UK visa service to charge £5.48 to send them a single email from overseas

[webfact]

UK visa service to charge £5.48 to send them a single email from overseas

Caroline Mortimer 

 

Home Office has contracted out its services to private firm in a move which may hit the tourism industry

 

LONDON: -- People applying for a visa to visit the UK will be forced to pay nearly £6 for every email they send. 

 

The Home Office has announced it had contracted out its customer enquiries service for visa applications to a private outsourcing firm, Sitel UK, which will charge £5.48 per email sent, change opening hours and reduce the number of languages services are available in.

 

It says the move will “help the government reduce costs and ensure those who benefit directly from the UK immigration system make an appropriate contribution”.

 

Services will be offered in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, French, Hindi, Russian and Spanish. 

 

Full story: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/uk-visa-tourists-charges-fees-email-overseas-cost-home-office-sitel-uk-a7763776.html

 

-- INDEPENDENT 2017-05-31

 

[saakura]

This is looting, plain & simple. And a windfall for the outsourced company, who may just set up a back office in India or someplace to answer the mails.

[smedly]

speechless

 

That is quite frankly the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard

Edited May 31, 2017 by smedly

[evadgib]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/customer-enquiry-service-changes

[sanemax]

I did read in another report that is isnt 6 Quid per E-mail , that price includes all the follow up E-mails as well

[AhFarangJa]

Same con set up as when the VFS service was introduced, thus virtually eliminating any work the British Civil Service had to do, while putting all the onus on the applicant to print forms, use their own internet to download everything etc. Gotta pay for all the illegal immigrants.....Migrants somehow. 

[brommers]

As a Brit who left that country about 40 years ago I soon realised that once you have left the UK the state basically regards you as a traitor and treats you as such. Theresa May has intensified this in numerous ways, not least with the passport renewal system changes. And now she is clearly signalling that she does not want you to feel in any way welcome wethervyou are a British expat or a tourist or a visiting business person.

 

After the Brexit vote the good ship Britain has set sail and is ready to repel all those who are deluded enough to want to get on board.

 

 

[Arkady]

No doubt the replies will remain equally unhelpful.

[NanLaew]

19 minutes ago, brommers said:

As a Brit who left that country about 40 years ago I soon realised that once you have left the UK the state basically regards you as a traitor and treats you as such. Theresa May has intensified this in numerous ways, not least with the passport renewal system changes. And now she is clearly signalling that she does not want you to feel in any way welcome wethervyou are a British expat or a tourist or a visiting business person.

 

After the Brexit vote the good ship Britain has set sail and is ready to repel all those who are deluded enough to want to get on board.

 

 

As a Brit who "left that country about 40 years ago" what exactly is your problem?

 

Since a passport is just about a once in a lifetime event for the coffin dodgers hiding out in LOS, beyond the frozen pension, what's your beef?

[phantomfiddler]

What, I wonder, are the chances that outsourcing firm Sitel are owned by someone named Patel ?

[Gandtee]

14 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

As a Brit who "left that country about 40 years ago" what exactly is your problem?

 

Since a passport is just about a once in a lifetime event for the coffin dodgers hiding out in LOS, beyond the frozen pension, what's your beef?

Perhaps his problem is the attitude shown by yourself and it would seem, by some people in the UK. Perhaps his beef is more to do with frozen pensions and the British government's disregard of it's 'coffin dodgers'  who worked all their lives, paid their taxes and expected the same treatment as UK  pensioners.

[simoh1490]

30 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

As a Brit who "left that country about 40 years ago" what exactly is your problem?

 

Since a passport is just about a once in a lifetime event for the coffin dodgers hiding out in LOS, beyond the frozen pension, what's your beef?

Passport renewal every ten years, frozen pensions, inability to open an onshore bank account, inability to access the services of an onshore IFA, loss of NHS services, yet taxes and NI paid in full for 50 years and country served via time in the armed forces........I expect he might say!

[Gandtee]

6 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

Passport renewal every ten years, frozen pensions, inability to open an onshore bank account, inability to access the services of an onshore IFA, loss of NHS services, yet taxes and NI paid in full for 50 years and country served via time in the armed forces........I expect he might say!

Abso bloody lutley.

[al007]

Oh dear must have been sleeping, did not realise today must be April 1st

[smedly]

The headline is misleading, the charge is a one off per enquiry/application not per email which seems fair enough

Edited May 31, 2017 by smedly

[oldlakey]

25 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

Passport renewal every ten years, frozen pensions, inability to open an onshore bank account, inability to access the services of an onshore IFA, loss of NHS services, yet taxes and NI paid in full for 50 years and country served via time in the armed forces........I expect he might say!

I am in full agreement with what you say

I am in the same boat

I would point out its too late to complain now, because if you did not know what was in store for you, you should have

[Gandtee]

4 minutes ago, oldlakey said:

I am in full agreement with what you say

I am in the same boat

I would point out its too late to complain now, because if you did not know what was in store for you, you should have

I agree. No use complaining, but that does not mean you should not try to rectify the situation by sending off letters to all and sundry. In this instance I can't accept the advice given to the Colonial Ladies. 'When being  raped, lay back and think of England'!

[oldlakey]

1 minute ago, Gandtee said:

I agree. No use complaining, but that does not mean you should not try to rectify the situation by sending off letters to all and sundry. In this instance I can't accept the advice given to the Colonial Ladies. 'When being  raped, lay back and think of England'!

The way things are going it wont be long before they try and cut us adrift altogether

We are nothing but a financial millstone around their neck

Past performance counts for nothing with politicians 

And as for anything Victorian, I much prefer tipping the velvet

[Mickmouse1]

I wondered who schemed out this little gem?

Who owns the outsourcing company?

It's directors must have high level contact in certain Government dept.

Stinks..Stinks..Stinks...after the event mail charge you might be ordered to bend over?

[7by7]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

What, I wonder, are the chances that outsourcing firm Sitel are owned by someone named Patel ?

 It seems that the parent company, Groupe Acticall, is French.

Edited May 31, 2017 by 7by7
Fix link

[soalbundy]

1 hour ago, Arkady said:

No doubt the replies will remain equally unhelpful.

maybe they should be charged in return.

[saakura]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

What, I wonder, are the chances that outsourcing firm Sitel are owned by someone named Patel ?

The contract would have been approved and signed by the bureaucrats at the foreign ministry and they are not Patels for sure?

[soalbundy]

The UK is awful to its citizens and always has been, not just to the nutters wanting to go there.

[hansnl]

5 hours ago, smedly said:

speechless

 

That is quite frankly the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard

Ridiculous?

Disgusting!

[hansnl]

1 hour ago, saakura said:

The contract would have been approved and signed by the bureaucrats at the foreign ministry and they are not Patels for sure?

Mohammed and Fatima probably.

[PremiumLane]

Don't you just love the Tories

[Khon Kaen Dave]

5 hours ago, Gandtee said:

Abso bloody lutley.

Great use of the 'interjected expletive', but even better when all the words are written as one. I absof#####glutely salute you sir.

[Baerboxer]

9 hours ago, saakura said:

This is looting, plain & simple. And a windfall for the outsourced company, who may just set up a back office in India or someplace to answer the mails.

 

The outsource provider may well have had to bid based on "buying" the business i.e. actually paying the government. They then seek to make this pay by screwing the customers with charges (often ones that seem high) and reducing operating costs to the lowest possible, usually including restricted service and offshoring to the lowest cost location possible.

 

As an example, if I email a certain international banks email "help" desk I get drivel replies from an offshore location and rarely get the issue resolved. If I telephone the UK based phone help line I usually get the issue resolved their and then.

 

Nothing to do with real customer service but some genius will produce KPI's that show what a great job they're doing. Even in the face of massive complaints.

[Fulwell53]

9 hours ago, saakura said:

This is looting, plain & simple. And a windfall for the outsourced company, who may just set up a back office in India or someplace to answer the mails.

But but this cant be. Good old back home best in the world honest uk govt contracting out their dirty work and ripping off citizens ( current and future).

I thought there was only one govt in the world that could act so despicably.

You know the one with corrupt cops and govt workers, bullies, cowards, drunks etc  for citizens.

I'm stunned

[timendres]

No thieves like the government...