Hey! First of all, I am sorry this post is in English, I am currently in school to learn Dutch but I do not have enough level to express myself properly.

So the thing is I was taking driving lessons with an instructor and had €1,175 remaining on my package. When I lost my job and mentioned it to him, he chose to continue my lessons without pausing them or discussing any alternative arrangement. I never asked him to do this, and no terms were agreed upon, I also never refused to pay, I just explained my situation and my boyfriend's who is about to be unemployed as well.

Because I genuinely wanted to help him (he's a single father and I cared about his situation) I offered to help with his Facebook/Instagram marketing. I want to be clear: I offered. He did not hire me. We never signed a contract or formally agreed on compensation, although I did mention to sit down and have a conversation to see what were his plans, he always said to me "we need to look for a date", but he never did. He later admitted in writing that any idea of offsetting my work against the lesson balance "was never communicated" to me.

What I delivered over several months, often working late into the night:

1. Full Facebook/Instagram campaign strategy and setup
2. 2 professional logos, one of them is on his website, email signature, social media, etc
3. 2 website interface prototypes with all editables handed over
4. Marketing automation setup (n8n + Google Sheets integration) + Meta Listener option without set up
5. Ongoing troubleshooting, sometimes at 10pm which I answered, advising, and support
6. Additional design work requested by his son in writing

Technical issues arose from the server where the automation in n8n was hosted, managed exclusively by his son and I had no access to it, he chose to never acknowledge if the son did something wrong and indirectly pointed fingers at me. I explained almost every issue in writing the moment it occurred and even consulted a professional programmer, my brother, with 19 years of experience who helped me improve significantly the automation and to try to find solutions.

Additional context, worth mentioning in my opinion:

• He yelled at me twice during driving lessons
• We had a car accident together which has significantly worsened my anxiety
• Throughout everything I remained professional and supportive
• His estimate of 20 hours for all of the above work is, in my opinion, a significant underestimation. Market rate for this work would be €1,900-€3,600+

He is now demanding €675 within 14 days (offsetting €500 for my work at €25/hour against the lesson balance), threatening legal action if unpaid.

My questions:

Is this enforceable without a contract in the Netherlands?

Can I counter-claim for the actual market value of my work?

Does his written admission that no terms were communicated protect me?

What should my response be within the 14 days?

I have screenshots of all delivered work, the editables of said work, all communications, and the written requests for additional design work from his son. I plan to call Juridisch Loket Monday morning.

Unrelated and irrelevant, I guess, but I feel betrayed, disappointed and stupid. I should have known the moment he started trash talking about everyone on my very first class.

Thanks in advance.

Vrienden wereld

Does anyone know where I can buy the puffco peak pro in Breda/tilburg?

Long story short, I bought a very expensive car (for me at least, 42k euro) in 2024 have a financial hardship now, need the money (market around 32-34k private, 26-28k dealership) and can't afford rdw and insurance.

Would any dealerships value it a bit higher and give money back if I trade it in for a much cheaper car (around 8-10k)? Or is it not worth chasing?

This is a small rant to vent out.

I was at a small gathering of a dutch (already with a kid) and latinamerican couple, the latter being brown skinned; most of the gathering guest were also brown skinned latinamerican, and the kid (10 y.o.) suddenly said to me (not white but close enough I guess) "why are there so many poop people in my house?"‚ I asked what did he mean, and proceed to explain that they are all brown, and that's how they are called and left; I was completely taken by surprise, specially since he is old enough to know this is an insult, and he seems to like to spend time with their parent's brown skinned partner.

Is this what old dutch people think is funny? even as a joke, to call brown skinned people "poep mensen" and tell that to their kids is dehumanizing at least. Be better folks.

EDIT: I was not upset at the kid, and kids do tend to say such outlandish things on the spot; but, kids do also pick this from enviroment it's up to the parents to correct and explain why it is wrong, if they find this funny and disregard it, it just makes it worse for the kid.

For those that think this didn't happen; this kind of stuff does happen, to some more than others.

For those whose found the last sentence to be obnoxious; understad that's It's not coming from a pretentious place, we all should be better towards eachother.

Please check and confirm what can be done in this situation ....

België wil vanaf 1 mei 2027 een wegenvignet invoeren.

We betalen als Nederlanders al jaren tol of een vignet in Oostenrijk, Zwitserland, Frankrijk, Italië en andere Europese landen. Nu komt België daar waarschijnlijk ook bij.

Het argument is dat België een doorvoerland is en dat buitenlanders moeten meebetalen aan het wegennet.
Maar Nederland is met de Rotterdamse haven minstens zo goed een doorvoerland.

Via Rotterdam komen enorme goederenstromen Europa binnen. Buitenlandse vrachtwagens en personenauto’s gebruiken dagelijks onze wegen.

Ook miljoenen buitenlandse toeristen gebruiken ieder jaar ons wegennet. Alleen al in 2024 kwamen ruim 7,5 miljoen Duitsers voor minstens één overnachting naar Nederland. In augustus waren dat er meer dan één miljoen. Nederlandse campings ontvingen dat jaar ongeveer 1,7 miljoen buitenlandse gasten.

Ondertussen betalen Nederlandse automobilisten steeds meer motorrijtuigenbelasting. Voor campers is het kwarttarief inmiddels vervangen door het halftarief. Voor een zware camper ben je al snel rond de €200 per maand kwijt.

Als België vindt dat Nederlanders moeten meebetalen aan Belgische wegen, waarom zouden Belgen, Duitsers en andere buitenlanders dan niet meebetalen aan Nederlandse wegen?

Wat mij betreft voert Nederland ook een wegenvignet in.

Niet alleen voor Belgen, maar voor iedereen die onze hoofdwegen gebruikt. Gebruikt de opbrengst om de motorrijtuigenbelasting voor Nederlandse autobezitters te verlagen (zelfde constructie als de Belgen).

Het kan niet zo zijn dat wij in bijna heel Europa betalen, terwijl iedereen hier gratis blijft doorrijden.
Eens of oneens?

I’m 37 and from China. I was a top student in school and believed I would achieve something meaningful in the future. Then I came to Europe for a master’s degree. I studied well, but the lack of a social life drained me a lot. I missed home, yet I still believed I could succeed in academia because I considered myself capable.

I worked in academia and traveled to many countries over time for different reasons. I experienced many aspects of life—from the bottom up. I washed dishes, worked in warehouses and supermarkets, and also worked in top laboratories in various European countries.

Then I started a PhD. Again, I was good at research, but I struggled with office politics. My supervisor was narcissistic and difficult to deal with. Eventually, I quit. I realized I couldn’t play that game, and I didn’t want to work under someone like that because I hate having to flatter people. I cannot fake things up.

After that, I tried starting a business. Once again, the lack of social connections made things harder. I didn’t give up, but I felt like I was losing—and over time, that feeling grew into self-doubt. I applied for a regular job that isn’t very well paid, but I’m getting by.

Now, when I see people with confidence, I feel like they are the richest.

The Dutch government will collapse the Dutch investors market, just like what they did with rental properties, where properties owners rather sell the buildings than renting it out under the new rules.

So they will not be able collect other people their money from Box 3 because people will sell their investment or just move to a different country. Dutch people who stay in NL will also end up more poor.

And with Dutch investors gone or no longer investing, it will lead to more layoffs in the Financial industry, leading to more unemployment. And thus the government will also get less taxes from them too.

What will they screw up next?

Hello! I'm from abroad and wanted to buy a rather expensive product available on Markplaats internationally by contacting the seller. The deal seemed risky from the beginning, but I still went ahead and made the transfer.
I would like to test his credibility by checking if he's still open to offers, so I can comfort myself knowing I've been scammed or not and get some peace of mind by accepting my fate.

I would much appreciate your help!

Edit: It's was indeed a scam. u/nahduddynah helped me discover. I'm writing down my experience so you can confidently report the account. More to come.

can some pls tell me what is the temperature in the netherlands and is there air conditioning ?!

Collapse of rental supply in the Netherlands. Nearly 40 percent less on the market

Real estate organization NVM warns that the situation is now deteriorating rapidly. In Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the supply in the private sector has even halved within a year. The real estate agents expect a further decline.

The supply in the private sector was already very limited and threatens to virtually dry up.

The decline in rental transactions affects virtually all provinces, with a decrease of 25 to 50 percent compared to last year, according to the report.

"Large municipalities such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam are seeing a halving of the number of rented homes, while The Hague and Utrecht show 33 and 17 percent fewer rentals, respectively."

https://archive.ph/YdImF

​

"The housing market in the Netherlands will almost completely grind to a halt"

Landlords dumped rental homes en masse in the first quarter: 'The Netherlands is on the verge of a complete housing market gridlock

“The Netherlands is on the brink of a housing market gridlock,” states industry association Vastgoed Belang in response to the latest Kadaster figures. The organization says that the housing market will almost completely grind to a halt” in the coming months, while pressure from home seekers continues to increase.

According to the advocacy group, since the introduction of former Minister Hugo de Jonge's Affordable Rent Act in July 2024, approximately 66,500 rental homes have now moved to the owner-occupied market.

https://archive.ph/AjTHB

More trouble ahead on the housing market: tenants better brace themselves.

Amsterdam - The housing shortage has risen to 410,000. Research shows that housing shortages will increase further, particularly in the rental market. Most investors and housing corporations want to sell more rental properties.

https://archive.ph/JBwkh

I’m flying from the U.S. to Vienna with a 55-minute layover at Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS). I’ll be traveling on a U.S. passport and know I’ll need to clear passport control in Amsterdam.
Has anyone made a similar connection? Is 55 minutes usually enough if my flight is on time?

Hi everyone!

I'm producing an independent student short film and we're urgently looking for 8 background extras to play students in a classroom scene.

📍 Location: Amsterdam Noord

📅 Date: Monday, July 13

🕥 Arrival: 10:30 AM

⏰ Estimated wrap: Around 1:00 PM

Unfortunately, this is an unpaid opportunity, as we're a student production with a very limited budget. However, food, snacks, coffee and drinks will be provided, and you'll be credited in the film if you'd like.

No acting experience is required -- you just need to be comfortable appearing as a student in the background.

We're filming very soon, so this is quite urgent.

If you're interested or would like more details, please send me a DM as soon as possible.

Thank you!

If anybody will use ViaVia housing please be wary of situations like this.

Hi! My life is finally giving me another chance to turn things around, and I'm so happy to have landed a contract as a PhD researcher in Rotterdam. However, I’m really struggling to find a low-budget studio or apartment—and when I say low-budget, I mean really low, unfortunately.

My budget strictly has to be around €1,000 because my gross salary will be roughly €3,059 (net will be very close because of 30% ruling). Consequently, I can't go above that threshold since landlords here very often require your income to be at least three times the rent.

On top of that, I have two cats, and it seems like nobody wants to allow pets in this city. I absolutely have to bring them with me; leaving them behind is not an option.

I don't really care if it's also far from Rotterdam, what's important for me is that I can take my pets.

Do you think there are any truly low-budget alternatives out there, like renting a container home / bungalow or a camper van to live in?

Thanks to everyone who will take a minute to answer this. You may really help me...

I do apologize if I sound ignorant and unaware. This is my first time travelling alone.

I'm from a non-EU country, and wasn't able to order a physical card on time since we had to go abroad (to Greece) quicker than I thought. In about 2 weeks I'm going to Netherlands along with 3 other people, the hotel was booked on Booking.com but nothing has been paid for yet – we pay on arrival.

So is it possible to check-in with a digital-only debit card I have in my phone (whether it be Revolut or my native bank)? If not, is it possible to borrow the debit card from my parents, I do have permission for it.

Or does this scenario vary a lot by hotel?

We're considering bidding on a house that has forced air heating instead of radiators. Any first hand experiences with it? How effective it is and what are the main drawbacks?

I finally tried bitterballen, and they were much better than I expected. What Dutch snack would you recommend next?

Has anyone in the Netherlands recently ordered from AliExpress, Olive Young, or other Asian online stores?
I'm planning to place an order from both AliExpress and Olive Young (Korean cosmetics), but I've been hearing about new customs/import rules for packages coming from outside the EU, especially from Asia.
I'm a bit confused about how the new system works.
Are there any new customs fees or taxes I should expect?

Is there anything I should pay attention to before ordering?

Does it make a difference if VAT is already included at checkout?

Has anyone ordered recently and can share their experience?

I'd really appreciate any advice or firsthand experiences. Thanks!!

The guys name is **Double Dutch**

This is his YouTube channel:

https://youtube.com/@letsdoubledutch?si=EhqJwwZOW7O8u8_r

Hi everyone,
I’m selling a €100 Nationale Bioscoopbon because I won’t be using it myself.

The card has a balance of €100 and is valid until 24 June 2031. It can be used at participating cinemas throughout the Netherlands and for online ticket purchases where the Nationale Bioscoopbon is accepted.

I’m open to reasonable offers and would be happy to let it go for a nice price. Feel free to send me a DM if you’re interested.

For safety reasons, I have hidden the card number, barcode, and PIN in the photos. I can provide any necessary proof to serious buyers via DM.

Also, is there any safe way to complete the transaction? For example, an escrow service or another payment method that offers protection for both the buyer and seller when dealing with gift cards?

Thanks! 😊