CZECH PEOPLE: How to deal with them 

As my grandfather used to say: "I'm not rich enough to buy cheap things."

Klasická vyjednávací taktika s názvem "udělat ze sebe vola" :)

That’s it, you passed your test. Your Czech passport is in the mail. Not only you now understand how the system works, you are also capable of resenting the person who is sticking out. That’s arguably not the best reaction but it definitely makes you very Czech. I am very grateful that you are willing to take the quirks of our national character in stride.

There is an old Czech saying that summaries this approach: "How you call into the forest, so the forest echoes." or "You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar." in short, asking nicely and creating pleasant situation nearly always leads to good reaction from the one being asked.

I worked at the airport and we also served this airline. At first, the airline is not Czech but Irish (if we are talking about the blue and yellow one) The check-in agents are not working for the airline, they are working for the airport and the airline pays fees to the airport for service. If the app is not working and the passenger is not able to do the online check-in always make a screenshot and show it to the agent as proof of the issue (in that case they can make an exception and avoid the fee). The airline is using their own system and they can see all the changes in passenger reservations - so if the check-in agent makes a decision to make an exception and avoid the fee for the passenger they have to write an explanation of why they did it. If the explanation is missing or doesn't fit the airline's reasons for exception (I felt sorry for them, is really not a good reason) the check-in agent has to pay the fee and some extra money for the "mistake". I guess nobody wants to pay for anybody else's mistakes. :)

"appeal to fairness or logic" 😂😂😂 výborný, na jednu stranu mi ho je líto, na tu druhou sem se tak skvěle už dlouho nezasmál

Jen, I live in London (I am a Slovak) and the Western, should I say...The British way of speaking through fake politeness and smiles, trying to convince the person in charge that their way makes more sense....is many times unbearable and they know it - that's why they do it, to be so politely annoying that you give in. For me, simply disgusting. How the Europeans deal with issues is - say the truth, be humble and your fellow Central European will usually be happy to help. Just be a human, not a fake person. Not so hard, is it?! :D

This reminds me of a thing that surprised me abroad. So I am Czech and live in Korea. One day i was taking a train somewhere with a Chinese friend. Both of us foreigners, we we're a bit confused and accidentally boarded in the opposite direction. We realized a few stations later and got out. As i was searching online to buy new, correct tickets, my friend told me 'Hey we should go and ask them for refund' I was like 'What? that wont do, it's not only after the train left, but we even used it to move a few stations.' In the end he convinced me, we went to the guy selling tickets at the station and i explained what happened without much hesitation, looked at my ticked in the phone and sent the money back to my account. I was so surprised, :D I think i would never try to attempt this in czech :D

As my mom always says "posyp si hlavu popelem a dělej debila", which literally means "pour ashes on your head and act dumb" but means "be honest, take all the blame on yourself and act dumb" Usually works for me, even when asking for some info.

Hi Jen. *Exactly* how it works in Austria. Well, I guess 600 years of common history.

I use similar approach in USA too. I claim that the problem is completely my fault and ask for help... often they help or suggest to which manager I should talk to get what I want. My theory is, that at the end of the day, we all want to go to sleep at night feeling good about ourselves, that we did at least one good deed that day... That is why the approach is successful.

Your story is definitely valid in that sense that the airline clerk made a gesture of goodwill in your case, so you were technically at his mercy at that moment and he used his power in a positive way. However, that absolutely doesn't mean that he could do the same thing for all the other passengers, that's simply impossible and his superiors would fire him for that for sure. Let's not forget that basically all airlines operating in the Czech Republic now are foreign owned and their Czech employees must follow their British (or whoever) owner's rules and policies. And that low budget and charter airlines all around the world have some trully strict and bizarre rules and policies is a well known fact, otherwise they couldn't sell their flight tickets for those unrealistic prices. As for the "Czechness" of the whole story: Anyone who has ever been at mercy of some American of British officials as a foreigner (especially dealing with the Customs and Border officers in the U. S., but also with other institutions) must feel amused when hearing about how hostile Czechs are :) I know people who were denied entry to the U. S. without any trully valid reason and nobody was asking how much their flight tickets cost (probably ten or twenty times more than a flight from Prague to London). And speaking about English/British "politeness" can cause only a bitter smile to those who had the "honour" to deal with it. Yes, English/British shop assistents or waiters are in general more polite than the Czech ones, but as someone who's very often in Berlin or Vienna, I can assure you that Czechs very much fit in this "not-so-friendly" Central European standard. But that's obviously only the "exterior", Germans, Austrians and Czechs can be very friendly for sure. Unfortunately, I know very well what's behind that English/British polite "facade". My Italian relative was denied the British citizenship after she had been living in Britain for more than 20 years, having job, paying taxes and having an English husband. And how the British justice system works has been clearly showed on the case of the murdered Czech Zdenek Makar, a 31-year-old small business owner living in London, who was brutally beaten to death and even though the names of his killers were very well-known to the London court, they were released without charges. It was an absolute disgrace and a parody of justice.

I hear about people paying huge fees in budget airlines but all of them were foreigners. All the Czechs I know (me included) are taking all those budget to their financial knees because as Czechs we are used to our bureaucracy and apply our experiences: we first study the airline rules, than find a loopholes and make mental notes what not to do (like checking earlier) and than actually paying only the small price they charge us in the beginning. With a good feeling that we have won 😄 And if any Czech has to pay the fee to the airline? Well, thats his own fault and he will win over budget airlines the next time, you could be sure. If everyone would act as a Czech while flying with budget airlines, those airlines would went bankrupt for sure.

I am always surprised how humble I should sound even to the bus driver if I have some issue. You are right, and you finally made it completely clear to me. My czech husband is teaching me by his exemple and devices for years this cultural behavior, but it was not completely clear for me until now. Thank you!

I like it. Really. Great way to show some meaningfull ideas behing situation everybody can relate to.

You trurly adapt to our czech system and logic. Well done.

It's not that "deep down they know the system is wrong". Most people will openly recognize that, everybody hates bureaucracy. The point is that if we all have to deal with this shit, who are you to get a pass? It's like the annoyed looks which people jumping the line will get.

Your approach was very clever. Well done. 👏👏👏

Wow. Ok, I'm 100% Czech. I worked as a customer support in an international company and I can say, that this is partly true, but maybe with a small adjustment. It is way more about the behavior and respect you have to the working people. I treated every customer same, but honestly, when someone send us a message in "I am the customer, I can treat you like a modern slave, shut up and approve my request" attitude, I have the tendency to be way more strict, than if someone approach me with respect and asking for a help. Honestly, I thought that everybody has it like that, how can someone possibly think, that if you are not following the rules which you have btw. agreed with before and be rude to the employe, that they would be more willing to help you. I mean, this type of behavior always made me the biggest fan of the company rules and follow them as they are. Yeah, I am Czech, and I actually proud of this kind of mindset we have. Another great video, Jen.

Two things which gave you advantage over the english guy: 1) you are a woman, 2) you as foreigner spoke czech to him so you melted his heart💓😄😄👍

My mother calls this approach "deer in headlines". I saw her do it in the supermarket, at the town hall, post office, everywhere. "Miss I am so sorry, I really don't understand the form at all, would you be the very best and help me figure it out?"... they always take mercy on her and do the work for her, haha

Hi Jen, great videos!! BTW: not sure if you remember.. it was great to meet you at the coffee shop in the dute free zone on 22.3. 👍👍

Ten years ago, I went to London to buy a car. It did not work out and I had to fly back to Czech rep. My credit card was not working in England and I had to pay in cash. 3 times more. Just for paying in cash. So much for english fairness. I bought my Rolls Royce the next time. It is not about Czech, English or Americans. It is about clerks. The worst are US customs. By FAR!!! I went to my friends wedding. Thet cut my suitcase open with knife, also damaging my tuxedo. They opened toothpaste, shampoo and other stuff, and wraped the shi… in plastic wrap. When I complained - we are allowed to check every baggage, next please…. So, Jen, it is not about nationality, people at the airport are the same everywhere. Btw, did You ever fly to Israel? Try to complain at Ben Gurion Airport to anything ;-) - THAT is next lvl experience

As someone who used to work in customer service and who always tried to be polite and respectful I can tell you that lot of the time we simply don't have a choice. There are fixed rules. A lot of time the poor person you are talking to has little to no power and hates people who make the rules even more than you do. And in fact american corporates are the worst. They will treat central european customers like swine because they can. Same company will have very different customer service experience in US, UK and in Czech Republic. Also in a lot of places makign exception either requires extra work or sticking your neck out, something I usually tried to do because I am the kind of person who does that but not everyone else is. A lot of time I would catch a lot of flak from the more "american" customers who didn't understand that I am the only ally they have dealing with all the stupid rules and problems. Me: I am sorry but I simply have no power to make exceptions no matter how much I would like to personally. If you like I can call manager and I am 97% sure they will tell us the same thing. Customer: So the only way is to wait and try again? Me: Yes. Unfortunately Customer: wow. That is really stupid! Me: Yes I lived in Greece for a while and let me tell you. They make Czechia look like Switzerland. Yet somehow I had inexplicable luck with authorities. Everything I needed I got fast, easy and on first or second try, it's something that no expact or even local friends I made understood. It made their mouths gape and they all had these stories about waiting for hours and hours. My personal theory is that every time I came there I was calm, polite, nice and never raised my voice and to Greeks who are really used to shouting at each other that is really weird and disconcerning so they did everything they could to get rid of me :-D :-D :-D

Why he failed to check in is irrelevant. Did he check in? No. Pay up.

This is nice vid, you are really good at storytelling Jen!

Nevidím v tom problém českého úředníka, ale pravidla nastavená dublinskou společností Ryanair. Ona funguje způsobem jako elektroměr Mr. Beana. ( ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Sg3a6edVBcg.html )

Jen, these are low cost rules. There are a lot of business conditions behind a cheap ticket. If I want a 15mil UBER ticket in LONDON, it's basically unfair to ask a Ryanair representative for a childish excuse to do something that's explicit in the terms and conditions of carriage. I can promise you as a Czech , that in America with Low Cost such as Southwest airlines and others , a similar action will be followed by the representative and possibly his supervisor only :sorry next. The fact that he helped you somehow was due to many other factors than just the fact that you acted somehow differently than the Englishman in question. However, in conclusion, travelling with lowcost is a much riskier business. That's the price of a cheap ticket. Because this price is inherently dumped and actually economically unrealistic. Well, that's a long story.

As an actual czech bureaucrat (tax office specifically), though a relatively fresh one so far, I can confirm that I know very well just how f*cked up the system (rules) is and I don't have a problem saying so to the "clients", but as the lowest man on the totem pole, while I will do as much as I can to bend the rules, there are some things that I just can't do, simply because I can't push it through our piece of sh!t system (IT) from early 90's... Fun fact: did you know that in many native american cultures, the lower you got on the totem pole, the more prestigious it was? So the lowest should actually be the most prestigious, but that's not how the saying is used, so...

Fantastic story :-D

I am Czech, and this is so true. Living in the U.S. for 25 years had real hard time adjusting to the U.S. way.

This is so interesting, all in all, we've had a really positive experience here with the úřad ladies and gents. They were always trying to help and figured things out even though they had to put up with our minimal level of Czech.

I’m from Czech Republic and I found these information really useful and I’m gonna use them in my life thanks 🙏

Im a Canadian with a Czech father and this explanation is how my dad treats his kids. 😆 thank you for this, its another piece of information that helps me understand that being a child to some czechs is like czech customer service. Můj táta je Česky Šéf.

Jen I like your videos and a fresh PoV on our mentality. Usually you are spot on, however here - you are waaaaay off: - the check in guy doesn't work for the airline. He LL be doing check-in for Ryan air now and for AF an hour later. For every airline he has his script, process and set of rules. - this is not a Czech bureaucracy - this is how low cost airlines make money. Fly BA, the ticket will be €300 and your check in will be included - on contrary this is a typical example of American (Westerly) mentality - i mess something up and I expect everyone will be jumping though hoops for me. As for the English man - I don't believe that throughout his stay he didn't manage to find a single wifi where he could do a check in (we even have them on buses now! Not to mention McDonald's or Starbucks on every corner). - If the check in didn't work for you - talk to the agent, he should be able to see why and he should have the option to waive that fee. But don't abuse it because you are lazy to read and understand the T&Cs or to find and open wifi in capital city (as for the English man again their choice to leave EU and the roaming policies 😉

Instant huge fan !! Love these vids. Been in Prg 4 years and was married to a Czech 👌👍🤘

hilarious story... that was fun :D

Přesně takhle to dělám a všechno mi je odpuštěno. :D

I Love your videos !!!

Well said .... funny and informing ...

Love the video! :D But where did you get your lamp & TV stand?!

Hilarious!!! You are such a good observer

Tak jsem konečně pochopila tu hlášku z amerických filmů "chci mluvit s vaším nadřízeným!". Myslela jsem si, že dotyčný zákazník spíš snaží zaměstnanci takto vyhrožovat než si sjednat nějaké výhody. Každopádně je to děsivý, že v US něco výhodnějšího získá ten, kdo si to umí "vydupat". To už bychom se rovnou na pravidla mohli vykašlat, když si pak každý třetí bude sjednávat nějakou "výjimku". V tomhle jsem typická Češka, pravidla by měla platit pro všechny stejně. V Česku by to bylo nepřípustné, kdyby takhle někdo někoho zvýhodňoval, přestože by na to dotyčný neměl nárok. Zaměstnanec prostě jen dělá svou práci, nemůže za "nelogičnost" systému... A máš tady super vlasy. :)

Jen, I am sorry but I have to disagree. I work at customer service and I always do my best for the customers but there are many situations where I cannot do anything about the problem and many times even my manager cannot do anything about it. When it comes to your experience - if everybody checked-in online, the employee wouldn't have to be there. I also think that one of the reasons that the price of the fee is so high is that people are then careful to check-in online in advance as much as possible to avoid the fee. 😀In general, the tickets are so cheap because they don't provide that good service and because you have to do as much as possible yourself online - everything extra is very expensive, as people already mentioned here. I understand that the employee could print the ticket for you but if he did so often, he may get in trouble with his manager (or at least I would do at my job). If I were him, I would probably try to follow the rules as well. And when you make an exception to one person, it is always hard for other customers that won't get an exception, all of them want to avoid the fee and they could get even angrier at the employee, which is understandable. So it's really tricky for the employees to make exceptions for anyone (and in many other situations they really cannot make even one exception). But if the reason that people cannot check-in online is because of a bad app, that's a different situation and is worth making a complain, of course... I know that the bureaucracy in CZ can be really bad and there are many things to improve, but when it comes to this situation, I am not sure that it's that much of a Czech thing. I think that it would happen to you in many countries as well (but this is maybe just a matter of opinion). Anyways, I am glad that you were able to avoid the costly fee and the employee was able to help you. 🙂 This is my first comment on your channel and I am sorry that it is quite negative. I am one of your many Czech fans (I know most of your viewers are Czech, so embarrassing 😀). I enjoy watching your videos, so keep up with your amazing work please. 🙂❤

Exactly said. "Fair" means that there are the same rules applied to everyone (it does not apply only to suffering :-) ). What he see as "fair" we would label as "proportional"(?). Great insights on your part.

Okrádání turistů je u nás docela běžné a proto jsem rád že existují týpci jako Kluci z Prahy, kteří na to upozorňují.

Je lepší drama před odletem než drama za letu. To je typický český přístup. :)

Good show Jen, that is exactly how it works. I see you got the Czech spirit.

The title honestly got me curious! I need to know!! 😂 (but I get into touch with urad like once every few years, so I can't appreciate the desperation properly)

Ano ucinit se bezmocna muze pomoci...ale byt krasna..zena jako jste vy..pracuje temer vzdy....take Vas sarm...a zdvorilost .jsou dobri pomocnici🌞💐🌻

Hey, Jenn! In these cases, the Czech Republic is the opposite of America - in the USA the customer is always 'right', in the Czech Republic the official is always 'right'! Otherwise, praise for the clever approach - the Englishman pointed out the stupidity of the airline and thus reduced the seriousness of even the official, which is not forgiven! You pretended to be wrong on your part and begged for help, thereby raising the seriousness of the official and giving him the opportunity to demonstrate that it was within his power to forgive you for the transgression and help the 'weak woman!' Unfortunately, as user Martin Herák has already written here, this trick usually only works if the official is a man and the applicant is a pretty woman in trouble - it works great even in the case of traffic violations against Czech police officers, so it is not a trick to outwit Czechs, but a typical example of 'gender equality' for which feminists fight so hard! 🤓😂😉😄😆😛

As I Czech person living abroad, I totally understand. It’s like language, if you change the country, you have to change your behavior… especially in Czechia 😀

this advice is totally on point, and should be given to many people even Czech/Slovak who are trying American way of handling these situations.

What an amazing story. I have never thought about it, but I think this is exactly the best possible way to handle these situations in CZ. Similar thing happened to me just last week, when I ordered food online and left my phone in the other room. I forgot about it and only remembered few hours later. So I just said to the service person it was my fault and they just sent me new fresh food with no extra charge or anything. I think part of it is probably that people in these kind of jobs get 100 people screaming at them and being indignant every day and they probably appreciate when every now and then, someone is actually not rude and horrible to them. They know the system is unfair, but what can they do, it's their job to enforce these stupid rules. Honestly, I don't think I could do a job like that. I think the employee at the airport was probably super grateful to you for getting rid of that guy before you and acknowledging that it wasn't his fault.

I like your approach and I'd recommend it too. If you need to convince someone to do something for you, it works better if that person feels good about it in the end :) If you make him feel stupid (or angry) you are not very likely to succeed.

I assume he told you, Hi Jen, how are you, are you flying on a smaller ride? Nice to see you, have a nice flight and a big smile. 😅👌🥰

Heh, takže v zahraniční mám místo požádání o pomoct s problémem, se dožadovat nadřízeného, nebo apelovat na spravedlnost (čímž bude úředník nespravedlivý vůči ostatním). Šílené 😁

In New York City the 'customer is always right' doesn't always fly. I remember a manager at a retail store telling me once..."The customer is always in the ...way."

Great point, same in Slovakia!

Hi Jen, the Old Quibbler at your service once again! ;) First things first - when it comes to cheap airlines/shops/services/etc. there is a Czech saying U should brand inside of your brain and keep it there for the rest of your life (as it holds true always and everywhere): "Co nestojí nic, to nestojí za nic." (roughly: "What costs nothing is worth nothing."). The second point is - U dealt really right with your check-in situation, but except for the advantage of your already highly developed (Czech) streetwise senses (to suppress your American instinct reactions in a right time) U had one more advantage over the overly "fair" nad "logical" Englisman and it was your gender...! As a woman U can play a "damsel in distress" towards the men far more successfully then any man would normaly do. ;) But overall U were right - "the little Czech man" often likes to show power over the others but same often he (unless totally way-out) likes to show mercy toward those who nicely put themselves (and play it well) at his mercy - as it gives him even greater feeling of being not only in charge but also morally superior for being generous when he did not have to. Nothing but simple rule of psychology: "Give and you shall receive.". But nice story anyway. Hope it did not get your sister too discouraged from visiting our little basin... ;)

lol, good one!

Interesting psychological analysis. :-D I would say it fits.

ten systém vymysleli Íri z Ryanair nie češi. A Briti sú predsa ako ich bratia, navyše dodržovanie pravidiel je Britská doména. Tie drakonické poplatky sú práve preto lebo tie lístky sú tak šialene lacné

Díky tobě jsme teď i na tento systém připraveni a nedáme se. 😁😁😁

.... pssssstttt, you should not give away the Czech secrets !!! You are one of us, so you must keep it in "the family"! :D btw., amazing video as always.

Funny thing, I watched this video and the very next day I had trouble with checking in through the app for Spirit Airlines as a Czech in the US :D

Velice zábavné video , velice jsem se tomu zasmál .. (Systém přeci funguje skvěle ) ..

Jen, you are the best! Right now I am not successful dealing with my Czech Airbnb host even that I know the AIRBNB would be on my side. I will vent my anger when I am safely back in Canada.

I worked in retail 2 years ago and I think the reason why the humble method works on Czechs is not because they are faithful to the system but because the customers are mostly neutral or rude to them (including their supervisors or managers). So when a person is nice to them (when there's some problem) he's the nice exception from most people that workers are grateful for. Unfortunately it's too easy to forget that the worker is just a human too and usually can't change the system or procedure even if he wants or knows that it's a broken system. The worker is also told by managers that when there will be a problem, he should always take the blame. He can't tell the customer that it's their fault (even if it is). Personally I couldn't manage to work there much longer. It was mentally draining for me.

Yesh that is not a czech problem but a Ryanair problem and quite frankly you pay for anything extra you want - service at the airport like checking in, luggage ect… also the coach bus from stansted is far cheaper than train. I don’t know, but it does not seem unfair to me, it is not included in the ticket because you are paying 2x less 😀

So good. During the pandemic, I had to get a negative covid test at the hospital before being allowed to fly home to the states. They gave me the wrong type of covid test at the hospital, despite it being their fault and when I realized this it was a big/uncomfortable fight for them to eventually correct this and give me the appropriate/ time sensitive! test for free. Before I even opened my mouth, they knew I was going to get all let me speak to your manager. I'm a social worker in the U.S with African refugees and their cultural bureaucrat strategies often backfire here and make things worse for themselves, they often get highly emotional and try to appeal to worker's humanity about their hardship situation vs.. the American, rational appeal to fairness tactic.

Wonderfull story - im czech and agree with it :)

Lovely ! 💐 You showed respect and good manners to another person it's nice . It's not like trying beating someone's reputation. We grow up on respect not on reputation. It has similarities with how things works out not what person did. (past) that attention on... Unfortunately this has been changing. You can read it in News the structure Czech grammar. Young generation got opportunity apply their skills in society. Internet news writing more about what person did or said more than what was doing.

Yes, very good one. Czechs also act the way how they feel that day. You also said "Dobry den", in Czech. It helps !!

I am Czech and I still sometimes struggle when dealing with the local bureaucrats:) I think I have inner Englishman. I still think you can often beat the system with the 'reasonable approach', but you need a lot of patience for that, because there will be resistance at every step. I get a real sense of accomplishment when they admit their system was indeed flawed (and imply I was in the right, they somehow never say that directly, and it is never their fault). It is much faster to just go with it and acknowledge they have the power, and that you really regret not being able to not know the system as well as they do and ask humbly if they can help you out. Actually, that is my other favourite approach, (which does not give me a warm feeling of beating the system, but works quite reliably) just to play dumb, and ask for their help with every little thing so I can promise to do it right the next time.

Jen is an excellent observer :-)

Hi, did you ever make a video about differences between pros and cons of living long term in each country? Like point system of which country has more pros than cons in healthcare social care and rights etc. comparatively? I would love to learn which country is technically and objectively better to live in. Thanks for making these videos they are very informative and funny.

'in his civilised world' - great wording

Love your English gentleman impersonation! You rock it like a true American!

I'm Czech. In a flight from Britain to Czech Republic with British Airways i exceeded the weight of my suitcase just by two kilos. The plane was supposed to be only half full with passengers, so I apealled on the system for not being fair, when I had to pay 1 500 czech crowns for mere two kilos. The lady didn't want to discuss it at all and when I tried it for the third time, she clearly showed me that I might not fly home. I don't think this would be the domain of Czechs in particular.

At the Check-in doesn't work airline employes, but handling company emloyees who do the check-in and gate service for all of the companies flying from Prague. If they violate the airline rules the handling company and the employees can have a trouble because of that.

This is so spot on I almost feel insulted hahaha. I also, even as a czech person, have my own little tricks especially for dealing with grumpy czechs. The trick is enthusiasm and sympathy! Jobs can be tiring especially food service and basically any job involving serving people in some way. Smiling as you greet them, as you thank them just generally treating them as you would like to be treated. Other is making them feel like they are your "saviour" when you need something. Summing it up most czechs have a hero complex and a praise kink hahahhaha. (also tipping in bussinesses - even tho it's not enforced in our culture, rewarding people will change their demeanor greatly! I make sure to tip the workers when they pump gas for me. While I pay and get a coffe they literally make my car look spotless! Tipping is great especially in places you visit often like tailors, favourite pubs and coffee shops... Those workers WILL remember you after a couple visits and treat you completly differently.)

Great advice! and yes, Budget airlines is the worst!!

Im a bit embarrassed because as a Norwegian I thought «how would I react to this?». And I came to the conclusion that it wouldnt occur to me that the system is bad and that I would assume being late somehow caused so much trouble for the AirPort straff that they would have to fee me not to lose money. So I would most likely apologize to the man for not reading up on the rules in advance and causing them trouble, then I would pay the fee without arguing or barganing.

No lidi si musí uvědomit že se ten „low cost“ musí někde zákonitě projevit. Od check-inu přes systém/aplikaci až po pilota a údržbu… to je potřeba popřemýšlet, že sice je ta letenka levná, ale je to na úkor něčeho a jestli do takovýho letadla vůbec chce :D … pak člověk něco udělá jen trochu špatně, ani ne svojí vinou, a už platí přemrštěný částky navíc. Ten check-in agent s tím možná ani nemohl nic udělat i kdyby chtěl, ale hádám že mu to bylo jedno :D ... ale jo, je to dobrej příklad. Prostě zákazníka odrbat tak, že se už ani musí vracet. Je to krátkozraký, ale na dobré jméno firmy se už dneska prostě moc nehraje. I'm awfully sorry my old chap, but you should’ve booked your flight with a respectable airline

Genius, truly.

That make sense, appealing on fairnes forces the employee to make statement, that his company rules are stupid, which is making him bad. But when you just eat humble pie, it gives him opportunity to break rules/makes exception and looks like a hero.

The best approach here is always the empathetic one. The person you’re talking to is mostly not responsible for your issue, yet they’re getting yelled at for it the whole day. So when you come to them with a smile, express that you know it’s not their fault but you need their help, the chains around their heart will break a little.

Jen this was great! I will probably bring it to my CQ (Cultural Intelligence) class. As for calling a manager, they don't seem to exist. I have been kicked out of two restaurants/pubs now for just sitting there. Once I came up to the bartender and asked to pay with a 1000 KC note, always a bad move, and she tabbed out the whole table for the entire night of drinking. She did not ask me zvlast nebo dohromady. So I went to my table and told the people I was drinking with what happened, thinking they would reimburse me for the bill, but instead, they drunkenly marched up to the bar and complained. And the waitress kicked us out. I asked, isn't there a manager here? The waitress was minding the pub on her own. Again, one night at a new bistro burger place, we were asked if we wanted a last beer before closing; the waitress brought the beer, we tipped her kindly, and then she started sweeping under our feet. My friend asked in perfect Czech, prosím počkejte, až to dokončíme. In a huff, she turned the light off in the room and then went to get the dishwasher to kick us out. I asked to see the manager, but there was not one. (No manager at close to count the till !?!) We left two full beers on the table in a dark room, and march out before the dishwasher did us harm. Finally, one of my students a hotel clerk, told me a story about a Russian man, who locked his key into his hotel room. She called the locksmith to get him back in his room and charge HIM the fee, no backup key/no manager ???. Do you think that owners are so loath to pay more than a skeleton staff to be present that they forget people who work for hourly wages, don't care if the customers return or not? Also, I almost never try to return food here. But one time my smazak was absolutely rancid and I asked for another and the waiter absolutely refuse. I paid for the foul cheese, never to return. I wish my Czech had been good enough at the time to say, Když to sníš, zaplatím ti to. But even now I don't think I would be quick-witted enough to say it correctly at the right time.

Well, I guess the check-in guy was just tired of people giving him reasons why they were not able to check-in and decided he would not stand two in the row :-)

Been there, done that :)

Dobře ty ✋

Normálně mi spadla brada! :-D

Good job, getting familiar with our rituals and native dances is important part of becoming Czech :) The point is, people usually don't identify with their employer. A lot of the time they hate their job and the only reason they don't go find a different job is because they know it won't be better elsewhere. Therefore they want to do absolute minimum to get their wages. They don't feel obligated to do anything beyond their duties and they hate if someone tries to make them responsible for faults of their employer. But if you get their sympathy, they will help you. It's not because they want to fix what their employer caused. They just get a good feeling for helping a sympathetic stranger and that makes them willing to take the small risk that comes with bending the processes the employer has set up for them to work. Also, calling for manager does not help because the manager hates his job no less than the cashier.

You are showing fundamental misunderstanding of the concept. It's called System of the falling shit (systém padajícího hovna). Pointing out this system is shit is pointless since everyone who needs to clean it at the end knows it. A better approach is to make your problem, somebody else’s problem. You did everything in your powers to sort it out, but you just can't. I think this is going to be true for most post-socialist countries. It's not that people don't want to help (for the majority), it's just that helping the customer (in this context) might lead in the future to be chewed out by the manager or worse, getting fired. That is unless the fault is at the company which would lead to sorting the problem according to the company policy (which might take a while and not even lead to solution) or just sort it by all means possible at the moment and worry about it later since not doing so would be worse.

Hello, Jen, Love your videos. I am czech born and raised and I actually used to work in various roles as a customer support representative for US customers so I think I can share some insights/angles on what you described in the video. 1) The price for the checkin really seems high, but that being said, I have to take the side of the airlines over the british man. The "data issues" really sounds like an excuse. Usually you have to book your plane way in advance and there is a Wi-fi all over the place, pretty much every fastfood place in Prague has one. If he really did have data issues, it only shows the lack of planning on his side. Thats something that was 100% in his control. 2) "Surely you see how unfair your system is" By saying stuff like that, you are immediately putting people on a defense even if they agree with it, simply for the fact that they are representing it there and you are expressing that you connect the two as well. Very likely he isnt even allowed the say he doesnt agree with it or say anything like "I am just following the rules" as it would be bad customer service. 3) "Not a way to approach someone, especially if they have modicum of power" Nothing to do with power. The customer service people are given the rules by the company and they are following them as they were trained. And the rules are usually there for a reason. They are not the ones making the rules so they are not really in any sort of power. From their perspective, they are being a good employee. You are the one who is trying to break the rules. Sidenote to this, especially during communist times, the system and bureaucracy was very rigid so people are used to not negotiate about this kind of stuff. Also, and I am basing this is just on experience, it seems to me, that younger people are generally more approachable as clerks, which I think is another symptom of the communist era. People didnt really have to worry about their jobs (didnt have to worry about getting fired), everything was set in stone, it was just different mindset. But it could also just be that I am young guy myself, so people relate to me more and hence are more approachable. Also, a lot of the time the older you get, the less you care, especially in public sector, where the requirements for customer service just arent that high. 4) "An american asks to speak to a manager" Yeah, I experienced this a lot and it really seems to be americans specialty. Here is the thing, the manager in this regard ofetn has the same "power" as the employee does (especially if we are talking about big corporations). The difference is, that while both, the clerk and the manager are trying their best to help you, the managers are there usually longer and they know which rules they can bend, but ultimately, they are as well sticking their head out for you. Thats why I find that "I want to speak to the manager" approach incredibly entitled, way beyond obnoxious. Its condescending to the employee and you are basically signaling that you are somehow better than everyone else, deserving better treatment than everyone else. Also keep in mind, that these "low level" customer service jobs have high fluctuation of employees (one more reason why they dont know which rules they can bend) and the people who start yelling at them, asking for manager certainly arent helping in that regards. 5) You also mentioned his argument: "Think of a father of two small children..." I dont understand what that argument was supposed to achieve. He already explained his situation (which was different), so effectively he is playing "would you rather" with the clerk and is just attempting cheap emotional blackmail. 6) "Appealing to justice or fairness or reason is not the way to get czech person to do what you want" That actually sounds like contradiction to what you are saying in your story. The british guy in his argumentation basically mostly tried emotional blackmail, spewing arguments like "Its unfair", overall playing the emotional card, while basically failing at the only thing he was supposed to do (other than show up). As opposed to you, who mentioned "I couldnt figure out the application" which could be reasonably argued, that partially can be fault of their company as well. Granted, it really might have been your humble approach, which convinced him (it definitely didnt hurt), it might have helped you, that you are a women and in "damsel in distress role", it could have been the reasons you described (who is kidding who, its probably combination of all of the above), but we will never know for sure what this particular clerk was thinking. 7) "They devoted their career to enforcing those unreasonable rules" This ties to my point 3, but also its probably not the first time people tried to get an exception with the same reasoning and arguments you already presented, whatever the topic is. Few more sidenotes to what you said: - As you said yourself, its not fault the customer representative, that those rules are in place. Its always good to keep that in mind when dealing with people. Just because he happens to be there and you are the customer, they are still people just trying to make a living with as complex lives as your own. - I think you said something among the lines like "Convince them the problem is entirely your fault." I would say objectively owning up to your own faults (or taking initiative), is always going to be attractive to people and actually certain sign of maturity or dominance, so it will always earn you points in any interaction (even if you might necessarily be 100% at fault). I dont think thats anything specific to czechs. I would say universally this is going to work the best to have people help you. If that fails, nothing else will (other than your "asking for a manager" approach, but again, there is the caveat of expecting others to put their livelyhood on the line for you). - Good point, about trying to convince people, that their system is screwed up and makes no sense. I had a discussion like that with my mom about our communist grandmother and as my mother correctly pointed out, if you try to convince them, that their whole life they basically "served the wrong side" it would be "devasting" for them, basically forcing them to challenge their entire lifes decisions. Obviously, questioning some random clerk is not as severe as that, but the essence is the same. If you read all this, thank you very much for paying attention. I would be happy to disucss specifics and wish you the best. - Jakub

As one of the bureaucrats I absolutely agree. Do number 2 on our lawn us and we'll bury u alive in negative responses. Cooperate and we'll do everything we can to help you bypass this horsecrap. And always remember, we can get into heap of trouble ourselves if we don't follow the rules, be it rather nasty fine, bonus suspension for several months which can sometimes make as much as fifth of the wage, or kick out of the chair which is just so cozy we don't want to get bailed out)

hahaha, clever, but it works just for pretty girl, like you are. For me...1600Kč

👍 👍 👍!!!

Do you know The Trial (Proces) by Franz Kafka? He was a German-speaking Bohemian.