Got a 10,000 HUF fine in Budapest Airport - How bad is it?

Ebe_Scrooge

jumperabv3 wrote: »

Sorry for bumping this topic but I just wanted to give you heads-up:

• I called Budapest Airport Police several times, got hanged up many times by idiots who don't speak English.
• At last after many calls I got to a person who speaks English properly - I asked him to confirm they received my payment - he took my details and my email and finally he sent me a confirmation by email they received the payment and the case is closed.
• I repeat one more time, unlike the advice given on the GOV.uk website the embassy is not the right place to help you.
• I suggest to anyone who gets a similar fine in the future to use a translator if he wants to avoid the hassles of asking for a payment confirmation - no need to pay a lawyer, just pay for a translator to speak on your behalf with them over the phone (do a conference via Skype) - or alternatively call many times and maybe you will be "lucky" like I was eventually to get to a person who speaks English properly.
• These idiots don't know English very well at all - one lady even laughed on the phone when I asked her why she hangs up the phone and doesn't answer - she answered me very slowly in Hungarian said something that sounds like Chinese to me, I told her it won't help if she speaks to me in Hungarian but she couldn't help and in my opinion was very rude like many of these people there.

I think the issue as far as I'm concerned is all settled now, I can freely visit Budapest again (I do have a payment confirmation and saved it), and there is no bad record - but for next time I will do my best to not put a knife in the hand-luggage ... especially when you visit countries that have many people that don't know how to say even 1 word in English.

How disgusting that they don't speak fluent English. Still, it shouldn't be a problem, presumably your Hungarian is faultless. Next time you visit, you may find this comes in handy :


http://www.montypython.net/scripts/phrasebk.php

jumperabv3

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

Next time you visit, you may find this comes in handy :

http://www.montypython.net/scripts/phrasebk.php

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Voyager2002

jumperabv3 wrote: »

Being cynical, using sarcasm, eh?
It's the airport police, airport is an International place, duh!

The police do not need to develop skills to help serve customers, like foreign languages. For example: I once needed to make a loss report in the centre of Vienna (a city where tourism is of great importance); and since I know a few words of German I was confident that I would be able to make myself understood. However, the officer on duty was having none of it, and rather than making the effort to understand me he made it clear that I should go away and come back when I could speak German. Fortunately I was there for a conference and was able to come back with a native speaker, but others might not be so lucky.

jumperabv3

Voyager2002 wrote: »

The police do not need to develop skills to help serve customers, like foreign languages. For example: I once needed to make a loss report in the centre of Vienna (a city where tourism is of great importance); and since I know a few words of German I was confident that I would be able to make myself understood. However, the officer on duty was having none of it, and rather than making the effort to understand me he made it clear that I should go away and come back when I could speak German. Fortunately I was there for a conference and was able to come back with a native speaker, but others might not be so lucky.

Okay, I accept/understand this now, thanks.

macman

jumperabv3 wrote: »

Okay, Mr. Perfect, I don't like your attitude so you can shove it.

Considering that your own first language clearly isn't English, I find your comments quite bizzarre.
But rest assured that the feeling is mutual.

jumperabv3

macman wrote: »

Considering that your own first language clearly isn't English, I find your comments quite bizzarre.

How do you assume I don't talk English properly? Do you see me writing to you like many other British people with there bizzarre mistakes. Their are lots of people like them ... my dad is American, born and raised in the US, lived there for 30+ years and spoke to me in American English since I was a baby and only in English ... I might not say "numba" in British but I know it means "number" in American English.

:A

gettingtheresometime

jumperabv3 wrote: »

Sorry for bumping this topic but I just wanted to give you heads-up:

• I called Budapest Airport Police several times, got hanged up many times by idiots who don't speak English.
• At last after many calls I got to a person who speaks English properly - I asked him to confirm they received my payment - he took my details and my email and finally he sent me a confirmation by email they received the payment and the case is closed.
• I repeat one more time, unlike the advice given on the GOV.uk website the embassy is not the right place to help you.
• I suggest to anyone who gets a similar fine in the future to use a translator if he wants to avoid the hassles of asking for a payment confirmation - no need to pay a lawyer, just pay for a translator to speak on your behalf with them over the phone (do a conference via Skype) - or alternatively call many times and maybe you will be "lucky" like I was eventually to get to a person who speaks English properly.
• These idiots don't know English very well at all - one lady even laughed on the phone when I asked her why she hangs up the phone and doesn't answer - she answered me very slowly in Hungarian said something that sounds like Chinese to me, I told her it won't help if she speaks to me in Hungarian but she couldn't help and in my opinion was very rude like many of these people there.

I think the issue as far as I'm concerned is all settled now, I can freely visit Budapest again (I do have a payment confirmation and saved it), and there is no bad record - but for next time I will do my best to not put a knife in the hand-luggage ... especially when you visit countries that have many people that don't know how to say even 1 word in English.

Perhaps they think you're an idiot for a) having a kitchen knife in your hand luggage when taking more than 100ml of liquid is banned and b) you don't speak hungarian.

jumperabv3

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

Perhaps they think you're an idiot for a) having a kitchen knife in your hand luggage when taking more than 100ml of liquid is banned and b) you don't speak hungarian.

So what's the need to bash me again for? You're too lazy to read the posts above you? By the way Hungarian is a VERY uncommon language, I think the only country that speaks Hungarian is Hungary, it's not a popular language like English / Spanish / French / German / Portuguese. PS Yo habla espanyol, poquito, no mucho, pero puedo hablar con otras personas en Espanya o America Latina ... how many languages do you speak you lazy lad? One? I can speak 3 languages and I don't see the need to know or learn how to speak Hungarian!

photome

Wow..why the anger OP?, calm down.....if only those idiots had been able to speak English hey

Ebe_Scrooge

jumperabv3 wrote: »

how many languages do you speak you lazy lad? One? I can speak 3 languages and I don't see the need to know or learn how to speak Hungarian!

Calm down, please, you're not making any friends on here by coming across as so arrogant.

I don't claim to be a linguist, far from it. I find learning foreign languages very difficult. But when I go abroad, I try and learn a few very basic things before I go - "Hello", "Goodbye", "Good Morning", "Please", "Thankyou" etc. Basic schoolboy stuff.

I'm not saying you should be fluent in the language before you go abroad, but learning a few key words/phrases is just common courtesy. And if you're not fluent in the local language, then you really have no right whatsoever to be slagging them off for not speaking your language.

I don't mean to come across as confrontational, but your general attitude does seem to be that of the "archetypal Brit abroad". You may get a more sympathetic ( and helpful ) response if you moderate your demeanour somewhat.