# Biggest Culture Shock?



## FLOYD (May 26, 2008)

What was the biggest culture shock you experienced when first adjusting to australia?
The one thing where you said "I didn't expect it to be like this!"


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

That's quite a tough question for me since I'm not sure whether some of the culture shock is due to moving to Australia or due to moving to a small city. I think a lot of small cities have the culture of it's more important who you know rather than what you know, but because I never lived in a small city (we'd call it a town in the UK) that I never experienced it myself. 

I think we had been here so many times on holiday (about 4 times I think) that there weren't any really big surprises but sometimes it's the little things. for example in the UK most people didn't mow their lawn on a Sunday but here it seems to be quite common (partly because a lot of people work 5.5 days a week). 

Oh one thing that did surprise me was that the cost of living wasn't as cheap as I thought it would be. 

Regards,
Karen


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

Yep, I'd have to say the cost of living too. It's quite a bit more expensive than we'd thought. We came over a couple of years ago for a reccie trip and it was a lot cheaper then!

Can't really think of anything else as it isn't really that much different than the UK...only Australia has nicer weather 

Dolly

PS just thought of a biggie....flippin awful internet service. Back in the UK we paid our monthly fee and we had 24/7 access to download what we wanted when we wanted with no caps - it's been a big learning curve for the boys


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

more expensive, and not everywhere takes Visa!!! Also having to go inside the petrol station to pay LOL


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## TGM (Jul 12, 2008)

Hard to answer this one as I came via NZ so didn't experience any culture shock at all here and have loved it from the start. 

Relative to salary I find it cheaper here for most things (except cars and phone bills) than it was in NZ and I've been out of the UK too long to know how prices compare with there.


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## Byo (Nov 28, 2007)

I agree with the comment about internet. Its really expensive here and you also need to know what you are talking about. I find the salemen at the car sales abit of a culture shock. ooooowww another biggy from me is how much the media likes to praise Aussie, they are best at everything and have the biggest and best of everything.!!! It ok but no where is perfect. I thought Oz would be like Africa, laid back but its not so much for me.


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

yeah the internet system here is ridiculous. I had no idea how many gigs we used per month to sign up for a connection! And my work email account only gives me 300mb of memory!!! I can get unlimited megs with Gmail!!! That's been a difficult adjustment.


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Tiffani said:


> yeah the internet system here is ridiculous. I had no idea how many gigs we used per month to sign up for a connection! And my work email account only gives me 300mb of memory!!! I can get unlimited megs with Gmail!!! That's been a difficult adjustment.


and how about internet connection price wise? How much would an unlimited download/upload connection would cost? Someone told me that the limited data transfer ones are way too cheap, much cheaper than the unlimited ones.


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## sim (May 10, 2008)

anj1976 said:


> and how about internet connection price wise? How much would an unlimited download/upload connection would cost? Someone told me that the limited data transfer ones are way too cheap, much cheaper than the unlimited ones.


Now only are the unlimited ones not cheap, most operators do not give you the option of an unlimited connection to start with  I'm quite annoyed at that considering even the highest quotas are typically in the 50-60GB/month range which is quite insufficient for my usage. 

Plus the plans are expensive. For example, a lousy 30GB/month plan sets you back $99 from Optus.


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

sim said:


> Now only are the unlimited ones not cheap, most operators do not give you the option of an unlimited connection to start with  I'm quite annoyed at that considering even the highest quotas are typically in the 50-60GB/month range which is quite insufficient for my usage.
> 
> Plus the plans are expensive. For example, a lousy 30GB/month plan sets you back $99 from Optus.


AAAAH, thats a lot. , would you believe how much I pay for the unlimited connection that I have here.. Its 25A$, ok, the speed isnt great, its a 256 kbps connection which doubles up at night but still, I can download anything without worrying too much about the additional cost.


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## sim (May 10, 2008)

anj1976 said:


> AAAAH, thats a lot. , would you believe how much I pay for the unlimited connection that I have here.. Its 25A$, ok, the speed isnt great, its a 256 kbps connection which doubles up at night but still, I can download anything without worrying too much about the additional cost.


This is getting somewhat off topic, but I pay $60 AUD for a 100/10Mbps unlimited connection, so I'm sure it will take me some getting used to the Aussie connections..


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## Gail (Mar 23, 2008)

Have to agree - I am just setting up a broadband connection fo the new place and I was going to set up a thread about this anyway. There is no such thing as unlimited downloads in Australia. Its some claim about it having to be piped under the sea or some nonsense but I don't believe that. At home I had phone, cable TV and unlimited internet for £35. Here its more like $99 for Foxtel (cable tv) - which is pants, and $99 for phone and 20GB download (on an ASDL2+) but wooooo they give you a free wirless modem. 
And I still haven't figured out mobile phone "caps" yet - they confuse the hell out of me!


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

Gail said:


> (on an ASDL2+)


At least you can get ASDL2+, our exchange doesn't support it yet 

Dolly


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## FLOYD (May 26, 2008)

I was excited when I saw this thread got two pages long until I found it was all about internet service. What you describe sounds like internet in rural America plus ten bucks a month.

The bit about going inside to pay for gas is interesting because it is getting to be where some stations here offer only pay at the pump.

I don't do cable or satellite tv so even my friends think visiting me is a culture shock in that respect.

I was wondering about things like; Even in small town (7000 people) USA, I can go get fast food at 10pm or a restaurant until 9pm. Is that the same?

Internet: I can decide to order a book, CD, clothes. Go online, buy and they arrive at my door in about three days. Is that the same?

I read it is commom for restaurants to allow carry in of your beer/wine with your meal instead of serving it. That would be a shock to me-not a bad one though.


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

FLOYD said:


> I was excited when I saw this thread got two pages long until I found it was all about internet service. What you describe sounds like internet in rural America plus ten bucks a month.
> 
> The bit about going inside to pay for gas is interesting because it is getting to be where some stations here offer only pay at the pump.
> 
> ...


On Saturdays, shops shut at 5pm SHARP, some even 4pm.

No decent Chinese or Indian food to be had anywhere

Or decent furniture shops either

Some Maccas stay open 24 hours a day. I don't think any other fast food chain does?

Dolly

PS when you've travelled halfway around the world and left everything you've known all your life behind, the internet is a lifeline so VERY important LOL


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

FLOYD said:


> The bit about going inside to pay for gas is interesting because it is getting to be where some stations here offer only pay at the pump.


We're in rural South Australia (25,000 people) and we have to go inside to pay. I was used to paying at the pump in the UK but I haven't seen that around here yet, and as well as that the cashiers like to ask you if you want to buy the special today (chocs or whatever else they have on special that day). 


FLOYD said:


> I don't do cable or satellite tv so even my friends think visiting me is a culture shock in that respect.


Me neither.


FLOYD said:


> I was wondering about things like; Even in small town (7000 people) USA, I can go get fast food at 10pm or a restaurant until 9pm. Is that the same?


Around here some restaurants stay open until about 10pm and McDonalds is open until 11pm. However is smaller areas I think they close earlier than that.
In one place I went to (about 10,000 people) the petrol station closes at 7.30pm and the others had already closed. 


FLOYD said:


> Internet: I can decide to order a book, CD, clothes. Go online, buy and they arrive at my door in about three days. Is that the same?


Depends in where the order is coming from. I love Star Wars books but it's cheaper to buy them from the USA (and I'm only talking paperbacks) than from here. Some books are not printed here so they are shipped in either from the USA or UK. Also depends on where you live in Oz. Since we are rural it seems to take 2 - 3 days from our state capital Adelaide to us, and anything between 5 - 9 days to send something to the UK. 


FLOYD said:


> I read it is commom for restaurants to allow carry in of your beer/wine with your meal instead of serving it. That would be a shock to me-not a bad one though.


They will say byo if you can take your own beer/wine. For wine they may charge you for opening it for you. 

Regards,
Karen


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## Byo (Nov 28, 2007)

Just wanted to add. In Sydney they don't stop at amber lights, so be very careful when stopping cause when we first got here was scary watching the car behind you not slow down. Never really noticed it in the rest of Oz but may be wrong.


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

Dolly said:


> On Saturdays, shops shut at 5pm SHARP, some even 4pm.
> 
> No decent Chinese or Indian food to be had anywhere
> 
> ...



I would disagree with some of this... I have found VERY good Indian food here (not looked for Chinese) but both are so ubiquitous that you have to look carefully and definitely take advice from others. 

I like the furniture here. It's reasonably priced and you can get solid wood which is non-existent in the US unless you're willing to mortgage your house for it  I love that I was able to get a solid wood coffee table, TV stand, and bedside table. Again, you have to know where to look. 

Do concur on the internet issue though. You asked about culture shock and that's a big one!


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

I would also disagree about the Indian and Chinese - we have both here and they are great, and just thinking about the Malaysian restaurant is enough to make my mouth water 

Furniture probably depends on your taste. We are still sitting on garden furniture in the front room and a sofa bed. Why? Because the garden furniture is so comfortable and because we can move it around so that we can both sit in the big picture windows and watch the amazing sunsets.

I know that people have a go at Telstra (the BT of Australia ) but we've been using their broadband because I need it for my business and I've found it great and we are in a rural area. It's 1.5MB and I guess because I don't do massive downloads that's fast enough for me. 

Regards,
Karen


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

One thing that IS good about the internet here, is that the price they advertise is the price you pay (at least with iinet who I'm using). I pay $49/month for 2Gb peak and 2Gb off-peak which is more than enough for our basic needs of checking email and Skype-ing. 

US internet companies tend to nickle and dime the hell out of you so your $25 internet actually ends up costing you $40 thanks to surcharges, fees that you don't know what they mean, and taxes. I pay $49/month for my internet and that's it. The only other fees I pay are for my telephone.. the line is included with my internet and all local and national calls are free, but the international calls, although cheap, do cost. In generally we pay between $60 and $80/month for internet and telephone, depending on whether or not there are family crises back home


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Dolly said:


> On Saturdays, shops shut at 5pm SHARP, some even 4pm.
> 
> No decent Chinese or Indian food to be had anywhere


Shops shutting at 5 on a saturday, but isnt that the day when the working people have an off and would want to shop? Here in Delhi (India), the mall are stuffed on saturdays and sundays and weekdays they are normally empty, the weekly closing day is tuesday, no one sits at home on saturdays or sundays since these are the only two days in a week when they can go shopping, enjoy a mel or just pass their time off by window shopping.

And Dolly you need not worry about Indian food, lemme come there, and I have two candidates already, you and tiffany coming over for a meal.. get a taste of home made indian food


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

kaz101 said:


> They will say byo if you can take your own beer/wine. For wine they may charge you for opening it for you.
> 
> Regards,
> Karen


I was checking a website where all restaurants in Australia are listed, most of the restaurants are BYO, and I believe they have to take a license for that too?

But I love the idea of Bring your Own.


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Tiffani said:


> One thing that IS good about the internet here, is that the price they advertise is the price you pay (at least with iinet who I'm using). I pay $49/month for 2Gb peak and 2Gb off-peak which is more than enough for our basic needs of checking email and Skype-ing.
> 
> US internet companies tend to nickle and dime the hell out of you so your $25 internet actually ends up costing you $40 thanks to surcharges, fees that you don't know what they mean, and taxes. I pay $49/month for my internet and that's it. The only other fees I pay are for my telephone.. the line is included with my internet and all local and national calls are free, but the international calls, although cheap, do cost. In generally we pay between $60 and $80/month for internet and telephone, depending on whether or not there are family crises back home


50-60$ for phone as well as the internet is not bad actually. But again, i guess you have a maximum download limit, we pay about 25$ for the internet and the phone, but mind it, no calls are free, not even local  so over and above the 25$ the bill depends on whom you call, which again is cheap, I think India is cheapest when it comes to Inbound calling. within India we can call anywhere for as low as 2 rupees a minute, and 40 rupees makes an Australian Dollar.


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

Tiffani said:


> I would disagree with some of this... I have found VERY good Indian food here (not looked for Chinese) but both are so ubiquitous that you have to look carefully and definitely take advice from others.


I guess I'm looking at it from a vegetarian side...on the Chinese theme, my options are vegetables with a curry sauce, vegetables with a curry sauce and yep you've guessed it......vegetables with a curry sauce!

Dolly


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

LOL There's a place in Beaumaris where we go called Zaika that has fabulous veggie offerings, including vegetarian biryani which is what I usually get (not to mention the usual entrees like samosas etc). Come to think of it, the biryani isn't actually advertised as being vegetarian but I just ask if I can have it and they oblige... maybe the trick is to simply ask for a vegetarian option instead of taking the menu at face value. I've found this to be a good trick with Chinese food back home too (haven't eaten it here, like I said).


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## FLOYD (May 26, 2008)

Thanks for the new replies. Seeing some of the internet/phone prices and service, I don't think that would be too much of a shock cmpared to the choices in my area now. Of course, as said, I may view that different if that were my sole means of keeping up with family.

It is good to know that no one spoke of any change that caught them so off gaurd they weren't sure if they'd get used to it.


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

we're highly adaptable  more than we give ourselves credit for. Every time I talk to someone who says "Oh, I could never move there" I just think "you would if you had to!" because we always do what we have to do. 

there may be things I'm not crazy about in Oz, but there's nothing so bad that I can't take it! And anyway, you're talking about a country that shares a similar history, ideology, and political system as the US (and the UK to a slightly lesser extent). If I had moved to Saudi Arabia and suddenly wasn't able to drive myself around anymore, that may have taken longer to get used to. But I have friends in Saudi who love it, so there you go!


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## Joleyn (Jul 10, 2007)

Hi Everyone, I haven't been on this forum for some time as I have been overseas England, Europe in general.
I came to Oz nearly 40 years ago, as a 13 year old there was the things like no toilet in the house (I nearly had a heart attack at the time!)That was my biggest culture shock then.

However after one short visit to England during the 70s,I went back to England after 22 years it was for a couple of years but stayed 6 years.

It was then that I noticed the culture shock when I came back. The UK had moved on and in many ways for the better. The Internet as already been mentioned here but there are a few other things.

Internet aside, Australian television is sooooooooo bad. I don't mean all of their programmes, ****** and Specks, Thank god Your here, in fact most programmes on ABC and SBS is a place to find some reasonable telly. However the info commercials that pop up far more than they should, seelng daft things like battery operated dusters etc and of course Advertisements that shout at you....nightmare. They all get turned down, switched off, or turned over. I think this has got worse over the years if that's possible.

My other shock after my time away from OZ was people nice to you when buying something but not so great when returning the goods, and many of our stores actually break the law when they tell you it is "company policy".
Shopping generally is quite different, doesn't bother me except the supermarket I use hasn't been modernised in about 30 years!
I never noticed this stuff until I left for a while and came back.
Now I know that we don't all spend our time watching the telly but depending where you live in OZ you just might. If your in QLD the biggest culture shock for me was no daylight saving, dark at about 6pm with the mossies to go with it. This for me was the biggest shock after long days of an English summer and yes we all know the weather is not like OZ .If you live in NSW that is a different story and of course from State to State it differs.

However it does have alot of good stuff going for it. Good Luck if your going to try it but it isn't the UK with sun and many things here are a bit backwards many things that they do are very forward.


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## sgilli3 (Mar 23, 2008)

Joleyn said:


> My other shock after my time away from OZ was people nice to you when buying something but not so great when returning the goods, and many of our stores actually break the law when they tell you it is "company policy".
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## april (Jul 22, 2007)

Does reverse-culture shock count?? I'm an Aussie living in Tokyo, but about to return for good, but have been back many times for a visit. These are some of the things that bug me slightly:

- shop assistants who think that delving into small talk and asking personal questions equates to good customer service.
- people who think that making fun of Americans is actually humerous and justified (the Canadians are *much* better at berating Americans!)
- yes I agree --> ****ty internet!!
- unreliable and infrequent public transport
- lack of healthy fast-food choices
- convenience stores that are filled with crappy food
- banks and their fees
- (back in the Howard days) the media playing up terrorism at every chance 
- ridiculous idolising of athletes. 
- tall poppy syndrome - building up a celeb/athlete/etc, then tearing them to shreds when they make it. (think Ian Thorpe)
- lack of water. Seriously, depending on where you live, this can really affect your quality of life.
- McMansions. Does a family of four really need three bathrooms, 4 bedrooms and a study??

I also got caught out a couple of times with the short shopping hours as I am now used to Tokyo shopping hours, which stay open quite late every night and Sunday is the busiest day. But I quite like it as it keeps the pace of life slower and more relaxed. Here in Tokyo shopping is everybody's hobby, whereas in Australia Sunday is the day for the beach, doing the gardening and having a barbie.

But the list of things I love about Australia is much longer! I even love the good old Aussie bogan - long live Kath and Kim!


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## Joleyn (Jul 10, 2007)

sgilli3 said:


> Joelyn said:
> 
> 
> > My other shock after my time away from OZ was people nice to you when buying something but not so great when returning the goods, and many of our stores actually break the law when they tell you it is "company policy".
> ...


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Joleyn said:


> sgilli3 said:
> 
> 
> > I am aware that you can not return things on a whim. I was really talking about electric appliances that are faulty etc within the warranty period.
> ...


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## FLOYD (May 26, 2008)

april said:


> Does reverse-culture shock count?? I'm an Aussie living in Tokyo, but about to return for good, but have been back many times for a visit. These are some of the things that bug me slightly:
> 
> - shop assistants who think that delving into small talk and asking personal questions equates to good customer service.
> - people who think that making fun of Americans is actually humerous and justified (the Canadians are *much* better at berating Americans!)
> ...


None of that sounds like it would be a shock, coming from US.
Shop assistants making small talk is not actually a bad thing.
People making fun of Americans- as individuals we aren't much different than anyone else. As a country, we probably have earned some of the things said about us. I would not mind hearing "American" jokes from other countries.
Water- we are in good shape here but some areas of the US are rapidly getting to the point that good water is a huge issue.

Bank fee's, most convenience food being junk, oversized houses, idloizing athletes and celebs while looking for an excuse to crush them at the same time, all sounds like home.


I've decided the biggest thing I would have to adjust to is the metric system.
In an agriculture related field, that changes the measure of every thing I am used to.


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

A tip when in shops: all you have to remember when a shop assistant asks how you are (and they ALL do), is just to answer "good thanks" and leave it at that. 

I remember when we first arrived how charming it was so used to get into a coversation but soon to realise that that is how they speak to every customer!!!  You live and learn  I still think that it's good customer service so it doesn't bother me at all.

Dolly


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

I can't imagine why making small talk with a shop owner would be a bad thing. It never hurts to establish a bit of a rapport from a client or owner's perspective, and beyond that, having an accent means that you'll often be asked about where you come from, what you're doing here, etc etc etc so you might as well get used to it if you're not already!


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## april (Jul 22, 2007)

Okay so small talk is my pet peeve, but it is also still a reverse-culture shock thing for me, and it is a bad thing - for me. I want shop assistants who can answer my questions about the product. If they smile and ask how I am going and if I need any help, no problems. I like that. But when it continues on with "Buying for your boyfriend? How long you been going out?" etc etc, but then can't answer any questions about the product, it gets on my nerves. 

It never bothered me before I lived in Tokyo, so I know I will get used to it again. 

btw. Is anyone surprised that I also dislike going to the hairdressers??

I think my job is to blame, I teach English as a second language. So I basically make small-talk for seven hours every day.


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## Caline (Jul 22, 2008)

Maybe none of you have experienced it, but I get frustrated with there being no footpaths once you get to housing estates (esp Mornington Penn/Melbourne Suburbs and Phillip Island). I like the idea of walking down to my local beach (when I finally get back to my house at the end of this month) but will have to walk on a busy roadside all the way (it's only 500m!!!) Everyone likes going walking but I'm likely to have to drive or walk very carefully to my local "walking track"!!!!!GRRRRRR


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

Thought of another one....No central heating!

Geez, I miss it!

Dolly


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## Caline (Jul 22, 2008)

Dolly said:


> Thought of another one....No central heating!
> 
> Geez, I miss it!
> 
> Dolly


Oh God yes! I hate the freezing cold bathrooms when you get up in the morning. I know it's not as cold as North Yorkshire in the winter but...!


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

the lack of central heating is killing me. Maybe in Brisbane, it's not necessary. In Melbourne, it is!


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

I was just reminded of something that has taken a little getting used to about living here: sometimes you pay even if the service is bad. 

My boyfriend and I decided to have lunch at the "nice" restaurant on campus... the one where you sit down, someone takes your order, it's made to order in the kitchen, and you pay restaurant prices too. 

It took about 10 minutes before anyone took our order (that's not really all that unusual here though, so I was used to that). We ordered a starter of fries, two bowls of gnocchi, and water to drink. Our water came only after we asked twice and about 10 minutes after our order was taken. 

We waited another 25-30 minutes and not even our fries had shown up. We finally asked for the fries at least and the owner brought us over a bowl that had been sitting for a while to be picked up (they were still hot, but they were hot from the heat lamps, not "fresh out of the fryer" hot -- still, they were satisfactory). Our gnocchi came about 5 minutes later after the owner promised "one more minute!" right as we were about to leave. Boyfriend's had a hair in it  We sent it back and told the owner it was too late to have another one made. Mine was fine except that I had to scarf it down in order to get back to work on time.

When we left, we paid for the fries and my gnocchi. The owner gave us a couple of sweeties as some sort of attempt to apologise I guess. It was better than nothing, but it was an adjustment since the service was appallingly slow for the entire meal, I felt it should've been free  

Cultural norms, cultural norms


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## Caline (Jul 22, 2008)

Do I assume you've arrived in Australia from the US? That doesn't sound that bad compared to some of the cafe bars around the UK! 

Went out for a leaving lunch with the girls yesterday (one of many) in a local popular bar/restaurant. The waiter came across to take our drink order (which he then promptly forgot - it arrived 20 mins later once my friend went to the bar to get it) We then said we'd like to order some food and he said "Oh no the kitchen isn't serving food today there's a problem with the chef and the manager is in there". He then said sorry and asked for the £15 for the bottle of wine! We paid and left...

Oh and my husband is a head chef in a restaurant in Australia so believe me there are some nice restaurants out there!! I have experienced US customer service and we both want to open a good quality place here-we'll see. 

People will eventually vote with their feet but maybe they should learn to speak up!


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

Hi Caline,

yes I'm coming from the US, and I think that if I had been in your situation I would've walked out without paying a dime! they should buy you a drink for the inconvenience 

Anyway, I know there are plenty of good restaurants here. the ones where we go regularly at night all have good service (I wouldn't continue to go otherwise). I was just disappointed because this was the only place near campus where we could go at lunch and sit down for a nice meal instead of eating like we were being herded like cattle -- the price you pay for working at a university, I suppose. 

Anyway, back in the US I usually would speak up if the service was that bad, and have received a free meal on several occasions where the owner/manager knew they had made a mistake. Once I got dinner comped for a party of six at a restaurant when it took an hour to receive a salad I ordered; most of the rest of the party were from Italy and they were very confused. My boyfriend was impressed that I stood up for us (I was very polite, of course, because if you are rude you get nothing!) but said that in Italy, you can ***** and moan all you like, call the manager all manner of expletives, but at the end you pay LOL 

In the case of yesterday, the owner was from Italy hehe so I think he would've fallen more on the side of what my boyfriend was describing. An Aussie manager I would've chatted with a bit more and maybe said "listen, buy us lunch today and we may come back again. Make us pay and you can be sure we never will". 

It just makes good business sense that you lose a few dollars to keep a customer happy (and keep their mouth shut to their friends because word of mouth advertising is priceless). that $20 that we spent yesterday in the long run will probably cost him hundreds in meals that we alone may have eaten in the future and will now go elsewhere. if I tell other people about my experience, it will just grow exponentially.


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## Carling (Aug 23, 2008)

Yeah I definitely agree about a lot of the stuff in here. Im Canadian and have been here for over 2 years. So the things that surprised me wont surprise someone from the UK or Europe necessarily because its completely different...
But some of the things that surprised me were definitely the price, I wasnt expecting it to be this expensive - although I am living in Sydney which is meant to be one of the most expensive cities in the world...But wow, espically junk food! Which I guess is a good thing, cause I definitely dont find myself drinking as much soft drink. I couldnt believe when I first got here and saw a 24pack of coke for $19, you could get it for around $3 at wal mart in America or Canada. 
Customer service! Its terrible here! People are soooo rude in stores and restaurants compared to North America, you might not notice it after you have been here for a while, but I went back home recently for a few months and wow what a difference, people actually ask how you are and even if its fake at least they try! Im sure a big reason is to do with tipping but sometimes it just drives me nuts, because when you are paying double for food at a restaurant, and the girl behind the counter is making $16 an hour rather than $6 in the US, I expect to be treated at least decently. I find the qaulity of things a lot poorer, cheap clothes are just that - cheap and rip within the first few times you wear them. Food is not as fresh, if you go to a cafe expect to pay at least $3 for a muffin that might be a day or two old, or even more..I know because ive worked in a fair few cafes in sydney, as well as managing a few and having strict orders from the owners to keep it until you sell it - its just more expensive to make or order them so you dont have the option of serving food that is as fresh, its just too expensive and you wont make money throwing food out like the way we do in North America. So yeah exactly as stated before, if your food is wrong at a restaurant - expect them to take the time to remake it for you and charge you, If you asked for no onions and got a big pile of them on your sandwich, they will take it to the kitchen and scrape it off... NOTHING is free here...even if it should be. I also dont mean to sound negative but the weather shocked me. Sydneys weather is probably the worst of anywhere ive been before, it rains all summer almost everynight, its humid and muggy, during certain months of the year flies surround your face and its unbearable to be outside. The beaches are absolutly beautiful here, but I almost find it hard to find a good day to go to them even in summer because its never that nice. I love it here and the good definitely out weighs the bad, but these are the biggest ones that surprised me. I should name a few things I find better about Oz so I dont sound so pessamistic - I like the pre-pay mobile phones a LOT more, usually its on a cap and you buy for example $29 which will get you $150 of credit, which lasts for a month. I just find it a lot easier and more convenient than the way we do it back home. I love BYO, bringing a cheap $4 bottle of wine from the bottle shop next door and maybe paying $2 for corkage is just so much better than paying $20 for the same bottle from the restaurant. Also you can obviously bring ANY bottle you want rather than picking from a list of 6 wines or beers. The wages in Sydney are really high, you can do data entry in a nice office in the city and make $19 an hour, doing incredibly easy work that a monkey could pull off...Some supermarkets pay around the same too. I also like that things are done weekly - I find it a lot easier to budget this way. If you get paid every thursday, you are never broke for long. Not everyone likes it but I find it easier myself. I went a little crazy but in 2 years those are the biggest things I noticed. 
I should add one more thing - I HATE when someone asks if your American (im canadian) and I say "Nope im Canadian" and they go "Ohhhh sorry! I know thats an insult" etc....That really bothers me, not all Canadians think its funny to pay out Americans!!! Canadians/Aussies/Kiwis/British/Americans are really not all that different...There are pros and cons but I sure dont get offended if im confused for one of the above!


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## Byo (Nov 28, 2007)

Carling said:


> Yeah I definitely agree about a lot of the stuff in here. Im Canadian and have been here for over 2 years. So the things that surprised me wont surprise someone from the UK or Europe necessarily because its completely different...
> But some of the things that surprised me were definitely the price, I wasnt expecting it to be this expensive - although I am living in Sydney which is meant to be one of the most expensive cities in the world...But wow, espically junk food! Which I guess is a good thing, cause I definitely dont find myself drinking as much soft drink. I couldnt believe when I first got here and saw a 24pack of coke for $19, you could get it for around $3 at wal mart in America or Canada.
> Customer service! Its terrible here! People are soooo rude in stores and restaurants compared to North America, you might not notice it after you have been here for a while, but I went back home recently for a few months and wow what a difference, people actually ask how you are and even if its fake at least they try! Im sure a big reason is to do with tipping but sometimes it just drives me nuts, because when you are paying double for food at a restaurant, and the girl behind the counter is making $16 an hour rather than $6 in the US, I expect to be treated at least decently. I find the qaulity of things a lot poorer, cheap clothes are just that - cheap and rip within the first few times you wear them. Food is not as fresh, if you go to a cafe expect to pay at least $3 for a muffin that might be a day or two old, or even more..I know because ive worked in a fair few cafes in sydney, as well as managing a few and having strict orders from the owners to keep it until you sell it - its just more expensive to make or order them so you dont have the option of serving food that is as fresh, its just too expensive and you wont make money throwing food out like the way we do in North America. So yeah exactly as stated before, if your food is wrong at a restaurant - expect them to take the time to remake it for you and charge you, If you asked for no onions and got a big pile of them on your sandwich, they will take it to the kitchen and scrape it off... NOTHING is free here...even if it should be. I also dont mean to sound negative but the weather shocked me. Sydneys weather is probably the worst of anywhere ive been before, it rains all summer almost everynight, its humid and muggy, during certain months of the year flies surround your face and its unbearable to be outside. The beaches are absolutly beautiful here, but I almost find it hard to find a good day to go to them even in summer because its never that nice. I love it here and the good definitely out weighs the bad, but these are the biggest ones that surprised me. I should name a few things I find better about Oz so I dont sound so pessamistic - I like the pre-pay mobile phones a LOT more, usually its on a cap and you buy for example $29 which will get you $150 of credit, which lasts for a month. I just find it a lot easier and more convenient than the way we do it back home. I love BYO, bringing a cheap $4 bottle of wine from the bottle shop next door and maybe paying $2 for corkage is just so much better than paying $20 for the same bottle from the restaurant. Also you can obviously bring ANY bottle you want rather than picking from a list of 6 wines or beers. The wages in Sydney are really high, you can do data entry in a nice office in the city and make $19 an hour, doing incredibly easy work that a monkey could pull off...Some supermarkets pay around the same too. I also like that things are done weekly - I find it a lot easier to budget this way. If you get paid every thursday, you are never broke for long. Not everyone likes it but I find it easier myself. I went a little crazy but in 2 years those are the biggest things I noticed.
> I should add one more thing - I HATE when someone asks if your American (im canadian) and I say "Nope im Canadian" and they go "Ohhhh sorry! I know thats an insult" etc....That really bothers me, not all Canadians think its funny to pay out Americans!!! Canadians/Aussies/Kiwis/British/Americans are really not all that different...There are pros and cons but I sure dont get offended if im confused for one of the above!


Wow what part of Sydney are you living in cause I live is Sydney and find the summers lovely. Agree with the flies though they are a right pain.


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## Carling (Aug 23, 2008)

Ive lived all over, I think im just a spoiled because I come from a very nice area in Canada with dry summers where its 35 degrees everyday.


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

Carling,

I haven't found the customer service to be as bad as what you've described; particularly in retail I think it's very good, but I will agree that at restaurants it tends to be much more relaxed! I don't think that makes it inherently bad, though. It's just a bit different.... 

I live in Melbourne now so I also left a place with much better weather to come here. In the summer at home it's consistently 30-35 every day and very humid (which I love!) but in Melbourne it's dry and the average is more like 25. It does pop up to 40 every now and then, but only for a couple of days at a time, it seems. The winter I'm finding as cold as I did when I lived in the north of England because even though the temp doesn't fall as low, the heating systems are really insufficient for when it does get cold. So I come home and turn on the gas fires and sit and freeze for a few minutes while the rooms heat up. I also hate having to close off half the house just to keep the other half warm, but hopefully soon Spring will roll around and that won't be necessary. I did ask my landlord about central heating though so we'll see what he says.

Yes to the prices! they are WAY high! But I have the same pre-pay mobile as you and love it


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## Aussiejock (May 26, 2007)

The biggest culture shock for me was being deposited in a migrant hostel. Can't believe the illegals complain about the detention centres - they should have experienced the hostels! Oh, I have used my Visa for everything here for many years. Can't understand that some are having a problem.


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## SNH (Aug 26, 2008)

Byo said:


> ooooowww another biggy from me is how much the media likes to praise Aussie, they are best at everything and have the biggest and best of everything.!!! It ok but no where is perfect.





That drives me absolutely insane (I spend a lot of time yelling at my television!!) - and I was born in Australia!!

Often they won't bother to report a major world event unless they can find an Australian connection - things are only 'important' if there's an Australian involved.


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

SNH said:


> That drives me absolutely insane (I spend a lot of time yelling at my television!!) - and I was born in Australia!!
> 
> Often they won't bother to report a major world event unless they can find an Australian connection - things are only 'important' if there's an Australian involved.


I think there's some truth to that in most countries though. I can't count the number of times I've seen a newscast in the US that said "plane crashed in XYZ. 2 Americans were killed". What?! What about the other 250 passengers? 

It's the same in Britain too. I remember noticing when I lived there.

The thing that really did surprise me though was during the Olympics, I realised just how biased the announcers were toward Australia! I'm sure this is the case everywhere, but I have always been in the US during the Olympics so never really noticed before. I was so bemused by watching Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals but if Grant Hackett got silver THAT was what all the fuss was about!  I also, for all the golds that the US brought home, never once saw a ceremony where my anthem was played (I probably missed some though). And I did notice that the medal ceremonies were generally only shown when an Aussie was on one of the podiums (even for bronze or silver).


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## SNH (Aug 26, 2008)

> Customer service! Its terrible here! People are soooo rude in stores and restaurants compared to North America, you might not notice it after you have been here for a while, but I went back home recently for a few months and wow what a difference, people actually ask how you are and even if its fake at least they try! Im sure a big reason is to do with tipping but sometimes it just drives me nuts, because when you are paying double for food at a restaurant, and the girl behind the counter is making $16 an hour rather than $6 in the US, I expect to be treated at least decently. I find the qaulity of things a lot poorer, cheap clothes are just that - cheap and rip within the first few times you wear them. Food is not as fresh, if you go to a cafe expect to pay at least $3 for a muffin that might be a day or two old, or even more..




Actually, you will find a lot of Australians DESPISE North American customer service. It is false and you get hassled constantly through your meals - you just want to enjoy yourself but there are always people hovering over your shoulder, asking if 'everything is okay' - just so they get a bigger tip at the end. Australians believe it is better to be genuine than to bombard your customers with attention because they're angling to get more money out of you.
However, I think customer service – in a number of places – IS getting worse in Australia. In some places you won’t be acknowledged until ten minutes after you have arrived.

But then English customer service is even worse. Buy a trolley full of groceries and you will go through the entire supermarket transaction without a word from the person behind the counter - they won't even make eye contact with you!!


The quality of Australian goods has been going rapidly downhill. We used to pride ourselves on our fresh food, but these days when you go to a supermarket you will encounter trays of mouldy fruits and vegetables, and poor quality seafood imported from Asia (and Australia is supposed to be a seafood nation).

The clothing is shocking. Because almost all of it is made in China, it is made for Asian bodies - a common complaint from customers. Clothes are too long in the body, too short in the leg. Plus things are made to last about two minutes. I have European clothes I've been wearing for ten years, but my Australian clothes last about a couple of months.





Tiffani said:


> I think there's some truth to that in most countries though. I can't count the number of times I've seen a newscast in the US that said "plane crashed in XYZ. 2 Americans were killed". What?! What about the other 250 passengers?
> 
> It's the same in Britain too. I remember noticing when I lived there.
> 
> The thing that really did surprise me though was during the Olympics, I realised just how biased the announcers were toward Australia! I'm sure this is the case everywhere, but I have always been in the US during the Olympics so never really noticed before. I was so bemused by watching Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals but if Grant Hackett got silver THAT was what all the fuss was about!  I also, for all the golds that the US brought home, never once saw a ceremony where my anthem was played (I probably missed some though). And I did notice that the medal ceremonies were generally only shown when an Aussie was on one of the podiums (even for bronze or silver).



Yes, England is similar to Australia in that respect. I lived there for a number of years, and I noticed that about the media. And I remember when I lived in Korea they stopped reporting the football World Cup the second Korea was eliminated - they actually pretended the World Cup finished when Korea finished!!

I've been in about four different countries during the Olympics, and it's the same everywhere. You can't show everything, and in Australia of course it is the priority to show Australians winning medals.

(Though, these Games had the worst coverage I have ever seen - out of the ten or so Winter and Summer Games I have seen in Australia.)

I actually think there was far too much emphasis placed on Michael Phelps. I am self-employed and so literally saw every minute of the coverage. Even in the second week we were seeing Michael Phelps montages and replays of his races - and he has nothing to do with Australia!!

But if I hear the name 'Stephanie Rice' one more time I might do something I'll regret.


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

I agree about the customer service in North America, although in good restaurants, servers have the ability to understand when they are needed and when they are not.. but your average American restaurant is full of waiters and waitresses who are paying their way through college and you're right, we don't need their life story. 

With that said, when I was living in the UK, the falsity of American customer service that I had come to resent in the past, I really started to miss in England. At least they would speak to you in the US! (as you mentioned). In Australia, in the restaurants I frequent, there's sort of a happy medium. if the service isn't good enough, I don't go back. 

I have given up on clothes here. I have bought some when I first arrived (not much though) and I haven't been very satisfied with the quality or the price. I ended up just ordering a bunch of clothes from Victoria's Secret -- they have fabulous clothing, not just lingerie, available online -- and since it was their big semi-annual sale, I ended up getting 9 shirts (including four sweaters, one of which is silk and cashmere) for $130 including shipping. I am not generally a fan of the fashion sensibility here, either, although I do occasionally see a lovely outfit in a window (which is prohibitively expensive, of course)  

Stephanie Rice? who's she? hahah. Oh, the one who kissed Michael Phelps??? I am shocked that for all the accomplishments at the Olympics, the one thing the media won't leave her alone about it whether or not she hooked up with Michael.


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## donselma (Nov 1, 2008)

SNH said:


> Actually, you will find a lot of Australians DESPISE North American customer service. It is false and you get hassled constantly through your meals - you just want to enjoy yourself but there are always people hovering over your shoulder, asking if 'everything is okay' - just so they get a bigger tip at the end.:


 

I don't know what you guys are talking about, but it's pretty judgmental. Did you ever think it's a cultural difference that Americans like a lot of attention and like to have the server check in from time-to-time. In America, if you ever have to call the server over for anything other than the check, it's is the biggest insult to the customer, which is why you are going to constantly have them checking on you. Also, it would be considered downright rude if the server was not personable like that. I can't speak for Australia, but Americans do not like social distance that Brits maintain in their interaction. 

I would respect you just saying you don't like it, but you don't just say that.; you presume to know all. Maybe what's false in Australian culture isn't false in American culture. If you look around, most people will still give this same level of service regardless of the amount of money the customer will be able to tip, and EVEN in non-tipping situations (i.e. Subway or Borders). All anglophones are going to be on this forum and not all of them are going to take kindly to a foreigner criticizing their country's customer service standards and more outrageously, presuming that the people are doing it for nothing more than "filthy lucre."


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

donselma, I've found the entire thread to be judgmental, but that's sort of the point... We talk about our differing points of view and how we have a hard time adjusting to different aspects of the culture we're now living in. 

For my part, having been in Melbourne for 9 months now, iffy customer service compared to back home is about the least of my culture shock concerns


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## donselma (Nov 1, 2008)

Tiffani said:


> donselma, I've found the entire thread to be judgmental, but that's sort of the point... We talk about our differing points of view and how we have a hard time adjusting to different aspects of the culture we're now living in.


it definetly has therapeutic value . . . it was the cynicism--not from you I'm saying--but just as expressed earlier, that was a little over the top . . .


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