Handing over your Passport!!!!

[xcharmed1x]

My story begins with booking a fantastic holiday to the US with my parents, husband and 3 kids!!, I had gone to the travel agent and did what you normally do when booking a holiday. A deposit was due a week later to 'book' our seats on the flight. Went to the travel agent I had $13,000:shock: in my posession why u ask this much cash, well the travel agent said it would take 3 days to come through if it was transferred through the bank and I would miss out on my flight prices!!.....hmmm, anyways everything had be finalised and just when I was about to make payment the agent said we should apply for your visa's about a week before you leave considering none of you have a criminal record! :shock:
UMMMMMMM, yea I do! I stated, well with that he told mee I needed to have an interveiw with the US embassy in Sydney, and asked mee wot my record was for I told him Fraud (12 years ago).....To which he said you will be okay and the lady next to him stated that I had a client who had spent time in jail and still got his visa.......hmmm okay Agent:" If you don't pay today you may lose your seats and pricing may go up" okay this holiday had already gone over budget so I knew I had a little over 3mths till we flew out plenty of time!!!

Oh how wrong was I!!! Flight out was 13th Febuary 2012

1st Dec 2011 applied in person spent alot of money to get to Sydney and for the visa for a 10min interview and a denial!!
I was given a piece of paper that was ticked and circled and told it will be a 6 week wait for my passport to be returned!!
6 weeks pass, 8 weeks, 10 weeks pass.....In that whole time I have been sick with anxiety fighting with my partner and stressed to the max!! Now 2 weeks before I am due to fly out I start getting agitated......I emailed the embassy....I got a response back 5 days later stating that the visa process has been extended to 12/13 weeks:evil:.....hmmm I am now in my 12th week and still no passport back! I paid $36.00 to speak to a 'person' at the embassy on several occassions to ask where my passport was and all I got from them was it is being reviewed!!!.......My family went on their trip without mee

Now I'm peeved OFF they are home and I still have no passport!!!.....I have rang every number I can find that is associated with the embassy, I have rang our own forgien affairs, I have rang australia post, I have rang the passport office, NO ONE can help mee get my passport BACK!!...I don't want or need the visa I just want my passport BACK!!! I am calling call centres of ppl who don't speak english that well to be told "you need to ring australia post"......Frustrating wot part of "THEY DON'T HAVE IT" do they not understand!!????

Bottom line is Do not book a holiday until u have a visa...my experience has been some what stressfull and still continues to be even though my family have returned... I was never told or asked if I had a criminal record that getting a visa would be such a long process.

I hope this helps anyone before booking to apply, just sorry that I never found this site before booking cause I would have seen that so many people have gone through this process.

 

[awilcockson]

Bottom line is Do not book a holiday until u have a visa...

I really feel for you, this is terrible, and the travel agent should be named and shamed. Pity you didn't get the "you'll be fine" in writing.

I hope you get your passport back eventually, seems crazy that nobody can tell you where it is ...

 

[amaroo]

What a raw deal.....so the US embassy has told you that the passport has been sent back to you? Always thought they sent them by registered post or courier!

Can be a bit hairy with the Visa processing....we tend to book at the last minute and therefore, visa applications are last minute. Last time we got our passports back the day before flying....not the a situation I would replicate or recommend.

 

[Travel Guru]

Sounds like a Flight Centre consultant and their manager keen to hit their sales targets at any expense.

(Does that make me sound too cynical?)

TG

 

[trooper]

Reading that almost gave me a headache... I realise the distress and anger... but criticising other people for not speaking english "that well"?

Try rereading your post.. Pot/Kettle etc...

Hope you get it back soon BTW

 

[UP4014]

Agree with Travel Guru, sounds like someone wanting to beat their target.

 

[albatross710]

Passports can be reported as lost and replaced. It is no biggie. I believe there is a charge for the replacement.

Maybe there is even room on the form to note that it was lost in the US Embassy.

 

[markis10]

Anyone that asks for such amount in cash is a clear warning signal in the first place!

 

[harvyk]

Anyone that asks for such amount in cash is a clear warning signal in the first place!

Agreed, there is no way I'd hand over anything more than about $1000 in cash, as up to that amount I guess if I lost it I would care, but it wouldn't be the end of the world, over that amount you want the records from the bank on who has received the money, that way if there is a non-delivery you have proof that you'd paid.

Unfortunately this story with the US embassy getting a visa is a common one, although if you are game you can take the travel agent to task over giving you bad advice with the visa's. Don't be fooled into believing what a travel agent's "disclaimer" says. I've taken a TA to fair trading over some bad advice and won despite their terms and conditions attempting to stop me from doing so. The key there is should they have said anything at all about the likelihood of receiving a US visa? Since they did, and thus you acted upon their advice are they liable for said bad advice?

 

[Ansett]

Agreed, there is no way I'd hand over anything more than about $1000 in cash, as up to that amount I guess if I lost it I would care, but it wouldn't be the end of the world, over that amount you want the records from the bank on who has received the money, that way if there is a non-delivery you have proof that you'd paid.

Unfortunately this story with the US embassy getting a visa is a common one, although if you are game you can take the travel agent to task over giving you bad advice with the visa's. Don't be fooled into believing what a travel agent's "disclaimer" says. I've taken a TA to fair trading over some bad advice and won despite their terms and conditions attempting to stop me from doing so. The key there is should they have said anything at all about the likelihood of receiving a US visa? Since they did, and thus you acted upon their advice are they liable for said bad advice?

I would suggest that the member would have a case especially if he can obtain a witness. Good Luck hope all goes well and you get it back and as for the TA name and shame and also go for them what do you have to lose?

 

[xcharmed1x]

Reading that almost gave me a headache... I realise the distress and anger... but criticising other people for not speaking english "that well"?

Try rereading your post.. Pot/Kettle etc...

Hope you get it back soon BTW

Trooper, no racisim intended.......what I should have said is that they could not understand my situation or what I was talking about. They had no answers for mee other than check with Australia Post.

 

[xcharmed1x]

I would suggest that the member would have a case especially if he can obtain a witness.

That witness would be their supervisor!! So I found out when my husband went back to complain.....She basically rolled her eyes and told my husband that it was my choice to book........It's not about the money it's about how they LET mee book it in the first place, knowing full well wot the Embassy is like....I'm not the first person that has a criminal record to apply......

 

[skywalkerLAX]

That witness would be their supervisor!! So I found out when my husband went back to complain.....She basically rolled her eyes and told my husband that it was my choice to book........It's not about the money it's about how they LET mee book it in the first place, knowing full well wot the Embassy is like....I'm not the first person that has a criminal record to apply......

I understand your situation, sorry for having to deal with this!

It is problematic if the TA suggests something that he has no influence or maybe even first hand experience on. The U.S. are a weird bunch when it comes to immigration questions. Regarding criminal records there is a definition somewhere that draws a line between crime & CRIME. I can recall reading somewhere anything beyond of a 2.5 year jail sentence will provide BIG trouble for you (like very likely not getting a visa approved). I doubt the Travel Agent is a legal practitioner or immigration expert, to make such statement in combination with demanding a large down payment in cash [which I would never do by the way, in case of insolvency or fraud you will have no recourse for cash payments] is highly negligent. Witnesses should better be independent or at least someone who came with you to the TA.

In terms of receiving a new passport... What was the urgency of that, would you have gone on another holiday? In that case I would have reported the passport lost and applied for a replacement.

 

[missafternoondelight]

Hmm. It is quite novel to hear someone convicted of fraud complaining about being swindled. While I don't think the travel agent's actions were ethical, fraud isn't all that ethical, either. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Sorry if that sounds harsh.

 

[xcharmed1x]

In terms of receiving a new passport... What was the urgency of that, would you have gone on another holiday? In that case I would have reported the passport lost and applied for a replacement.

For mee it is the principle, it is my passport and why should I have to pay for it to be replaced??...There are no govening bodies in Australia that are willing to help as such for the return of my passport......Is it just sitting on someones desk, has it been lost, who knows.......I will now just have to be paitent as much as I can be and wait.......


haha Do I need to go through this VISA process when I want to go to the UK??? Looking at going within the next 2 yrs......should I start preparing now lol

 

[xcharmed1x]

Things happen in our lives that we have no control over missafternoondelight, so don't judge a book by it's cover!!

 

[rechoboam]

For mee it is the principle, it is my passport and why should I have to pay for it to be replaced??...There are no govening bodies in Australia that are willing to help as such for the return of my passport......Is it just sitting on someones desk, has it been lost, who knows.......I will now just have to be paitent as much as I can be and wait.......


haha Do I need to go through this VISA process when I want to go to the UK??? Looking at going within the next 2 yrs......should I start preparing now lol

Seriously just report it lost or stolen and take away the lessons- never pay that sort of money in cash ESPECIALLY to a travel agent. Also when people start saying you have to pay NOW or else, it's time to step back and ask why. I guess lastly couldn't you have moved the whole holiday with a more modest cancellation/ date change fee?


And Miss AD I don't think the previous history impinges on this after all this country's banking system was established by men convicted of fraud who had served their time

 

[rechoboam]

3 days if transferred "through the bank"?????

The travel agent hasn't heard of credit cards?

Because of that stupidity I actually would take them to VCAT for the airfare.

 

[UP4014]

Things happen in our lives that we have no control over missafternoondelight, so don't judge a book by it's cover!!

Not being judgemental, but we all have choices.

 

[Nigelinoz]

Do I need to go through this VISA process when I want to go to the UK???

Generally holders of Australian passports travelling to the UK for a visit do not need a visa,but the UK Border Authority website does advise that
if you have a criminal record it may be wise to obtain a visa,but I don't think you need to worry about starting the process just yet,the website
advises applying about 3 months before you travel.
UK Border Agency | Do you need a visa?
Cheers
N'oz