The BEST Guide to POLAND
Unanswered  |  Archives 
 
 
User: Guest

Posts by dnz  

Joined: 2 Dec 2007 / Male ♂
Last Post: 25 Mar 2011
Threads: Total: 17 / Live: 5 / Archived: 12
Posts: Total: 710 / Live: 306 / Archived: 404
From: poznan/poland
Speaks Polish?: no
Interests: cars, socialising, skiing, surfing, travelling

Displayed posts: 311 / page 6 of 11
sort: Latest first   Oldest first   |
dnz   
28 Jan 2010
Law / Bring your business to Poland! [56]

So, anyone wishing to come to Poland... ??????

Sorry chap i'm already here and getting ready to move to Australia :)

Are you based in Poland at the moment or still in Brazil?
dnz   
28 Jan 2010
Law / Car Insurance costs in Poland. [24]

Or insure with CIS who don't have a time limit on how long you can be abroad for.

UK insurers have to by law provide the minimum required level of cover in all countries within the EU. Generally they only provide the same level of cover for a limited period 90 or 180 days depending on who you are covered by.

I would Highly recommend keeping your car on UK plates and insuring it with a UK based insurer who offers a yearly continental cover.

Stuart colins insurance to this, Norwich Union, Saga and Coop (CIS) are the only one i've found.

Whatever you do don't register your car in Poland as it will be more hassle than its really worth.
dnz   
28 Jan 2010
Law / Car Insurance costs in Poland. [24]

Will my British car insuarance be valid when I cross the border with Poland? How long do I have to switch it to Polish?

I've been covered with UK car insurance for nearly 3 years, just keep it MOT'd and taxed. I'm with CIS insurance and they provide the same level of cover outside the UK for up to 365 days per year for an additional £30 a year and theyre prices are reasonable too. We pay £320 per year fully comp on a bmw 318is including breakdown cover. I'm 25 with 7 years no claims and 3 points.
dnz   
28 Jan 2010
USA, Canada / My wife wants to return to Poland...but I want to stay in the US [155]

Honestly don't leave the US to come here, Let her come back to Poland and i'm sure once she remembers what its like she'll go back to the states, People always remember things and places to be better than they actually are. Anyway how can she expect you to move to a country where you don't speak the language etc and get a job? It seems a bit unrealistic and rather selfish.
dnz   
27 Jan 2010
Law / Contracts for IT staff in Poland [12]

Register your company in the UK, It can be done online within 20 minutes, Tax is lower than in Poland and its also easier from a creative accounting point of view.

Drop delphian a PM and i'm sure he can help if not I can also put you in touch with an excellent accountant who will point you in the right direction.
dnz   
27 Jan 2010
Law / Bring your business to Poland! [56]

What does your aviation business do? Just out of interest as one of my friends is an aircraft engineer and is thinking about starting a business in order to go freelance.
dnz   
27 Jan 2010
Law / Bring your business to Poland! [56]

Try to think of the positive ones....

Thats the problem, I have for the last 3 years,

I can see that cost is an advantage here in Poland but for a small firm that cost saving is quickly outweighed by the bad points, I'm just being realistic.

Give it 10 years and I can see where you're coming from but even large companies like VW are struggling after starting production in Poland.
dnz   
27 Jan 2010
Law / Bring your business to Poland! [56]

I think convex hit the nail on the head with his previous post, Skilled labour here is expensive and difficult to find due to the majority of people who are worthwhile considering to take jobs have left to work abroad. Generally as a foreigner Poles doing business can't really be trusted as they seem to have got it into their heads that everyone from outside Poland is rich and they should take advantage. (harsh but true)

If you are opening a factory and pumping out thousands of units per day then the benefits would be seen but as a small enterprise Poland is a no go. The tax is higher, You have to pay tax regardless of whether you make a profit (most businesses don't for the first year) and the bureaucracy is a minefield and managed by people who really don't like foreign investment.

Transport links here are shocking, Driving in Poland is just dangerous, The trains are slow (but very reasonably priced) and if you have to travel between cities for meetings it could take days.

Overall at the present moment Poland really isn't great for business, Maybe when the locals can start to take constructive criticism and make things easier for non Poles who want to live here then yes, it could be a great place.

Look at the Poznan "world trade centre" Everything is in Polish, which seems ironic considering its called the world trade centre, A little bit of English and German wouldn't go amiss and would maybe encourage more overseas companies and businessmen to attend expos.
dnz   
27 Jan 2010
Law / Bring your business to Poland! [56]

Why would you bring your business from the UK to a country that don't like foreigners and where nothing is in English and simple tasks take weeks to do and then you don't get it done as theres always a problem or the people who are supposed to be helping you make a problem?

Also the majority of people are rude and untrustworthy and judging by the quality of the buildings they seem incapable of doing a good job of anything.

Also if you do bring your business to Poland all you will hear for the rest of eternity is "you in Poland you must speak Polish"
dnz   
26 Jan 2010
UK, Ireland / Coming to England - should my friend get passport/driving licence here or in PL? [10]

Unless she has a job to come to or if she is studying, tell her not to bother someone I know was laid off before xmas

+1

If she is planning on staying in the UK long term than she should learn to drive in the UK as she will learn the correct way of driving, She won't get a UK passport though.
dnz   
26 Jan 2010
Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

Fair comment really but I have friends who have lived in Germany and Sweden and nobody has put pressure on them to learn German or Swedish , I wonder why its different in Poland?
dnz   
26 Jan 2010
Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

What's wrong with expecting long term residents to learn Polish?

What do poles define as long term? I had that after a few weeks here.
dnz   
26 Jan 2010
Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

Harry don't you learn? Poles can't take criticism at all, If they could they would listen to constructive advice and bring their country out of the dark ages. But they are always right and have to go on the defensive all the time blaming others for their misfortune or trying to find someone to blame when things go wrong. This occurs on a national level and on a social level and as a nation they only pretend to listen when they are being offered EU handouts of some description and then ignore all advice when it comes down to it.

Maybe if they took advice from other nations they would have a fantastic road network, Dynamic cities and it would be generally a fantastic place to be.

I personally can't wait for 2012 when they get the European cup taken away due to not having the infrastructure to support such an event It will also be interesting to see who's to blame for that :) Will it be the Germans, the French or even the Chinese? I know it certainly won't be Poland.
dnz   
25 Jan 2010
Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

I agree with you on this fully, The labour government have got a lot to answer for, The same applies to signs in urdu etc the only difference being that they did demonstrate. At least Poles in the UK don't try to change our beliefs and customs to suit them.
dnz   
25 Jan 2010
Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

how many British people actually speak any other language?

We have to learn a second language from the age of 12 but generally not to many as the majority of things worldwide are done in English, Also when we go abroad and try to speak to people in Spain etc they would rather speak to us in English in order to practice their English skills. When I've been to spain i tried to speak to people in Spanish in order to practice for my spanish exam and people simply spoke to me in English.

The main reason English speaking people don't speak other languages very well is because English is the international language, Look at the switches etc in your car, they are all labelled in English or with an English abbreviation, Computers are programmed in English, Nearly all products are named in English for example CD - Compact disc, The language of the internet is English as is the language of Aviation, Air traffic control worldwide are made to speak English as it is the most widely spoken language.

As a result I speak fluent Antigua and Barbuda, Australian, Bahamas Barbados Belizian Botswanan Brunein Cameroonian Canadian Dominica Ethiopian Fijiin Gambian Ghanan
Grenadan Guyanan Indian etc,

All the below are countries where English is an official language.

jamaican
Kenyan
Kiribatian
Lesothoian
Liberian
Malawian
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Micronesia
Namibia
Nauru
New Zealand
Nigeria
Pakistan
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Swaziland
Tanzania
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tuvalu
Uganda
United Kingdom
United States
Vanuatu
Zambia
Zimbabwe
dnz   
25 Jan 2010
Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

But it doesn't apply to France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Croatia and several more European countries...

I've never been to Croatia and Hungary but in France Spain and Italy most of the people I have encountered speak to me in English, the French do begrudgingly but they do although French is a fairly easy language to learn anyway.

I can safely say that in the above countries I've never had anyone give me hassle for being English. I wish I could say the same about Poland.

Most people here are generally warm and welcoming, well the ones which have experienced different cultures anyway.

Maybe its just the fact that Britain is too nice to people who are from outside the UK.
dnz   
25 Jan 2010
Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

Driving licence is an acceptable form of ID when applying for a job, Fact!. Which agency did you try and use?

Should have been in Glasgow 10 years ago. The police had a huge crackdown on speeding and traffic violations. On one stretch of road it was possible to lose your licence by speeding for a couple of hundred metres, because there were 3 sets of cameras (3x convictions = 12 points). The police all but openly admitted it was more about making money for police coffers than a concern for road safety.]

Yes I agree with this statement in its entirety speed cameras are a way of soley making money.

On the other hand I've never had a policeman in the UK stop me for driving at the speed limit only to throw me in the back of his car and demand money from me on the spot.

D, if some Pole or Hungarian or Slovakian or German or Swede or Slovenian or Czech or (need I go on?)

Yes or supply a translator so that the person in question understands what is going on. English is spoken worldwide and polish is spoken only in Poland. I also speak Spanish which is spoken by the vast majority of the non english speaking world. Also learning Polish is a pointless exercise really as its only spoken in Poland which limits you to well Poland, Its like coming from Basque country and expecting everyone to learn your language which is spoken by 3 people.

I learnt a bit of polish which is enough to get by and also understand the majority of what is said.

The UK police have to be able to speak Polish among several other languages so why should it be any different in Poland?

You go to Germany and everyone I have met there speaks English, The same applies to Sweden (in fact they get offended when you ask them if you speak english as they assume that you know they do)

The european union really only applies to Poland when it comes to sending half your population to other countries to do menial jobs or poor quality building work, Or when it comes to getting grants to improve the infrastructure by building motorways that don't meet in the middle and train tunnels which won't fit a train through. (the rest goes on bribes making Poland one of the most expensive places to build roads in the world)
dnz   
25 Jan 2010
Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

I never carry my ID in Poland, Only my driving licence which clearly has printed on it EU. Theres no way I would take my passport anywhere where there are likely to be dishonest Police who stop me simply for driving a UK registered car.

Doesn't matter, the point is that on the day, you were driving with an illegal tint and got pulled up for it.

How do you know if your tints are illegal? Many manufactueres ie BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar and lots of the Japanese manufacturers fit tinted glass as OE equipment.

I wouldn't go crying about needing a translator, because I understand the language not too badly, and I'd be able to find out what the punishment was and what I needed to do. Might not be in great Polish, but I'd get there.

When I get stopped I demand they speak to me in English, If they stop a UK registered car with the steering wheel on the right hand side what language do they expect the occupants to speak?

For an english person to learn a language such as polish which is spoken in one country with a tiny population it seems somewhat pointless. Poland seems to be trying to promote itself as a new business centre in Europe and as the international language of Business is in fact English the logical thing would be to learn it really.

I don't think there's will in Poland to pay for translators full stop.

I agree but the police should really speak English, They do in every other EU country and the Feds in the UK have even been forced to speak Polish.

The law in the UK isn't upheld by a bunch of incompetent money grabbing corrupt idiots who pull over drivers and ask where their table is? Also the Police in the UK seem to lead by example I've seen a Polish policeman swigging a bottle of Vodka whilst sat in his marked Police car. How can you possibly have respect for such utter morons?

Personally I think a car with tinted windows driven by someone from a civilised country is much safer than a car driven by the average Pole?

Also its not illegal to not speak the language of the country you are in and the police should have a system in place should the person being targeted not be able to speak the local language, Every civilized country has such a system but then again that approach would be far to logical for Poland.
dnz   
22 Jan 2010
Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

Whats wrong with tints? As long as you don't take the **** they are fine and an excellent security feature and also prevent glass hitting the occupants in the event of an accident, I've always had them fitted to keep the car cooler in the summer and to preserve the interior from fading and the leather from cracking.
dnz   
21 Jan 2010
Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

Which is how you get huge problems with the databases not being in sync - the police are automatically assuming that the database is right and the insurance documents are wrong.

The ANPR system in the UK is nearly 100% foolproof All MOTs are computerised from the exact second the test certificate is printed and handed to the customer, Insurance is updated on to the MID system instantly and the road tax is also, The UK system which allows drivers to not have to carry their documents is a much better system than any I have ever experienced, Having to carry your log book, insurance documents etc everywhere is simply barbaric and encourages car crime.

Often if a car pings an ANPR camera and shows as not insured they will telephone the insurer to find out what the problem is and thats done on the spot.

I don't agree with road tax though but then I guess its a necessary evil and I would much rather pay £100 a year and have good roads like the UK (albeit with roadworks every 200 yards) that roads like the ones here in Poland.

Anyway the ANPR system isn't foolproof but i've never heard of anyone pinging up on a camera who was 100% legal.
dnz   
21 Jan 2010
Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

I take it you was driving a polish car? I've had tints on most of my cars and never had any trouble anywhere. The police in poland are corrupt uneducated morons I've been asked for a bribe several times and on a few occasions when they've flagged me over to stop for no reason I just floor it. The police in Poland are not to be trusted at all they are just Kurwa boys with a badge.

as for the you are in poland you must speak polish its always handy to remind them how many idiots from pl live in the UK with no understanding of English.

God i'm starting to hate this place more and more by the day, Roll on Australia :)
dnz   
15 Jan 2010
Travel / Driving to Poland from Ireland end of jan, Need Advice [26]

I've got a set: they're sitting in the basement. Snow: fail.

Are they 205 60 15? Wanna sell? :) I can't chage the bloody tyres now anyway as i left the locking wheel nut in the UK without realising :(

.A car with the engine at the front , and the driving wheels at the back will be a bit hopeless on snow

Yes I agree, Coming back through Germany the other week it was strange to see that the BMW lane had moved from the outside lane to the crawler lane where all the rwd cars were practically stuck or the drivers were to scared to even breathe on the accelerator pedal for fear of spinning off in a ball of flames.

It was really funny to see one of those utterly ridiculous porsche cayenne 4x4 things stuck in the snow though, I still fail to see the point of such a creation.

Remember to top your washers up with fluid that won't freeze too, Mine has been frozen for weeks after filling it with water and i can't get it out until it melts :)
dnz   
15 Jan 2010
News / Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport to close in September [27]

Why do you say that? What's incompetent about closing a runway to perform needed maintenance on the slowest weekends when it is still safe to do so?

Nothings incompetent about closing the runway when it needs to be repaired, They should have probably told the airlines who use the runway that it is being closed to avoid any problems.

They have telephones and the internet in Poland why is communication such a big deal? If communication was utilised here then there wouldn't be a string of engineering fuc k ups ie the train tunnel which isn't big enough to run a train through, the motorway which the 2 halves miss each other by miles etc. I know Poland is still developing its infra structure but it seems to be undertaken by corrupt and mindless officials who don't have a clue. Add to that bone idle workers with the don't give a damn attitude which is so profound in Polish culture and cases like this just keep happening.

That said once they have repaired the runway they will probably make such a hash of it they will have to close it again 3 weeks later to replace the lot in true polish style.