poland - any site where you can check history of a car? [15]

People in Germany dont sell solid cars with good history on the cheap. The stuff you see on autoscout or the courtyards run by Turks are for export only and often with dodgy history. Even before the zloty got weak, it was near impossible to privately import an untouched car for less money than a similar car in Poland. Most Poles look for lightly damaged cars, do them up and drive them or sell them on (I used to own an auto garage so I know the trends). There are exceptions where cars are bought direct from insurance companies in Germany, Holland etc and are imported to Poland, but one handler I know of that does this says these cars have new owners found for them before they leave Germany and never make it to otomoto or allegro since there are plenty of people with cash looking for top line motors. The weak zloty is certainly hurting business I expect.

I paid about 2 grand (zl) for a family sized hatchback (like a golf) last year, but that is po znajomosci. Almost no little filling, the odd small dint. Id expect youd have to pay about 3 grand to get it done in a shed somewhere or near 5 or 6 grand in one of the bigger cities in paint booth, as long as there was not much filling work to be done.

UK, Ireland / Daniel Pelka murder: Polish mother and stepfather face life sentences [96]


Absolutely true. They work by the rule book, but all too often situations arent black and white.

Law / Buying a car from Poland - any site where you can check history of a car? [15]

The chassis check is most important. Paintwork is welcome but not as important. A repainted car doesnt always mean accident damage (I have sprayed mine twice in the last 3 years) but it should warrant caution. Most Poles are very proud of their cars. Often they will treat their cars better than their wives ;) Quite often they will repaint their cars entirely or be forced to paint a panel or two if involved in one of the many car accidents that take place everyday. As far as safety is concerned, you want to check the car has not been technically written off. Quite often cars in Poland are welded together from 3 or more parts. Sometimes a jig is used to stretch out cars that would be deemed unroadworthy. MOTs get done without the car ever appearing at the inspection centre. Theres a saying in the industry that if a car has been imported to Poland from abroad it must have been badly damaged or clocked as otherwise it wont pay for anyone to bring it and sell it on.

Law / Running a Car in Poland as a UK visitor - purchasing, registering and insuring it being a non-resident? [2]

You are going to have a fair amount of hassle. To register the car in your name, you may need temporary status I dont know for sure, but suspect so. But you will need to hand over the old registration plates to the local wydzial komunikaji where the registration will be done. So that means a visit to Poland. Normally when you buy a Polish car the insurance (thrid party) passes over to you, unless you declare you dont want it. Otherwise you have to go to the insurance company that has insured the car and get your details transferred onto the policy. Before you do all this, you need to check that the car has a valid Polish MOT because if it doesnt not, you wont be able to transfer ownership of the car let alone drive it to Poland (physically of course you can break the law and drive it but in case of an accident or spot check you will not be insured and also likely face a very large fine or possibly jail). If you have already bought the car you should have received the dowod rejestracyjny, karta pojazdu, insurance paperwork and an umowa or faktura/invoice (more likely if from a dealer) for the sale.

Law / Buying a car from Poland - any site where you can check history of a car? [15]

From that information of course I can have no idea. Check the VIN as I suggested. If car has been purchased originally from a Polish main dealer, it is going to 3 years service history, so for a good deal of its life if its an 11 model. 75k isnt much for a diesel thats 4 or 5 years old but its a smaller car so its not beyond the realms of possibility. But check the VIN to be sure. If car has 50 or 60k after 2 years then its likely mileage will be false for example. Accident damage is another area you need to check. Theres been a huge increase in insurance fraud so a lot of cars have been earning money for their owners but the most important area is saefty and making sure the car is mechanically roadworthy. Looking right doesnt mean it is right. Take the car to a local garage or dealer and pay for someone to check the chassis over. You have to assume the worse and use evidence to prove to you that the car is legit.

News / Poland economy is a financially drained economy of suppliers? [33]

Lies, damned lies and statistics. Its not all one way flow.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/01/eu-poland-10-years-economic

News / Poland - Third World Country?? [300]

I dont think we have anything to worry about regarding immigrants. Views are changing but Poland on the whole doesnt tolerate other cultures esp if colour of skin isnt white. Couple that with a very lean benefits system, it means the majority of immigrants will be using Poland as a stepping stone to move onto to Germany or the UK. Those with funds will certainly not stay long and those looking for benefits will quickly move to more benefit rich countries. So with that in mind and in order to keep the EU money flowing, best to let them send a few in as they will be on their way very quickly.

Law / Buying a car from Poland - any site where you can check history of a car? [15]

All yearly MOT (preglad techniczny) now has mileage inserted so if you know someone in Poland that is friendly with the local stacja diagnostyczna, they will be able to provide you with old mot data and thus mileage. Alternatively get the VIN number from the buyer and go to a main dealer who will be able to access service history for the vehicle. You can probably use a main dealer in Athens to do that. Generally cars are serviced for the first 2 or 3 years while there is still a manufacturers guarantee, so you will have an idea of the mielage work done over that time, even if the service history stops then. Also if buying a diesel, expect it to have heavy mileage if buying in Poland. Most cars have 150-200k on the clock but will have done at least twice that. Often cars get imported from Germany with 300-400k on the clock but you will struggle to find a car on a Polish website with anywhere near that. Here in Poland clocking is rife and stitching up writeoffs and putting them back on the road is just as big a problem. Do your homework and if the price is low then expect problems as in Poland nobody will sell a good car on the cheap.

UK, Ireland / Daniel Pelka murder: Polish mother and stepfather face life sentences [96]


Quite possible a mixture of desensitisation and pc is probably what actually happened. Most people dont give a damn, just come in for a paycheck. And they that do care are worried about waking up one morning and reading their facebook/twitter account to find they are branded racists/nazis/(insert your own) for bringing something to attention of authorities. Keyboard warriors and social media have a lot to answer for.

UK, Ireland / Daniel Pelka murder: Polish mother and stepfather face life sentences [96]

As I say you have been lucky. We personalIy had a couple of incidents which needed to be defused and know of hundreds of such cases (not particularly covering Poles but all minority colour) and many of which have been settled with compensation to avoid potential embarassment (not always warranted and unfortunately embarassment often followed). No win no fee is a major driving factor is such situations, of course this covers all ethnic minorities, races. But it does mean everyone is covering their backs first before making a move. This wasnt the case a couple of decades ago.

UK, Ireland / Daniel Pelka murder: Polish mother and stepfather face life sentences [96]

Well you have been lucky. In social care we are actively involved and its a problem. Its not something people are going to talk about openly unless they feel it wont come back to them so officially there is never a problem anywhere. But if you have to deal with it or someone that does shares their experience you will understand its a big issue. Again this is a uk problem, i havent come across it in poland as we dont have that fear factor here.

UK, Ireland / Daniel Pelka murder: Polish mother and stepfather face life sentences [96]

You can never be sure. If you are in business and you speak to recruitment and managers on a regular basis you will understand it to be a huge problem.

For example often you are forced to provide a reason for not employing someone to avoid a tribunal. People are all sorts but often some will try to take advantage of ethnicity or colour to advance there cause and so it puts people on the other side in an incredibly difficult position in first doing their job and second avoiding a potential issue which could harm the image of their company. And clearly individuals are going to consider the potential consequences of their action on their job whenever approaching such issues.

I could offer many many examples but mentioning individuals clearly can only lead to potential issues for those involved. Its enough to say that often cases (these can be anything from suspected neglience to theft etc) are only being brought forward officially once there is almost no doubt and legal departments are sure that their is no risk of damage to the firms image or bottom line. It has to be watertight and that often means certain people are getting away with a lot.

UK, Ireland / Daniel Pelka murder: Polish mother and stepfather face life sentences [96]

Someone failed at their job because they thought it a risk to their own job if they reported concern because if unfounded they would be taken to court for racism against a minority. It may or not have had a baring in this case but often does in everyday life in the uk these days. Rather than the authority going to court to person responsible is sacked and compensation agreed to avoid media exposure which could be damaging. If you are negligent incompetent or responsible for a given event, you should be at risk of the law, not sheltered by peoples fear of being branded racists or being discriminatory.

Law / A general legal question about inheritance in Poland - debts [31]

Well if you dont know this to be true you arent living in a proper polish village my friend. Maybe one specially reared for foreigners. Where do you think sprzedal go za 10zl comes from!

Law / A general legal question about inheritance in Poland - debts [31]

dolnyslask, you might be from England but with comments like that you are certainly fitting in well with the typical lower/non-income village Pole. Begrudge someone else a living and often prefer to see his neighbour do badly even if his neighbours success or failure has no direct effect on his way of life.

The matter is question is very serious and needs to be dealt with within 6 months of death or the full force of any debts will have to be taken on, fullstop.

UK, Ireland / Daniel Pelka murder: Polish mother and stepfather face life sentences [96]

This is in fact one of the many downside to the political correctness we are experiencing in the UK. Every year it has got worse and its because of this people know they should say or do something, but cannot in fear of this jobs. In Poland, there isnt this level political correctness compared to the UK, but the problem here is most people are uninterested in helping others and turn a blind eye as they have their own problems to deal with.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]

Dont forget Kaczynski and PIS have had to sit 8 years on the sidelines watching. They have had time to plan their actions, play them out, see the consequences and change them. So as I say, as long as there is a vote. Its a very small possibility but you have to hedge against all negative outcomes.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]

Polls do matter as they often cause the government to rein in policies, but in this case I dont think polls will have too much effect. They have a plan and are prepared to fall on their sword if necessary. They will have their 4 years, but on the current path its likely to be a last term for a long time. History shows this, so there isnt a great need to do anything as nothing really can be done. As long as the country is able to vote in 4 years, the outcome is clear from a historical perspective.

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]

Then is then, now is now.
I try to avoid contact with bench warmers as all they are looking for is 2zl for a loaf of bread. Of course when they get it they run off and by cheap wine. I once offered one some fresh bread and he threw in down on the ground in disgust.

As for Jelenia Gora, I have moved away from there but really its a hot bed for crime in the region. In the city itself avoiding evening walks down ulica grodza is paramount, especially where the lockups are. This is known as the bermuda triangle of jelenia gora, stuff there disappears never to be seen again.

Petty depends on who is in questions. The guy that steals a can or beer or a yoghurt for 3zl might not think much of it but if 5 or 6 people do it every day then thats 1000zl losses for the guys shop. Now thieves arent stupid they now go for chocolate and coffee which is expensive and easy to przehandlowac (brillant word) for alcohol. Here you are talking about losses of 10-15zl a pop. So it adds up. Not so far from Jelenia Gora is a small town where locals took apart an old council building, literally raising it to the ground. Many of those involved were gypsies but just as many natives looking for a quick buck. You cant fault the enterprise just why cant these people apply it to an everyday job.

News / PiS to impose blanket retail tax in Poland [291]

dolnyslask the town you speak of is called Asbourne, except that is in the Peak District in the UK. We have dealings all over the dolnyslask but I cant say I have come across such a town as the one you describe. Some rural towns on the whole have high unemployment with a high crime rate (phenomenal drink driving figures) and a drunk or two sitting on every council bench.

As for fuel, oil is now up 15% of its lows and given the weak zloty, the price of petrol in Poland will rise twice as fast as it came down.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


Utter madness. Again. In almost every poll taken since then Poles are 80% or more for staying in the EU. Not to mention those working abroad and also those in the grey zone working illegally in Germany and other EU nations. Often these people work for 5 or more years then come back and open a business here. Without EU membership and open borders, this would be impossible. Not always, but largely those left behind have chosen to be left behind.

Real Estate / Cost to build in Eastern Poland - Ideally per m2 [71]

1 Good timekeeping
2 Completion to stated standard for stated price
3 Teetotal on the job

Anyone that can start tomorrow will have only one of the above. Anyone that can start in a week will only have two of the above. If you want someone with all three qualities then you have to expect them to be in demand and have workbook 2 or 3 months.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]

We never directly employed anyone, using specialists to do the jobs we needed doing, but we did do our own site checks and a number of times it ended up with someone being drunk on the job and there were sometimes problems with building materials going missing. Contracts must always be in place but often the other side is flabbergasted when they are caught out and even more so when threatened with or taken to court. I try to explain to them if they cheat someone today, that person will no longer take them on in the future. But they tend to only worry about today, tomorrow is another day and they will worry about that tomorrow.

These are experiences from smaller towns of up to 100,000 inhabitants. Such problems arent as prevalent in large cities. We are working in slightly different field but there tends to be more professionalism and less short term thinking.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


Productivity is improving from very low levels from when manufacturing was state controlled and not commercially viable. In general, the new generation of Poles abroad are out for what they can get, thinking only of today not tomorrow. Workshy and cannot be trusted so need constant monitoring. Its probably not too different to the attitude of other young people but thats how it is.