Hunglish.orgWhy is customer service so incredibly bad in Central Europe in general and Hungary in particular? Our man on the scene Scott Savoie advances his ideas.
written by Scott Savoie
One of the biggest gripes I hear from fellow expats is how bad the service is in Central Europe.
The complaints are especially vocal when people come from North America, a place where subservient drones and sycophants can get to the top of the corporate latter. And once at the top of that ladder (i.e. CEOs, politicians), you must kiss *everyone’s* hindquarters..
Kiss ass until you can get people to kiss your ass: That is the motto and the credo in the US.
In Hungary, there are other ways to get ahead (e.g. nepotism, kickbacks, etc.) and being too much of a brown noser will only earn you contempt from your colleauges; it won’t get you the corner office.
During the communist era, people had jobs for life regardless of result or work ethic. Enthusiasm or vigor were viewed with suspicion. Life seemed easier back then and some of those practices have become tradition.
I have found service in Hungary to have become more friendly as my language skills improved. Chatting a bit with people in their native tongue makes them much friendlier.
Speaking like a cross between Yoda and Rainman in their language or like an auctioneer on Benzedrine in English tends to alienate people, I have found.
The central question is: Is the lifestyle of Hungary worth adjusting to or not?
To people who complain about the slower pace of Hungary, I say: “Go home! The rat race awaits!”