Fake VISA Agency!! Who protect us ??

[ecosouq]

I had an experience with a fake visa agency .. they request 5000 THB initially before starting any step .. after we got extension from government last Sep 26th , they disappear and not reply to my calls , line chats, and e-mails. 

In this case ; to whom we can complaint ?. who protect our rights?. how i can get back my money ??. where i can complaint ?.. 

 

(Deleted)

[mstevens]

These agencies are operating in the grey zone and this sort of thing isn't unheard of. I know this does not answer your question, but any problems with your passport and visa can turn in to a real nightmare and is the primary reason why many of us would never get involved with an "agency".

[Lacessit]

Write the money off to experience. Getting it back could cost you a lot more than 5000 baht in lawyers.

[alianware]

How do you know this agency ? Where is the office ? You were in their office before ? 

[CharlieH]

There is a Government hotline number you can use to seek advice and guidance,

 

NCPO Thai government. 24 hour Call Center 1111 http://www.1111.go.th/

 

They deal with any and all complaints related to anything and everything.

 

Do not name names or specific locations here on the forum, Thailand has strict defamation laws.

 

 

[Jingthing]

This is only my opinion as someone that has never used a visa agency and doesn't intend to.

There are two sorts of visa agency services.

 

There is the "hand holding" type that assist people in doing fully legit applications where the applicants actually can meet their own financial requirements and can prove it. They might be a convenience to busy people, people intimidated by dealing directly with immigration offices, or people that don't speak English or Thai. In such cases the applicants would be submitting the same documents as people doing it themselves, their own actual money in their own bank account if required, actual income flows if required, etc., etc. 

 

The other type, the type we are usually discussing when the topic of visa agents come up are the legal "grey" area type. They are assisting people that don't, can't, or won't actually meet the financial requirements, etc. They use certain "methods" that we don't usually discuss here to avoid actually needing to legitimately meet the requirements as an in person or hand hold applicant would. 

 

If the O.P. was intending to use that agent for the "grey" area type, if I was him, I would forget about the 5,000 as money well spent on a lesson to never deal with that particular agency again. 

 

Complaining to authorities if the intention was to skirt actually meeting requirements seems to me as totally nuts. Calling attention to you as much as the agency, if not more. Totally not worth the risk over 5,000 in my opinion which by the way, wouldn't necessarily be returned even if you did complain to authorities.

 

In the case this was for a totally legit service (hand holding type) that would depend I suppose on their policy on refunds and whether that was told to you, any contract you might have signed, etc.

 

[ezzra]

Just like everything else in life and specially in Thailand, when it comes to dealing with these kind of people and services the saying "caveat emptor" must be observed every time as there're many crooks out there that will take your money and disappear...

[Ventenio]

5000 is probably slightly above my "man, i got ripped off" meter..

 

I have bought 1200 baht things that broke in a day

we have all spent 10k+ on food that might not have been the best

maybe 30k+ on massages that were average

maybe 10k+ on trips and 100k+ on gf's...

 

i mean, this is Thailand, money just evaporates.....

 

on the flip side, i bought some used stuff for a few hundred baht where in the UK it sells for about 200 pounds.  I found three items like that......

 

when i was a teacher i got about 100k for days I didn't have to teach (two months off over the course of a few years).....i'm sure other teachers have made millions only counting vacations.  

 

so yea, you lost 5000......but your living in a place for 5000 instead of 40000 back home.

 

BUT NEVER DO IT AGAIN.  

[UncleMhee]

9 hours ago, ecosouq said:

they request 5000 THB initially before starting any step .. after we got extension from government last Sep 26th ,

Is it the agents fault you chose to go another route. NO it's not so; why do you think they don't deserve recompense for being mucked about? Bht 5000 seems about fair to me.....

[worgeordie]

You did say you got your extension...now you want your money back, am i missing

something 

regards Worgeordie

[DrJack54]

This post is more directed to anyone planning on using an agent. 

Always deal with well know agencies. Meaning have office space etc. 

There are few bandits that rent a space in shared office space. Some people are attracted due to cheaper prices.

Deal with well know agent and you will have zero issues.

OP your money is gone. You should of sort advice before you went with "scam agent"

[2530Ubon]

5 hours ago, CharlieH said:

 

NCPO Thai government. 24 hour Call Center 1111 http://www.1111.go.th/

Your information is a little out dated @CharlieH

 

As the NCPO is no more, it has since been renamed to GCC - Government Contact Center

 

You may have difficulty explaining yourself as it's now a Thai e-government line for Thai people to complain about anything to do with the government, or to offer suggestions and get information about government projects etc. 

 

It no longer operates as a foreign tourist complaint line - mostly because people call the tourist police on 1155.

 

To the OP: Please do register a complaint with the tourist police. You might not get your money back, but your complaint and the details of the 'agent' will be registered with the police and may help other people with the same 'agent' later on.

[CharlieH]

7 minutes ago, 2530Ubon said:

Your information is a little out dated @CharlieH

 

As the NCPO is no more, it has since been renamed to GCC - Government Contact Center

 

You may have difficulty explaining yourself as it's now a Thai e-government line for Thai people to complain about anything to do with the government, or to offer suggestions and get information about government projects etc. 

 

It no longer operates as a foreign tourist complaint line - mostly because people call the tourist police on 1155.

 

To the OP: Please do register a complaint with the tourist police. You might not get your money back, but your complaint and the details of the 'agent' will be registered with the police and may help other people with the same 'agent' later on.

Appreciate the update, thank you.

[eeworldwide]

1 hour ago, worgeordie said:

You did say you got your extension...now you want your money back, am i missing

something 

regards Worgeordie

Im assuming the OP has received their extension, but judging from the date (26th) they have not received their actual visa?

 

(usually issued after a 30 day extension).

 

However = it doesn't seem likely to me that they SHOULD receive a visa because they cannot get a visa for 5000 through an agency. It would cost quite a lot more.

If indeed this is the case, then there has obviously been seriously bad communication on both parties part, and the OP is now in a very dangerous situation and could face deportation.

At the very least OP needs to seek proper legal/immigration advice (and should not mention the agency) and find out if he can be here under the current amnesty if not, he will either have to stump up the money to get his visa the normal way  - or  - leave the country and back from whence he came.

 

 

[VocalNeal]

I think there is a huge difference between a vias agent and a visa agency!

[natway09]

Any self respecting agency gives you a quote & you pay after the work is complete.

[DJ54]

OP what were you trying to accomplish originally? You say after we got extension ... is we in general or in this case 2...

[ThaiVisaCentre]

We hear about situations like this quite a bit lately.

When engaging with an agent you should make sure to check the following things
 

• Public reviews (not ones on their website)
• Check their websites/facebook registration date
• Make sure they have a physical office
• Try to ask around if possible
• Get the agreement of services in writing if making a deposit

If they have a google page you can check to see if the business is responding to reviews as well (this would mean they at least verified their address).

If the business has been around for less than a year, or does not have an exact address you should be extremely cautious.

[flexomike]

11 hours ago, Ventenio said:

5000 is probably slightly above my "man, i got ripped off" meter..

 

I have bought 1200 baht things that broke in a day

we have all spent 10k+ on food that might not have been the best

maybe 30k+ on massages that were average

maybe 10k+ on trips and 100k+ on gf's...

 

i mean, this is Thailand, money just evaporates.....

 

on the flip side, i bought some used stuff for a few hundred baht where in the UK it sells for about 200 pounds.  I found three items like that......

 

when i was a teacher i got about 100k for days I didn't have to teach (two months off over the course of a few years).....i'm sure other teachers have made millions only counting vacations.  

 

so yea, you lost 5000......but your living in a place for 5000 instead of 40000 back home.

 

BUT NEVER DO IT AGAIN.  

who would pay 30k for a massage - 555

 

[from the home of CC]

12 hours ago, Jingthing said:

This is only my opinion as someone that has never used a visa agency and doesn't intend to.

There are two sorts of visa agency services.

 

There is the "hand holding" type that assist people in doing fully legit applications where the applicants actually can meet their own financial requirements and can prove it. They might be a convenience to busy people, people intimidated by dealing directly with immigration offices, or people that don't speak English or Thai. In such cases the applicants would be submitting the same documents as people doing it themselves, their own actual money in their own bank account if required, actual income flows if required, etc., etc. 

 

The other type, the type we are usually discussing when the topic of visa agents come up are the legal "grey" area type. They are assisting people that don't, can't, or won't actually meet the financial requirements, etc. They use certain "methods" that we don't usually discuss here to avoid actually needing to legitimately meet the requirements as an in person or hand hold applicant would. 

 

If the O.P. was intending to use that agent for the "grey" area type, if I was him, I would forget about the 5,000 as money well spent on a lesson to never deal with that particular agency again. 

 

Complaining to authorities if the intention was to skirt actually meeting requirements seems to me as totally nuts. Calling attention to you as much as the agency, if not more. Totally not worth the risk over 5,000 in my opinion which by the way, wouldn't necessarily be returned even if you did complain to authorities.

 

In the case this was for a totally legit service (hand holding type) that would depend I suppose on their policy on refunds and whether that was told to you, any contract you might have signed, etc.

 

agree with you on the two types of 'service', you've summed it up nicely. This case sounds like a straight rip off.  But IMO the 'hand holders' are also willing to assume the role of the middle men for foreigner bribes to immigration. It just depends on what service you are willing to pay for but they're one in the same..

[ExpatOilWorker]

11 hours ago, Ventenio said:

5000 is probably slightly above my "man, i got ripped off" meter..

 

I have bought 1200 baht things that broke in a day

we have all spent 10k+ on food that might not have been the best

maybe 30k+ on massages that were average

maybe 10k+ on trips and 100k+ on gf's...

 

i mean, this is Thailand, money just evaporates.....

 

on the flip side, i bought some used stuff for a few hundred baht where in the UK it sells for about 200 pounds.  I found three items like that......

 

when i was a teacher i got about 100k for days I didn't have to teach (two months off over the course of a few years).....i'm sure other teachers have made millions only counting vacations.  

 

so yea, you lost 5000......but your living in a place for 5000 instead of 40000 back home.

 

BUT NEVER DO IT AGAIN.  

 

I spend 69K on tickets with THAI Airways.......all down the drain.

 

[digger70]

18 hours ago, ecosouq said:

I had an experience with a fake visa agency .

The only one that can protect you is Yourself .  Don't use an agency.

If you got everything in order ,Money /Papers  you save yourself a lot of trouble and money .

 Do your Extensions yourself . There's nothing to it .Fill in the form get your papers together and picture ,,,,, Done.

[ecosouq]

3 hours ago, natway09 said:

Any self respecting agency gives you a quote & you pay after the work is complete.

 

i paid 5000 before any work , i did not sign any paper even

17 hours ago, alianware said:

How do you know this agency ? Where is the office ? You were in their office before ? 

search engine ..i mentioned in my post but deleted , i am not aware of this policy . 

thanks 

[2530Ubon]

2 hours ago, digger70 said:

The only one that can protect you is Yourself .  Don't use an agency.

If you got everything in order ,Money /Papers  you save yourself a lot of trouble and money .

 Do your Extensions yourself . There's nothing to it .Fill in the form get your papers together and picture ,,,,, Done.

Fully agree with this. Agents should only be used if you don't have the money or other viable means. If you can do it yourself, that's always the best way

[fishtank]

Stay legal or take a chance with a dodgy agent.

Your choice.

[DrJack54]

2 hours ago, fishtank said:

Stay legal or take a chance with a dodgy agent.

Your choice.

Or avoid a dodgy agent and deal with well know one and you will have zero issues. 

[orchis]

Let me get this right.
You retained the services of an 'agent' with a required deposit of 5000 thb.
There was an extension of the amnesty, so the services were no longer required, you informed the 'agent' and you complain about not getting the deposit back?

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

5 hours ago, digger70 said:

The only one that can protect you is Yourself .  Don't use an agency.

If you got everything in order ,Money /Papers  you save yourself a lot of trouble and money .

 Do your Extensions yourself . There's nothing to it .Fill in the form get your papers together and picture ,,,,, Done.

 

I honestly don't really understand people using agents. I get the 'busy people' excuse but I'm a busy person. Anything that can be done (legally) by an agent can be done by yourself. I speak from a great deal of experience, gaining Entry Clearance to the UK for my family decades ago, then Leave to Remain, then going through the citizenship process for them, then back to Thailand and all the visa hassles here, now going through the Thai citizenship process myself....... Never once did I even consider using an agent or a lawyer, it's all there in black and white for you to read yourself, it's just a case of assembling the documents, submitting them, and telling the truth.

 

Thai people are a often a snakeoil salesman's wet dream. When I visited the Trendy building years ago to renew my British passport, and the following year with my wife to renew hers, walking through the entrance from the car park and you're swamped by agents, all of them trying to get my wife to walk into their office so they could 'help' her with her UK visa (she's British for FS!). Makes my urine boil. You want to tell them to phack off, but Thai civics and all that. I wish the building management would do something about that.

 

 

 

 

[overherebc]

23 hours ago, Jingthing said:

This is only my opinion as someone that has never used a visa agency and doesn't intend to.

There are two sorts of visa agency services.

 

There is the "hand holding" type that assist people in doing fully legit applications where the applicants actually can meet their own financial requirements and can prove it. They might be a convenience to busy people, people intimidated by dealing directly with immigration offices, or people that don't speak English or Thai. In such cases the applicants would be submitting the same documents as people doing it themselves, their own actual money in their own bank account if required, actual income flows if required, etc., etc. 

 

The other type, the type we are usually discussing when the topic of visa agents come up are the legal "grey" area type. They are assisting people that don't, can't, or won't actually meet the financial requirements, etc. They use certain "methods" that we don't usually discuss here to avoid actually needing to legitimately meet the requirements as an in person or hand hold applicant would. 

 

If the O.P. was intending to use that agent for the "grey" area type, if I was him, I would forget about the 5,000 as money well spent on a lesson to never deal with that particular agency again. 

 

Complaining to authorities if the intention was to skirt actually meeting requirements seems to me as totally nuts. Calling attention to you as much as the agency, if not more. Totally not worth the risk over 5,000 in my opinion which by the way, wouldn't necessarily be returned even if you did complain to authorities.

 

In the case this was for a totally legit service (hand holding type) that would depend I suppose on their policy on refunds and whether that was told to you, any contract you might have signed, etc.

 

There is the third type of agency that take the money and issue you a fake visa, and 'no' I haven't used one. 

[Jingthing]

35 minutes ago, overherebc said:

There is the third type of agency that take the money and issue you a fake visa, and 'no' I haven't used one. 

True dat. They are the worst! Very bad for expats to be sporting fake stamps!