Incoming Russians. Clients or Business Rivals

Good post, Woodbug.  The biggest threat to Costa estate agencies and property related industries is that coming from the burgeoning Russian business community.   Russian-owned real estate agencies will harvest Russian-speaking clients.   As did the Asians in Britain, Russian speakers across all the services will exploit the Costa communities appalling reputation for complacency, poor service and downright cheating.

Do Russian businesses have a better reputation then? From my own experience in dealing with both Russian and Spanish businesses, I must say I prefer the Spanish way. In Russia, the most important thing is who you know. In Spain it is too, but at least in Spain you can get to know the right people if you try. In Russia, in my experiennce, its very much closed shop. This is only my humble opinion. I'd be happy to be corrected by those who have made better experiences.

You make a valid point. However, in my experience there is, in terms of attitude, much that separates those who seek a new life abroad from those who stay at home, wherever home might be.

The British - and East Africans found to their cost that Asian immigrants …. and in Britain’s case the more recent Eastern European arrivals were prepared to work harder, be more competitively priced and offer real customer service. They are more honest and better qualified. As a consequence British-owned corner shops, fast food outlets, small businesses and the building trades fell victim.

The Costas were a magnet for Britain‘s work-shy and frankly, cowboys and conmen. The Costa Blanca earned the sobriquet 'Dumping ground for Britain's trailer trash'; The Costa del Sol, long before the Russians arrived was known as the Costa del Crime.  However, the Russians and Eastern Europeans here in Spain are similar in entrepreneurial attitude to their brethren who ventured to the British isles. The consequences will be the same.

If the more lackadaisical business community doesn’t pull its socks up then they will find their customers deserting in droves to Russian and Eastern European tradesmen who do live up to their promises.

As I pointed out in a related post, driven to my wits end by work-shy incompetent smooth-talking home-grown tradesmen I have returned to my ‘British’ computer tradesman - who is Rumanian.

My friend wanted a swimming pool put in his back garden, (Spain) an English guy costed it, think about 10 / 11,000€ fully finished, the pool building men arrived when they said they would on time, then looked at the site for the pool and said "Just go to get tools" they did, One wheelbarrow, two shovels, two pickaxes, two Russians dug the hole fully by hand in next to no time,  completed everything on time, and it is 1st class all round.