dessieandjohn

I'll give it a go.

Hi again Tony. Tried to get refund for the 2 unused visa applications but it won't let me submit it.

Just read the wording at the tip of the page.

Your visa application fee will only be fefunded if your application is withdrawn using this format, prior to submission of your biometric data, or before any processing of your application has taken place if the submission of biometric data is not required for your application.

That's good of you Tony. Yes please. I am a carer for my disabled son and find it difficult to get time to sit at the old laptop. Doing the visas etc was very difficult because of this.

You sound like a fantastic father.

It's just life. You do what you can with it while you are here. Life's short.

That's good of you Tony. Yes please. I am a carer for my disabled son and find it difficult to get time to sit at the old laptop. Doing the visas etc was very difficult because of this.

What's your next step Tony?

Wow! That's quite a lot of B S from Rahul. Talk about covering ones own arse. Is it worth me complaining still?

Hello 7by7. On Saturday, the postman delivered 2 of the envelopes but still one missing. When I looked online it says Re Delivery on all 3. That's not correct for a start. Wife has today been to the post office and they say it's out for delivery and probably nobody home. It's a shop and always has someone there. I have told the wife to go back tomorrow and request that she can pick it up from the post office the following day. We will just have to wait. In the meantime, flight prices keep going up for the dates I want and I can't risk booking if a passport doesn't turn up. Being Thailand, I can't see that replacing a passport and getting his replacement visa being a quick process.

Hi jip99. Just checked online again. Checked all 3 tracking codes and all 3 say Re Delivery. Yet they have delivered 2 of them.

Still missing a passport. Wife went to post office and say it's out for delivery. At delivery address there is someone Rhee all day because it's a shop. No post today. EMS tracking say all out for delivery on Friday.

Thanks Jip99, will pass this on to the wife. Hopefully she will sleep now.

Hello the old git. She supplied copies of everything but they took originals too. I am sure they didn't do this last time.

Just was wondering, have any of you that have applied for UK visa, when giving them supporting documentation, bank book, book for house etc, have you ever had them (vfs) take the originals as well as copies?

And the saga continues.....

My wife just called me. Bearing in mind we are applying for UK visit visa for 1 adult and 2 children. They have sent back 2 passports and some of the paperwork. My wife's passport and her daughters. They have granted the visas, great news. But still no passport for the son. Ok, maybe still at post office. Will have to wait now until Monday. My wife worried now because unbeknownst to me, vfs kept her original blue book for the house, book for the car and book for bike, not only that but her savings bank book. Evan though she copied everything and they never do before. What the he'll is going on with that place? Why did they keep the originals. And the bank book for gods sake. I'm pulling my hair out.

Am I seeing 18k baht for filling in a couple of forms? That's a months pay for a bank employee at supervisor level. I think this is a scam on multiple levels. I'd be tempted to make formal complaints of corruption to the Thai and UK authorities now. If your visas are refused you would have excellent grounds for appeal with your pre recorded complaint.

It would be interesting to find out who sewed the seed of scam by suggesting to your wife that the original forms submitted were wrong.

Hi bill. 10000 bht for 2 new visa applications then 8000 for filling them out and printing etc. Still a huge rip off.

Nearly forgot. Just spoke to the wife. She says the woman who looked at her visa and told her to go downstairs to get it changed was the receptionist behind counter.

Hope so Jip99.

If your wife got the same information from an agency and from VFS, then she would no doubt believe what she was told. I still don't think that the information was correct. I have submitted a complaint on behalf of the applicants I know, and I have asked UKVI to give me the proper guidance in this matter. When I receive a response, I will post it here.

Thanks Tony that would be most helpful. Been told by email today that a decision on visa, all 3, has been made. Very quick. I fear we will fail this time.

If it was Vfs staff it could only have been at a) The ground floor reception (highly unlikely as they only check the appointment letter) or Reception on the 28th floor.

In the latter case I am only aware that they check the appointment again and take a cursory look at the application. That may, of course, been sufficient to identify that the wrong form had been used.

I am not sure what the best advice would have been at that time but I agree with Tony M that it is way beyond the remit of Vfs staff and undoubtedly a conflict of interest - especially if they are getting kick backs !!

Hi jip99. Definitely not on ground floor. We have been here before and my wife knows not to speak to anyone downstairs. The only think was, she had to get a translation done. I think this is where it all started.

My wife now tells me that they looked over her forms and told her they were the wrong ones for child visit. She then went upstairs to ask a VFS member . She confirm they were wrong and told her to go to visa agent downstairs for them to sort out for her.

Was this definitely inside the VFS office?

Was the woman who told her this definitely a VFS staff member?

If so then the woman was acting way outside the remit of VFS, and possibly without their knowledge, and you must complain; if only to help stop the same happening to others.

VFS staff have no business sending people to or recommending or even suggesting an agent. I'm sure that doing so is in direct contravention of the terms of their contract with UKVI.

Hi 7by7. My wife tells me it was past the reception part upstairs on whatever floor but before the doors to let you actually inside the office.

My wife said that an officer checked her forms before she went in and was informed that they were wrong ones for children. She told her that they wont accept the forms and it would be best to use a visa agent downstairs. This happened on the day before her appointment so she still managed to get to it.

That seems to me to be one of the lurkers that prey on people entering the area, and may appear to be a bit lost, and not one of the VFS staff, though I could be wrong.

Not sure that I understand what you mean when you say she was stopped the day before her actual appointment

My wife wanted to ask a question about a translation, whether it was needed or not and the woman asked what she was applying for and looked at the printed visa forms. This is when she told her that the child visa was wrong and that it needed changing and told her to go and use a visa agent downstairs.

That is not the company that was operating a scam a couple of years ago. That said, the fee they have charged is fairly high ! Did VFS insist on new appointments being made, new application fee, etc ? Were the original appointments cancelled ? In theory ( even if new a new form was needed for the child), your wife's application didn't need redoing !

I am helping with a complaint on the application I told you about earlier. If you want me to include yours, I am happy to do so, and to request a refund of the fees you had to pay to the agency.

Hello Tony. My wife said that an officer checked her forms before she went in and was informed that they were wrong ones for children. She told her that they wont accept the forms and it would be best to use a visa agent downstairs. This happened on the day before her appointment so she still managed to get to it.

Thanks for the offer Tony but I might follow this up myself. Have to firstly claim my money back for the 2 visas that didn't get submitted, the wrong ones. Then I will wait to see if we get the visas first, then make the complaint.

Sorry about photos.

Amazed I got them to send me a pdf without billing me.

And the cost of their service.