Local Poles taking advantage of foreigners living in Poland

Is it just me as an expat or do any other foreigners living in Poland have issues with the locals. Pushing and shoving in cues, bad service, lying and cheating, as soon as they discover your foreign they charge you extra? etc. etc.

Have you been in Germany?There is the real pushing.



Common in central Europe.In Poland much better than average postcommunist countries.In Prague the shop assistant can even laugh at you.



This came from the West.I had not seen that before 2004.



At least there is a price.Go to Ukraine and your eyes will blow by the triple and quadraple standards of charging.

Things like that require cool-headedness on your part, and a certain wit and understanding so you can correct their 'mistakes'. These things happen in all kinds of places.


My advice there is to just join in.

I think it's not only you - it could be experienced even by a Polish person who visits Poland from time to time. Having lived in the US for quite a while people recognize I'm not from Poland (my accent or clothes may suggest that) and then it feels I'm not one of them and may want to be taken advantage of. But I got used to it - you should do the same in the long run if you don't want to be miserable in Poland all the time.

A better title.

eeedddiiittt:

I think he's always had a negative attitude towards people - one of the reasons he's no longer living in the UK.
Some people are only happy when they're miserable.

I try not to see it but that would just be ignorance. My students know exactly what I'm talking about when I tell tales of inefficiency, dilly-dallying and shoving. How slow people can be to serve u and how quick 2 push u, what a horrid combo!! The taxi situation is OK cuz my girl is usually with me then but I let them know I speak Polish too so I think I'd be OK on my own. As for queues, hate them. I'm always courteous enough to give them space as I'm usually in no rush when i go shopping. Packing when I'm packing just does my nut in. I just push their things back now, pure and simple. I'll just give them a crystally composed look, safe in the knowledge that I'm not intimidated by most people I come across. The speed of service is so slow in public bodies. They almost act like, 'why should I serve u, convince me punk?'. Well, for starters, I need that thing. I have a good impression of Poles generally and have made friends here but they can be so rude. My girl sees it too. I saw the same in Scotland but to a much lesser extent.

Who the fuk changed the heading of this thread? Im making money out of Poland thats the only reason im here. When the well dries im outta here and good riddence.

The original thread heading read "bloody Savages" should take around 5 minutes for that to be censored.

In the US I'm also taken advantage by the locals (by them ignoring me mostly) because of my Polish accent. It's not in Poland only.

We didn't say it was, it's just blatant here. Trust me!! I've got nothing to gain by exagerrating sir. Maybe it was bcoz I lived in Japan with all their ostensible niceties (although they were fake little f**** at time too) that I see the rudeness here. What's the hurry people? I'd wager a bet that most of the twats that push and shove do virtually nothing positive in life anyway, oh gotta get to that international conference to save the world. Maybe the solution is a well timed expulsion of foul gas to blow them back. Sods!!

Why do people who live in Amewrica always have to start a line with "here in the US" or " here in the STATES" just curious?

Not always (and I'm still in the US).

Mostly because that is where they are, I would guess. Probably also it helps the reader figure out where the opinion is coming from...and I have seen, and have used, "here in the UK" and seen "here in Poland".

I have lived in Poland all my life and still have to experience any significant pushing, shoving, rudeness and slowness which has not been matched abroad. ;-)

- Well put, Magdalena. The hypocrite (from England) calling himself 'Wroclaw Boy' seems to conveniently exclude from his perception the negative phenomena one encounters in the UK - and there are scores of them. Compared to the frequent vulgar, brutal and shameless rippoff and mistreatment of, and discrimination against Polish guest workers in the UK (not to mention the British media hacks' hate propaganda against the Poles), the Polish rippoffs of 'foreigners' seem to be a piece of cake. But, as any hypocrite, Wroclaw Boy pretends to be oh so shocked by the bad stuff in Poland, even though the selfsame - and worse - stuff exists in abundance in his own country.
:)

I'm afraid that Wroclaw Boy is right. Rudeness, pushing, treating people like sh*t is, I think, one of the most basic probs here! It is also very important as it hits you from the most basic level, all you have to do is go outside,try to be served in a shop, ask for something or just wait in a queue! The fact that that mentality whacks you in these most basic of situations is unfortunate as it blinkers how one views everything here. The same mentality is seen in everyday encounters and , for example, the way supposedly intelligent Polish politicians treat each other on TV or radio, the whole freaky spectrum maaannn!
Maybe Poles don't see it as they are so used to it or just don't want to see it.
Nobody is denying that the UK has probs but at least the regular folks admit to them. Hopefully that's how things eventually change!

This also extends to driving habits, is it me or does Poland seem to have more 'death wish' drivers than any other country!?

Puzzler, first off, we are talking about Poland so please confine ur focus to here. I know as well as u know that the UK has similar characters but let's not go off on a rave tangent. If u want to open such a thread to avoid digression, be my guest!! Poland, well, I am no hypocrite sir. I will actually qualify what i said earlier about pushing and say that I haven't encountered it in Tesco, Plus or Żabka for example. I've heard that at airports it is worse. The worst thing is when the old biddies come up to the counter u r being served at and, mid service, start reeling off a list of questions for the member of staff who is serving u. Thankfully, the member of staff puts them back in their place b4 they break into their 'poor me, bad back story' and eventual life history (semi-concise version). Don't worry Puzzler, I have pictures of my UK experience in mind as I write also. I won't attempt to deny that and get into cheap shots and tit for tat nonsense

i can't say i've experienced anything here in poland that isn't comparable to canada or the u.k., just different forms of incompetence or pettiness.

However if i made as little as some folks that have to work their tails off, i doubt i'd be a cheery-ass muthafuka either, know what I mean?

As far as customer service, Prague definitely takes the cake. I find things to be different here but, hey, c'mon, it's here, that's why it's different.

Of course in Germany everything was SMOOTH from day 1, those folks know what's what.


can't say about a lot of other countries as i'm not in a position to comment.
But there definitely seems to be a lack of foresight and/or rational imagination in the driving culture here. Like when people brag how fast they drove and for how long, I just think they don't realize that at 150 km/hr and up a driver greatly reduces everyone else's reaction time along with their own. But many drivers here just don't see it like that. And shock of all shocks i see a ridiculous number of accidents on the roads here. I will say this though, i feel it's improving.


i'm seriously beginning to give the whole EQ vs IQ notion some credit and think there may be some EQ issues here and am wondering how it's connected to the driving culture.

Foreigner4 has a point when u draft the financial aspect into it. OK, u could argue that service is service but, like it or not, money talks and if u don't have it, r u gonna talk/smile? Najprawdopodobnie, nie! I think u've had ur black-tinted sunglasses on for too long Ian, hehehe, LOL.

- Seanus, , first off, I write as I can. And so do you, I sincerely hope? I don't mind if you or any other chap write whatever you please, as long as I have the right to reply in my own style. Furthermore, if you write about a country, you should put it in the right context; otherwise a false impression of the country, as well as other countries, may result, plus delusions on the part of some. And I dislike delusional folks. Are you actually defending Wroclaw Boy? It's him who has been ranting beyond measure about alleged Polish faults and shamelessly attempting to lift his national self-esteem at the Poles' expense, criticising those things in Poland that are in abundance in UK (and in other countries, for that matter). Do you want to do the same thing as him and that's why you are trying to prevent me from pointing out WB's bull$hoot? As for the old Polish ladies bugging the staff in shops, I've seen plenty of similar old British ladies doing exactly the same thing in UK shops. But the latter don't irritate you as much as the Polish ladies, because they are your own old ladies, right? I've seen something else in UK: sometimes when you're lining up in a shop to the cashier's and you are a foreigner, and some local folks notice you are a foreigner, then they literally start breathing down your neck, urging you without words to finish paying instantly and give way to them, the masters of the land. And God save you if you happen to speak to the cashier, asking for an explanation, etc., and you speak with a foreign accent; the line-up behind you seems to about to explode. (I saw a smilar phenomenon in Canada, but there it was even more vulgar; people would just bounce on or kick you from behind, and then 'apologise' to you, pretending they had assaulted you by accident.)



- How nicely you call your own rudeness, brutality, treating people like $hit - just 'probs.'

Nope, that's precisely why things don't actually change in your country, but deteriorate even more. - Slamming foreign faults, while whitewashing your own. Yes, there are huge scores of national megalomaniacs in UK, but not so many in Poland.



- Have you ever seen how some folks drive in UK? - Four-line traffic in a two- line road, for example? 'Than any other country,' eh? How many countries have you visited? Ever been to Latin America?
:)

If they did it to me,I would kick them in retrospect adding ''I am sorry.''

- You mean Czechs (not to mention Germans!) are inherently racially superior to Poles? But you and your lot are superior to Czechs, of course? :)

.

- Oops, what is not even your national IQ, but your own personal IQ? Judging from your posts, it must be heights supreme (the other direction). :)))))



- And what is your own oh so superior 'driving culture'? Would it be Canadian...? :)))

Are you living in Prague now? If so, then - hooray! One foreign racist less in Poland! I truly hope Wroclaw Boy and smilar types follow you as soon as possible.
:)

I do every day and usually I don't have any problems and don't tell me that I'm denying anything because If I had I would simply admit that. Public institutions are another story but that's because the whole system is wrong.



At least they usually don't "booooo !!!" like they use to do in the "Great" British Parliament.



The whole "EQ" is BS made up by tree huggers to make idiots don't feel sad.

over 40 and yes

- And you're saying that Poles drive worse than e.g. British, Canadians, Mexicans?

If so, then something must be wrong with your perceptual faculties, friend.

How does the Bible put it: 'They look but don't see' (or something like that)?
:)

The standard of driving in Poland is far worse than anything I've seen in the other 12 European countries I have visited/live in. Four line of traffic on a two-lane road in the UK? In 14 years of living in the UK I never once saw that. In Poland I've seen six lanes of traffic on a two-lane road (the one to Gdansk) and know that four lines of traffic is considered perfectly normal and entirely acceptable.

The only place I've seen worse driving than in Poland is Kuwait and that's due to the fact that in Kuwait responsibility for accidents is based on social status: if you're white and a Kuwaiti hits your car, it's your fault; if you hit an Indian, it's his fault.

If I drive with a UK registered car over here, it seems that everyone wants to race me. Not so long ago, a van overtook me and swerved to miss on-coming traffic, skidded and went straight into a metal barrier on the pavement, totalling the van!

I'm not saying the standard of driving is really poor, but there seems to be an inclination to take unnecessary risks at high speed on blind corners and bends.

- I've never seen it myself. Greg, other Polish participants, have you seen any six-line traffic in Poland? I've seen 4-line traffic in UK many times. That's because the roads are narrow, as they are in Poland. I've also seen lots of horrible drivng in UK (and in US and Canada). No, I've never seen six-line traffic on a two-line road in UK, but that's maybe because I'm not delusional?

Lol......I've been driving in the UK for a long time and I reckon the UK drivers, on the whole, are pretty good. Just because it may be a fact that the Polish drivers are not as safe drivers as other Nationalities, doesn't mean you have to start knocking drivers in the UK.

I think Italian drivers are 'pretty mad' but I still quite fancy Italian men lol, just wish they were a bit taller <g>



I've never seen 4 iine traffic on a two way traffic lane in the UK and I have driven a lot across in the UK.

Polish drivers drive very good managing to go fast through very bad,narrow roads.The foreigners would be extremely afraid to drive so fast in such roads and that's why they call polish driving risky and dangerous.