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Do the Czechs have honesty and decency. Lies and Czechs. Trust the Czechs, but check. Lies and cunning in the Czech Republic

How the Czechs cheat. Personal experience and reviews on the Internet. Do foreigners in the Czech Republic expect cheating from the Czechs? Or do foreigners rely solely on Czech decency if the Czech Republic belongs to “Europe”? Perhaps some of you were treated unfairly in the Czech Republic. And you ask the question: “Is this a general phenomenon or a special case?”

Many Czechs, like the brave soldier Schweik, are happy to bypass the Czech rules, inflate the state and the rest of the Czechs. Many Czechs, on the contrary, comply with all agreements, regulations and laws in full.

Czechs act honestly or not in ordinary life, it’s up to you to decide after reading this post. How the Czechs cheat.

Was Soldier Schweik an honest Czech?

The main book of the Czechs and about the Czechs is the work of the writer Yaroslav Hasek “The Adventures of the Brave soldier Schweik”. Soldier Schweik is not only a good-natured and executive fool who loves beer and food. Schweik constantly gets into different situations. This is how foreigners usually imagine it. But apart from all this, the Czech soldier Schweik is a weasel, a profit seeker and a big liar.

The brave soldier Schweik even entered into colloquial Czech. In the Czech language there is a word “švejkovat”, which means “to pretend that you are obedient and fulfilling your duties, to walk away from unpleasant things and conversations under the guise of a fool, to try to evade everything, as if with jokes.”

Soldier Schweik is considered a national Czech treasure. Many foreign and Czech readers believe that Schweik is a collective portrait of a typical Czech. A typical Czech is not too strong-willed, not too bold, but quirky, and constantly looking for a better way to get settled, often at someone else’s expense. And at the same time cheerful, not losing a sense of humor.

Modern literary criticism does not believe that Hasek satirically describes the traits of the Czech character. Rather, the opinion is accepted that the book “The Adventures of the Brave Soldier Schweik” is a criticism of the war, the senseless death of people, a description of the decomposition of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the mood in society at that time.

If desired, you can find similarities between individual features of the Czechs and the soldier Schweik. Even if Yaroslav Hasek did not set himself the goal of ridiculing something in the character of the Czechs, he could not help but notice some of the sins of the Czechs.

Who should submit a Czech tax declaration

How Czech car service stations cheat

Fraud in the Czech Republic. One of the areas where the Czechs are happy to cheat their fellow citizens and foreigners is car service stations, car bazaars, car dealerships and almost everything related to cars.

Czech tricks:

• Put a Chinese part, and punch the original German spare part in the receipt? Yes, for a sweet soul.
• To adjust the kilometer counter before selling? What questions can there be.
• Lying about the history or condition of a used car? Welcome to the Czech Republic!

How Czechs lie. Be prepared that in the garage they will advise you completely unnecessary diagnostics and assure you that it’s time to change the belt that you recently changed yourself.

It is impossible to negotiate any prices in advance in the Czech Republic at a car service. What price you will be told for repairs, that’s how much you will pay for the repair of your car. Here is a link about the dishonesty of the Czechs in the automotive sector –

www.autoweb.cz/poctivy-servis-je-jako-jehla-v-kupce-sena

Czechs have been trying to solve the problem of dishonest Czechs working in private auto repair shops or related to the sale of cars for a long time. To do this, car mileage registers have been created, which make it almost impossible to adjust the odometer. There are experts who can be paid for advice when buying a car. They will look at five used cars with you, knock them down to the last screw.  Experts will tell you how much the car actually costs.

Do Czech artisans hack?

How the Czechs cheat. The notorious Czech gold craftsmen and workers often hack during construction and repair work. If you think that the master of tile wall cladding, who drank vodka or beer in the morning, is a specialist from Ukraine and Moldova, then you are mistaken.

In the Czech Republic, there is also such a type of professional workers. Especially local craftsmen sin with alcohol, who, even when sober, do not have the best quality of the work performed.

Here is a personal experience. My acquaintance with a master who liked to drink happened in a student dormitory. The administration sent a craftsman to change the tile in the bathroom. The worker came at 10 o’clock in the morning with an apprentice boy, worked for two hours, and after lunch disappeared somewhere. He came at 14:00 already drunk, without a boy, did something in the bathroom and went home. After two days of work, the inspection in the person of the administration of the hostel found a poorly and crookedly fixed tile on the walls. The master was kicked out of this job in disgrace. The order for the production of works was received by another master.

Czechs are liars. This is just one of my examples, there are still similar examples of unprofessional work and irresponsibility of masters. At any moment, the master can go on a binge and violate the deadlines for the completion of work.

How Czechs cheat when hiring an apartment

I know of several cases when the landlord did not return the deposit when renting an apartment. Allegedly, in the Czech Republic it is a ubiquitous phenomenon, a “national sport”. Although I have not personally encountered this, I do not deny that it can happen, and quite often.

Since I rent an apartment myself, I will share my personal experience of how the calculation should take place in my understanding upon termination or expiration of the apartment lease agreement.

I send my tenants a receipt for the transfer of the apartment. I ask my tenants if they agree that we will check the condition of the apartment together according to my list. On the day of the transfer, we, together with the tenant, make a tour of the apartment and note in the checklist whether the condition of a particular item in the apartment corresponds to the condition marked in the list. For example, here is an excerpt from my checklist:

Předsíň

Vstupní dveře:

• jdou uzavřít [ ]
• jdou zamknout klíčem [ ]
• klíč je předán [ ]

Koupelna

• Teče teplá a studená voda [ ]
• Záchod splachuje [ ]
• Záchodové prkno je funkční [ ]
• Umyvadlo odtéká [ ]

…

After we have checked the condition of the apartment together, we agree on which shortcomings the tenant eliminates at his own expense, and which ones I eliminate. I tell the tenant in advance that I can eliminate all the shortcomings myself, but the amount of the returned deposit will be reduced by the price of eliminating the shortcomings.

In my case, this tactic was successful. The tenants themselves whitewashed the apartment before renting, washed the windows, changed the toilet seat, and eliminated ten other minor flaws. We parted in peace and harmony.

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Do Czechs take bribes?

From personal experience, I can say that bribes are not taken at the level of human interaction with the authorities in the Czech Republic. Moreover, it is categorically not recommended to solve issues in the Czech Republic by transferring money or other benefits. At best, you may encounter misunderstanding, at worst, you can seriously harm your business.

Corruption in the Czech Republic. Scam in the Czech Republic

On the other hand, corruption exists and flourishes in the Czech Republic. Corrupt officials steal money from our taxes, but in any case they do not extort them directly, with the help of bribes.

“Three participants are involved in the basic corruption scheme — a godfather, a politician and an official. Kuma has a company that needs orders. Therefore, he agrees with the politician to conclude a public contract for his company, regardless of whether the contract is necessary or significant from the point of view of public interests. For the fulfillment of the contract, the politician pays the kuma company money from the state budget, that is, money received from citizens. The task of awarding a contract or subsidy is usually entrusted to a subordinate official.” Such information was printed by the editors of the Korupce jako parazit (Corruption as a parasite) website – http://korupcejakoparazit.cz/

“As soon as the Kuma company wins a state contract and money from the state begins to flow, this money is divided into two piles in the kuma company. The first part of the money goes to fulfill the contract, for example, the construction of a school or a road. The rest of the money — for example, through anonymous firms — goes to those who participated in the creation of a government contract or grant project and its subsequent manipulation.” (Korupce jako parazit)

Fraud in the Czech Republic

To the credit of the Czech police and the prosecutor’s office, it must be said that the police do not sit idle. From the high-profile cases of recent years: the personal assistant of Prime Minister Nechas, who is in close relations with him, allegedly accepted expensive gifts from various persons for whispering something specific to the prime minister in his ear. The Prime minister has resigned, the courts are still proceeding with varying success. Or the case of the head of the regional administration, David Rath, who sat down for accepting money in a box of wine.

All kinds of becherovka cz. How to drink czech becherovka

Is it safe on the streets in the Czech Republic. Banditry and hooliganism in the Czech Republic

In terms of household security in the Czech Republic, everything is fine. However, there is still no clear answer to the question posed. The answer depends very much on the area and the specific place. In general, in underground passages near train stations, bus stations, and transport stops, as a rule, there are more violations than in other parts of the city. But, again, it depends on the specific location. A well-lit metro station with short and clean passages full of people is an absolutely safe place.

In Ostrava, for example, long and narrow crossings to Naměstí republiky and in general the area of the ÚAN bus station and the hlavní nádraží railway station in the center are not considered safe. I had a conflict in broad daylight with a group of untidy drinking people in the Naměstí republiky — ÚAN crossing, after unnecessary comments from these people about my alleged orientation. Usually I don’t react to the behavior of bad-smelling guys sitting idly on benches, but this time they got into a fight, I called the police.

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How Czechs cheat in business

In business, in my humble experience, many Czechs do not consider it something shameful to cheat their partners. Relying on the honesty or “concepts” of the Czechs in business is a sure way to collapse. All transactions related to business, or some transactions, such as the purchase or sale of real estate, car, etc., I strongly recommend that you make out in writing, with careful proofreading of the text of the contract. I don’t recommend just saying the conditions several times, you can always misunderstand something.

We can say that there is no concept of business ethics in Czech business. In Czech business, people more or less don’t care what they think about them. Most of the Czech society still has a negative opinion of businessmen, which many authors consider to be the legacy of the 90s, so most businessmen already have thick armor.

Charlatanism in the Czech Republic. The accrual of huge interest on consumer loans, the sale of property under the hammer for insignificant debts, the debt of minors due to the inattention or negligence of their parents or guardians — all this is in the Czech Republic.

How Czech language schools are deceived

How the Czechs cheat. The deception of Czechs in Czech language courses is very clearly manifested. In case of termination of the contract on the initiative of students due to the inability to obtain a visa to the Czech Republic, most private language schools in the Czech Republic refuse to return the paid advance payment for studies. Czech language schools do not refund tuition fees if a student cannot attend courses for health reasons. Here’s Czech decency for you!

In order to be eligible for the return of the paid funds, it is necessary that:

• the courses have been canceled or the Consulate of the Czech Republic does not accept visa documents or did not accept them at the time when they needed to be issued for your trip.
• Due to the Government’s decision, citizens of third countries cannot visit the Czech Republic.

Student’s review. I was planning to go to study in the Czech Republic. For health reasons, I cannot go to study. According to the terms of the contract, I wrote and mailed a letter for termination of the contract and refund. But they answer me, in order to return the money, you must cancel the visa. But there is no information on how to do this anywhere, no one knows anything, besides, our Consulate in Astana does not work. I.e. the language school deliberately creates conditions in order not to return the money to us.

You may ask, how can I earn money from rejections of programs?
Many language schools, before the start of the provision of services, issue an invoice for the deposit, which is indicated in contracts to varying degrees as non-refundable. In a simple way, if you do not get a visa due to closed consulates and cannot come to study, no one returns the prepayment to you. It was this amount that became a profit for the school.

The fraud of the schools also consisted in the fact that they accepted pledges, far exceeding the limits of the number of students set by the license of the Czech Ministry of Education.

Czech language courses in Prague for foreigners

Cheating Czechs when shopping online

Falsification in the Czech Republic. I often shop online in stores and from ordinary Czechs. Two times I was deceived by sellers on the Aukro website. Once I bought headphones, and the seller sent me a fake in the Czech Republic. I told the seller that I would contact the police and the money was returned to me.

I have never been deceived in branded stores on the Internet. During the restrictions caused by the coronavirus, I often bought clothes online. Czech Zoot handles refunds perfectly. Immediately, just in case, they put a paid sticker with a return address in the parcel. The money is returned regularly.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Spanish Zara. The sticker with the return address was free, but you had to generate it on the website and print it out manually. But first they returned the money for the clothes, and two weeks later they returned the money for the shipment. I ordered a jacket. The jacket did not suit me in style and appearance.

How to cheat in Czech supermarkets

The performance. In Czech supermarkets, you need to carefully check the products. Very often you can find products with expired shelf life. The store staff simply apologizes for comments and gives discount coupons “for attentiveness”, but the situation does not change from year to year.

In some supermarkets in the Czech Republic, staff were seen repacking expired products and labeling “fresh” labels. https://www.penize.cz/

Cheating in the Czech Republic. A common practice is injecting water into fresh meat in order to sell it by weight more expensive. Here is the information: https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/ekonomika/1110839-cerstve-maso-obcas-prekvapi-z-petiny-ho-tvori-voda

Personal advice. For some time now I have been trying to buy as many products as possible in small shops.

National dishes of Czech cuisine. What to eat in the Czech Republic

How tourists are deceived in the Czech Republic

In a separate paragraph, we will consider how tourists are deceived in Prague. Journalists Janek Rubeš and Honza Mikulka have been following the topic of exchange rates in Prague’s exchange offices for some time. A lot of them have understated courses. Until recently, due to shortcomings in the legislation, it was impossible to cancel the completed currency exchange operation. This was used by unscrupulous exchangers. Now the law has been corrected, but I think we still need to be on the alert.

In addition to the exchangers, the guys are dealing with the issue of unscrupulous Czech taxi drivers who deceive tourists. Tourists can’t always calculate how much a trip actually costs them. The guys have published a book and are running a cool HONEST GUID channel on Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/c/honestguide

Basic czech phrases with pronunciation for travelers

Honesty of the Czechs. Wallet Experiment

How the Czechs cheat. You may have heard about the wallet experiment. The aim of the researchers was to study what and when wins in a person: material gain or altruistic motives. Researchers “lost” tens of thousands of wallets with different amounts of money in different countries of the world, and began to wait for how many of them would return to the “owner”. The experimenters “lost” 17,000 wallets with various amounts of money in 355 cities from 40 countries of the world. In contrast to what rationalistic economic theory claims (human behavior is driven by personal gain and cold calculation), citizens were more likely to return wallets that had more money in them.

Wallets were “lost” in banks, theaters, museums, post offices, hotels or police stations. There were various amounts of money in the wallets — from zero to about 300 CZK. The wallet contained a business card of the fictional owner with contact information, a shopping list and keys. The results showed a high level of civic integrity in different countries. Is there untruth, falsehood, deceit, forgery and hoax in the Czech Republic?

The wallet experiment tested the honesty of people in the world. The Czech Republic’s rating came as a surprise

The Czechs returned almost 80% of wallets with cash and about 60% of those where there was no money. In the experiment, the Czechs surpassed the Germans, who returned more than 60% of wallets with money. In general, the Czechs surprisingly took the first places in the experiment, along with residents of Scandinavian countries, citizens of Switzerland or New Zealand. The authors of the experiment do not recommend making general conclusions from the results about the real behavior of people in certain countries. The study was published in the journal Science in 2019. Here is a link to the study – https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/ekonomika/experiment-s-penezenkou-proveril-poctivost-lidi-ve-svete-kte/r~cf1d13ae967011e9a305ac1f6b220ee8/.

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