Differences in mentality

Differences in mentality between Poles and Germans

Germany’s neighbour Poland has some differences in terms of mentality. In general, more emphasis is placed on old forms of politeness and the classic understanding of roles. Those who hire car in Poland will quickly get to know these peculiarities of the Polish people.

A solid quality of service with certain peculiarities

The service quality in a hire car center in Poland is basically not inferior to the service in Germany. Any services around the hire car are offered and in important tourist centers a lot of importance is attached to a high-quality vehicle fleet. The Polish entrepreneurs know how important a good performance in the service is. The staff will mostly speak English, but German-speaking employees are also not uncommon, especially in border areas. At the hire car agency, the staff will shake hands with the customer as a greeting. Occasionally, even an implied kiss on the hand is common with female customers. The traveler should use his last name to address a staff member. This is preceded by the word Pan for man or the word Pani for woman. With care and friendliness, the service staff will take care of the customer. If problems arise during the rental process, an employee must consult with his or her boss. In Poland there are stronger hierarchical structures in companies than in Germany, so that superiors are quickly called in for any problematic matters. This can occasionally lead to delays in the process, but this handling is unavoidable. Since Poles also have a great talent for improvisation, creative solutions are often found to a problem. These should not be shied away from, as they are part of everyday life in Poland. This spontaneity also goes hand in hand with a slight lack of punctuality, which should always be planned for.

Go into conversations

with caution.

The conversation with the staff of a rental center should be conducted with deliberation. Unlike in Germany, criticism is not carried out openly, which is why problems like to be paraphrased at length. A certain sensitivity is therefore required from the customer when the counterpart draws attention to grievances. If the staff frequently asks the same question, caution is also advised. Presumably, he or she is not satisfied with some point regarding the hire car. However, this is not explicitly pointed out, as direct confrontation is always avoided. Furthermore, the customer should listen carefully when the service personnel use the words “no problem”. Out of politeness and respect for the traveller, it cannot be admitted that perhaps a particular request cannot be carried out after all. Therefore, the customer should not expect a problem to be resolved if the counterpart expresses that no problem would exist. Instead, the importance of the concern should be carefully clarified so that a solution actually follows.