Hejsan / Hello
This blog is for my self to release some steam time to time.. I am Swedish, been living in Amsterdam for some years and sometimes my home countries traditions which I trying to impose to my friends here can be both funny and go terrible wrong.. I have so many things which happened to me over the past 2 years and its time to share it with others, enjoy and let me know all your feedback if you want to make some comments.
So to whom who might care to read this blogg!!
This blogg is an inspiration for me to write about my life in Amsterdam. After you have read for some time, believe it or not, I'm still living here- I will update every evening or so..some short notices on what's going on, what happened over the day and week etc.
You as a reader might get the idea, that I don't like Dutch people, Dutch women, Houses, restaurants, food, health care, trams, bikes, bars, weather, neighbors and last but not least, Dutch Music in general!.
In fact, I do care a lot about this country; I am not unmoved; I do have some Dutch friends (which most likely will refuse to admit, that they know me if they knew about this blogg). I like the Dutch people, Dutch women, Houses, restaurants, food, health care, trams, bikes, bars, weather, neighbors and last but not least, I still do NOT like Dutch Music in general.
I want to express my self of how I'm feeling living in Amsterdam and with my best friends around me. We all are very different and dynamic in all ways, and that's why we have so much fun together!
This blogg is like a guide or a bible, of the' does and don'ts ‘and gives you a hint if you want to avoid or not, moving to The Netherlands, but especially Amsterdam.
It has been an exiting trip from the very first month living here as a well paid expatriate and down to being homeless and up again over the past years. I will as well let you know how badly and bizarre it can get by celebrating our Swedish national customs and habits in The Netherlands and especially Amsterdam.
Please enjoy the reading or just switch off your computer if you hate this shit and then forget all about it...
We recently moved to an new apartment- by we I mean Johanna which is my girl friend for many years, and she is as I call it an Art hippie, she's close to forty, and by saying forty, I mean of course thirty…! She's a very dynamic woman in her best age and has been transformed from a slightly shabby, hundred fifty-six cm blond girl, to a skinny, dark haired feminist with very clear light blue eyes, after we moved to Amsterdam.
Dimitar, is our best friend, he'll twenty nine years old (almost as tall as a Dutch guy) Bulgarian, with light-brown hair, brown eyes and a very distinct but crack on his chin .
My self is just another fool, trying to survive in another country then my native, which is Sweden. Yes, of course my name.., I'm Patrik, thirty plus years young!
Today I got a taste of Dutch customer service!. To be a bit proactive, I notified all instances which need to know that you have moved. Not only for the ordinary mail to work, but if you also want to have the phone, water, gas and electricity hocked up, you need to have a great portion of patience
TBF…..
For Better or Worse- the wicked life in Amsterdam
Welcome to Expat-blog,PatrikAmsterdam 
Thanks for sharing with us your life experiences in Amsterdam.
Let me continue to tell about the customer service nightmare in Holland.. first we have some main providers for different services;
Nuon- our gas and electricity provider (which we then later changed to Nederland Energie Mastcapphaj since we thought this will save us money.. Thought at least!, and later on changed back to Nuon again)- from being told to save 15 euro per month on a bill already 134Euro per month, we thought,, yea,, why not change and save at least a sum equal to 2 cocktails per month., We usually got back 90 Euro per year with Nuon, and saving even more,, why not.. Year bill came with the new company—we had to pay 1400 Euro more since we did not pay enough comparing to consumption,, fuck that shit!!!,,, long story short.. we fought it.. and won after almost 2 years complaints and 1000 different instances involved..
HetNet- our Internet provider (and after some insane problems changed to UPC (and for which I wish I can change again)
KPN- our phone provider,( same comments as above)
Waternet- our water.( and cannot be changed no matter what)
Then I notified the; Bank, Gemeente (the community hall) and my work.
Back in time when we suppose to move to Ijburg- I told all instances; expect the last three, prior the actual move.
After the disturbing news that we got homeless, ( I will elaborate about this later) I called all important providers again, not to move any phone, internet, gas nor electricity to the agreed date and address.
First I called KPN and HetNet, (which is the same company, and can see the same things in there systems, but in case you want to speak about your fucked up phone bill, or the fucked up Internet bill, you need to call two different numbers, and go through hours of frustration).
First you call the zero nine hundred numbers, which costs ten cent per minute. (And most likely makes the highest revenue for KPN), and you get some options by an Automatic answering machine.
You listening very hard to understand the different options; and press one of them, and hope that this was correct, then you get connected to the next computer voice options, and once again, you will hope to choice the correct one, and again, and again.
After you finally have chosen the last option, you are put on hold, or in the worst case, a computer voice will tell you that this option, is available on the toll free 0eight00 number, and gives you that number (where you are so unprepared that you miss to write it down, and have to do the procedure all over again.)
In case you are lucky that the service is available on the selections you made, you will get a voice telling you;” all onze medwerkers zein in gesprekt, een ogenblik geduld austiblift” [all our staff is busy for the moment, please be patient]
After fifteen minutes waiting time, you will be able to speak to a customer service agent, which will tell you that you are at the wrong department.
Then you will be connected to many different people at this time, which in the end guaranteed you, that now, they have helped you, and will ask you if there is anything else they can do for you..
TBF
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