A taste of Polish mess

I often hear on the news or from other people who have lived in Poland how badly so much stuff is organised there. Well recently we got a taste of the disorganised bullshit. We have Cyfrowy Polsat and had a message recently on the television that said that we have not paid for the last month so it is going to be shut off. We have a close friend of the family who pays in to an account every month [with money we give him] in Poland since officially the box is supposed to be used over there. He said that he was confused because he paid so he went over to the Polsat store to talk to them [since they blocked our satellite within a few days]. They told him that the reason we owed money was because as of a few days ago they added a few channels and now the monthly cost was more.

Apparently we had to opt out of the new package, that they force on you, by a certain date, and if we did not, then they would give us the new package and we would have to pay more. That is like buying sky in Britain with a tiny print on page 300 of the long terms and conditions packet that says, after every year you get your package upgraded to a more expensive one that you you have to phone up and opt out of.

Surely you should get to choose when and if you want to upgrade. Anyway our friend paid what we supposedly owed and informed them that we do not want the more expensive package but the one we had. They unblocked our channels. Now after just 1 day since this was 'straightened' out they keep on putting up a message on our TV screen [every 15 minutes or so] that we need to pay back the outstanding some, that our friend went and paid and supposedly sorted out. I constantly here ******** about the 'bałagan' in Poland, it gets tiring to listen to but I totally understand why people are mad.

its just another tactic to relieve you of your hard earned cash under a technicalty. If you had agreed to the right condition in terms you wouldn't even know about it, they would just add to to your monthly subscription and you would be like how come this has increased? then have to make a phone call from the UK which you cant make, wait ages paying a high subsidy only to be cut off after about 10 minutes.

I was saying to my wife only recently why dont we just not have TV. It constantly pumps biased shite right into your very front room, every single hour of every single day anyway.

She didnt agree.

Yeah we cannot make the call so our friend has to but it gets tiring. You have to fight for something you are supposed to be entitled to. When they finally sort it out you feel relieved that it is okay but you should not have had the problem in the first place. It's like having a homeless guy sleeping on your front door step. When you finally manage to get rid of him you're happy, then you realise 'What on earth was he doing on my front doorstep in the first place!!??'

As for TV, I often think the same, why bother having it since there is hardly anything decent on there and you can watch stuff on the internet now. I think TV licenses could be a dying breed, then again the same was said about newspapers when radio, TV and finally, the internet, appeared, and yet, they still make sales. Probably the comfort zone. Yeah you can read stuff online but there something about sitting back with a newspaper or book that is just more relaxing. It hurts your eyes less.

I had something similar with the dreaded neostrada. Moved to a new house and they couldn't install the line in it and various other difficulties that resulted in me having no internet. They continued sending me bills but I just ignored them and got another provider to install the line. Asses.

You still need a TV license @ £150 / year.


I have a similar problem in Poland, with us not being there we cant do anything except keep paying the bill. We have to physically visit the office and sort it out - in person.

Wow, that's a lot of $ just to watch tv via the internet. Here many people here, watch what they want via Netflix, approx $10 per month.

He would have received notification. Perhaps he did, and simply binned it?


Only if it's live broadcasts. For some reason, they still haven't got round to the idea of people watching stuff "on demand".

Why don't you just get a power of attorney drawn up? A friendly notary will turn a blind eye to the need to be physically present...

(ah, wait - I guess you might not have someone there to help!)

Huum, why dont i just get a power of attorney drawn up. Its like buying packet of sweets didnt you know.


You guess wrong dude:

But it is... I have about ten lying on my desk, all for various things - for instance, I have one that gives me the right to deal with my friend's flat - he's frequently out of Poland for extended periods of time, so if there's any issue with the flat, I can deal with it on his behalf. All it took was a quick letter written in Polish, taken to a notary, signed and stamped in her presence and the payment of 23zl.

Awesome, do me one that doesnt involve my wife traveling to Poland so that she can proxy a given Pole to assign another years break from TP line rental. For 23 zl.