Why do people complain about their Embassy

[kingstonkid]

First let me say that i worked in a Cdn High commission for 3 years. During that time there was nothing that we would not do legally to assist anoyone in country no matter what the issue or time of day or night.

Why is it that people here have so much trouble or doubt about their embassies. I hear nothing but complaints about the Brit Embassy and have been told by reliable people not to expect much from my own other than admin assistance.

I have however had to deal with certain sections of the Cdn Embassy and found them very helpful.

PLEASE DO NOT JUST BASH BUT GIVE EXAMPLES OF YOUR OWN ISSUES NOT WHAT YOU HEARD.

[transam]

My Embassy in LOS won't sort out a new passport which they did in the past...

[Briggsy]

I have used my Embassy twice (British) in my time here.

1. Passport renewal (in the old days). 2 visits to the embassy. After much waiting, the passport was sullenly slung at me by a Thai member of staff who muttered something, presumably in English, which I could not hear.

2. Residence Letter (in the old days). An exhorbitant 1400 Baht. Again 2 visits to the embassy.

I have received one letter from them (unsolicited) which stated in the event of a bird flu epidemic, the embassy would, under no circumstances, assist in any evacuation, financially or otherwise. I never asked them to! I have my own money!

That is why people complain. I am a law-abiding citizen and the British Embassy is a trying place for me. I can't imagine what it would be like if I ever got in strife here. Although honestly, they are the very last people I would ask for help as I know it would be a waste of time.

[Costas2008]

Don't know about others, but my Embassy has been very good to me.

They even gave my wife a visa to visit Greece.

Although, the guy in there, gave me a lecture for about 20 minutes, as to how bad and conniving, Thai Ladies can be.

[anthobkk]

I had to deal with my embassy (french)

First of all I had to pay a crazy amount of money 1500+ thb PER stamps to certify some documents

For emergency i needed to take an appointment within 2-3 weeks minimum....since it was an emergency I had to solve it by myself

For a passport renewal I had to take an apointment (2-3 weeks again even if it was an emergency since i had to leave thailand) but they asked me my birth certificate to prove that I was a french citizen...my ID, passport and any other certificate I had was not enough...also they told me to show up this certificate when I got the appointment ( they forgot to mention it on phone before)...

So yes my embassy sucks and I don't know about other embassy but the french one is just a <deleted> floor on an old building..

[kaorop]

Because most know the good appointments are junkets for ex members/friends/contributors of the government of the day.

[Soutpeel]

My Embassy in LOS won't sort out a new passport which they did in the past...

I think thats the biggest gripe over the BE these days.

only had to deal with them face to face in BKK, when they were still handing passports out and they did do what they said they would do, 10 days and a new PP, so no issue there

My biggest gripe with the BE in BKK, was the tail of last year when the rules regarding HK where changed and it wasnt announced very well that you had to send your stuff to the UK, I had sent my stuff to HK and thanks to TV found out that from a certain date it was suppose to be sent to the UK...

I did drop the BE in BKK an email asking what I should do ? Send an email to HK to cancel my application and submit a new one to the UK or dont do anything ?, other than the stock "we will reply to you in 20 days" email, which incidently, its now the end of August and they still havent answered... they did nothing to "assist me" with this query, which I believe was a valid enquiry to them, I wasnt asking for or demanding anything them all I was after was some information,

but then again I did also send the same enquiry to the PP office in Liverpool as well and they still havent answered either...

In fact it was a TV poster, thanks again, who put me onto the PP officer in HK, who very professionally, responded to my mail very quickly, literally within 2 hours, she told me to sit tight and if there was a problem they would contact me, and under no circumstances send another application to the UK, which was the answer I was looking for "what do I need to do ?"

24 days later, even with the Xmas and New Year holidays in the way, new PP delivered to my door from Liverpool, this was just before the current fiasco over passport renewals stated in the UK, so guess I was lucky...

So

BE in BKK - 0 out 10 for Customer service as they couldnt or wouldnt answer what I think was a legitimate question, or even bothering to responding to my email with even a 'We dont know" or "you need to talk to HK", which would have done

PP office in Liverpool 0 out of 10 for just being nobheads in the current passport fiasco

Passport officer in HK 12 out of 10 for whatever she did ... this is the way customer service should be..

[kwonitoy]

Dealt with the Canadian embassy here for 15+ years.

Just last month had a temporary passport arranged and delivered in 4 days, after putting mine through the laundry.

Top service every time I've been in there, smiling, pleasant, wiling to go the extra mile

Letter's for proof of income, notorize documents, passport renewals, newborn son's Certificate of Citizenship, newborn son's passport, easily and effiecently

It can be hard to get through on the phone, but e-mails are answered in a day.

but I have seen idiots go way overboard when not being treated like royalty, the staffs patience amazes me sometimes.

[Kwasaki]

Found the English Embassy in Bangkok very good, they seem to be always very busy.

The UK consulate office in Chiang Mai I found very helpful too.

[jacky54]

I have used my Embassy twice (British) in my time here.

1. Passport renewal (in the old days). 2 visits to the embassy. After much waiting, the passport was sullenly slung at me by a Thai member of staff who muttered something, presumably in English, which I could not hear.

2. Residence Letter (in the old days). An exhorbitant 1400 Baht. Again 2 visits to the embassy.

I have received one letter from them (unsolicited) which stated in the event of a bird flu epidemic, the embassy would, under no circumstances, assist in any evacuation, financially or otherwise. I never asked them to! I have my own money!

That is why people complain. I am a law-abiding citizen and the British Embassy is a trying place for me. I can't imagine what it would be like if I ever got in strife here. Although honestly, they are the very last people I would ask for help as I know it would be a waste of time.

I think it's now over 3k baht for a letter

[seajae]

for my visa application I needed the embassy to proof a couple of aussie govt documents that I could only get by downloading. The embassy official told me to download them and travel to Bangkok to have them authorized but when I got there the female thai worker refused to do it even though I explained that her boss had told me it was ok to do, Didnt matter what I said she simply refused to accept it or contact her boss to even check it out, made me waste a flight to Bangkok for nothing.

After flying back home I sent a pretty narky email to Bangkok telling them I wanted a refund of the costs(flights and taxis) seeing they had lied to me and given me false information. I got a huge apology and they said to send the documents to them and they would do everything required and return them which they did. Guess this makes it kind of half good but it was the hired thai help that were the idiots, not the actual emabassy people so I guess the actual aussie people were good, it was just the local xxxxxxxx up totally.

[noahvail]

NZ embassy here has been top notch. The COS actually phoned Wellington to get an answer about privacy vs the police report they had sent, and he was able to stamp the report which had nothing on it (clean record and all, but the P.D. couldn't say that because of the contradictory privacy law, which I had waived in writing. Can't fault them for service, and the fees are reasonable. Top marks.

The Thai embassy in NZ, though, was not so good. Every single question I had was answered by "everything answered on our website." Well, no, not really. Show me on the website where the answer to this question is, please. "You look. Everything answered on our website." Very frustrating at the time, but I've kind of gotten used to, living in Thailand.

[i claudius]

I used to have business in bkk had to regularly use the British embassy.useless in the extreme never replied to queries just paper shufflers 3rd grade

[silverhawk_usa]

I have no complaints about service I have received, although just normal passport renewals, income letters, and notarizations, at the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai. My complaint is the exorbitant fees. I receive a pension from the U.S. and must pay thousands of dollars in taxes to the U.S. Living here i receive no services from the U.S. Government except the occasional visit to the Consulate. I feel my tax dollars have paid for those services many times over and we should not be charged, especially overcharged, again. This of course is a State Department issue and nothing the local consulate has control over.

Other than that, no problem.

[swissie]

These days, most embassies have reduced their services to issuing new passports and issuing visas for Thai Beauties to visit their Frarang sponsor in Farangistan.

For the daily paper-shuffling they have Thai-Nationals at their disposal. Oftentimes their language skills are simply inadequate to handle current affairs concerning the Farang.

But then, one must forgive the Farang-Embassy staff: They have a horrible time table. They must hop from one Hi-So Event to the next. And all this merely on a lavish European salary?

I am not so sure, if the Thai sweetheart, having received her Visa to visit her sugar-daddy in Farangistan has won the lottery, or the Farang/Farangista that has landed a job at the embassy.

Cheers.

[Aforek]

I had to deal with my embassy (french)

First of all I had to pay a crazy amount of money 1500+ thb PER stamps to certify some documents

For emergency i needed to take an appointment within 2-3 weeks minimum....since it was an emergency I had to solve it by myself

For a passport renewal I had to take an apointment (2-3 weeks again even if it was an emergency since i had to leave thailand) but they asked me my birth certificate to prove that I was a french citizen...my ID, passport and any other certificate I had was not enough...also they told me to show up this certificate when I got the appointment ( they forgot to mention it on phone before)...

So yes my embassy sucks and I don't know about other embassy but the french one is just a <deleted> floor on an old building..

I am French, too, and I disagree ( but for appointment 2-3 weeks ); letter for the bank is free, residence certificate free, many papers done by mail, no need to go to Bangkok; for the birth certificate, every body knows it but you: the embassy has a very good Internet site , they explain everything you need to have a passport and other papers: just read it !

every other French people I know are very satisfied of the Embassy : it's not so often that something works well in France, but the Embassy in Bangkok is good

[teatree]

Paying 2500 baht for a piece of paper stating where I live which probably took all of 30 seconds to do.

[JLCrab]

I like the US Embassy in Bangkok because given their Outreach program I never have to go there.

[TerryLH]

Yes, the US Outreach program is great.

They come to my city twice a year, probably just because they know I'll need something from them at least one of the visits. Very thoughtful of them.

[jacko45k]

Because I would expect more of them.

Can't even issue me a passport or help me get a visa for my wife.

Waste of taxpayer's money.

[orosee]

Most people complain because they don't know the difference between an embassy and a consulate/consular section.

I'm enticed with those who left their country because "the government is too easy on social migrants" and then get furious when they can't get a visa for their Thai girlfriend in 60 minutes no questions asked.

[rotary]

The US Embassy is terrible. Booking online for a simple thing like extra pages in a passport and high cost for any paperwork plus a "dont care attuide". I had some dealing with the Canadian embassy and they are streets ahead of the US

[malt25]

I've been dealing with the Aussie embassy in BKK for many years. Over numerous visits I don't have one complaint or gripe. From arranging to take ex wife & kids to Australia to having documents certified, all great service.

Personal visits, phone & e-mail contact, all very courteous, prompt & professional.

Keep up the good work.

[zoolander]

A few years ago a fellow British expat died in our village. I thought the embassy should be contacted as I had never been in this situation before. I found it impossible to speak to anyone at the embassy and had to email them. They did reply but their ONLY concern was the retrieval of his passport. They were not interested in the how or why he died or in assisting his wife or children.

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[brain1]

On the two occasions I have dealt with the BE I have found the service to be very poor, if it were any other department it would be found to be unfit for purpose.

1). Applied for a passport, the Thai staff were as helpful as a bucket of sand and rude an impolite as any official I have met in all the years of my travels (I can assure the readers that I am neither a pompous or arrogant sole and will tip my forelock to those where I have to).

2) A family member here feel into a coma and I asked the Embassy for information on what I the procedures were for repatriation and after two emails the only response was an automated reply to inform me that I would get a response.

If Embassies are not there to provide guidance and help to its subjects what are they there for?

[h90]

Don't know about others, but my Embassy has been very good to me.

They even gave my wife a visa to visit Greece.

Although, the guy in there, gave me a lecture for about 20 minutes, as to how bad and conniving, Thai Ladies can be.

My embassy is now also good.

Before their male staff was only in Patpong, than my government replaced them with female staff: Since than it is good.

[chrisinth]

In a great many cases, a lot of people don't know how much influence (if any) in a situation the embassy/consulate can be involved in. Every one of them must abide by the country's laws. Assistance may or may not be possible.

That said, and understanding they can be busy, I would have to question the hours of service offered for routine work, the long time periods for arranging appointments/interviews and the justification of the prices charged for paperwork.

British Embassy.

[stgrhe]

I am a Swede and I have only good experience from dealing with the Swedish embassy in Bangkok and its honorary consuated in Hua Hin. Hence, no complaints here!

[canarysun]

I don't think it's just the Embassy that they complain about. 90 percent of " our viewers " on Thai Visa seem to complain about " everything " lol ( I must to be the only " fully paid up member of Thai Visa " that has a sense of humour.....) The rest take there life sooooooo seriously... ( " joop joop " viewers..)

Farang Jaidee

[bino]

I didn't appreciate the Thai embassy employee laying a power trip and treating Ms. Bino like a whore when we applied for her first ever visitor visa.