US Consulate in Bangkok. You've got to be kidding.
Nov 21, 2015, 6:55 am
#16
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5,760 THB. And I paid the fee.
I'm not asking for personalized service of any kind. We followed all the rules then they interrupted the process and won't tell us why or what we have to do to fix it.
You can't tell someone "We have to stop the process because you made a mistake but we're not going to tell you what the mistake was and we won't let you proceed until you fix it."
All we ask is to tell us what the problem is and what they want us to do. That's not asking for personalized service.
I'm not asking for personalized service of any kind. We followed all the rules then they interrupted the process and won't tell us why or what we have to do to fix it.
You can't tell someone "We have to stop the process because you made a mistake but we're not going to tell you what the mistake was and we won't let you proceed until you fix it."
All we ask is to tell us what the problem is and what they want us to do. That's not asking for personalized service.
Nov 21, 2015, 7:22 am
#17
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Yes and yes. And I went back to look to see if there was any indicator for saying that the preparer would represent the applicant at any point. There isn't.
Nov 21, 2015, 7:23 am
#18
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Worsening or poor service is sort of a given when given this: the sheer volume of people involved in requesting various services; staff hearing so many sorts of stories that sort of drive skepticism and all sorts of other things that yield apathy/detachment in some form or another; staff turnover/rotation; the security worries; and the "these are the rules, no exceptions" grooming of staff. And it's not like USFS is such a rewarding career path that it attracts and retains some of the better graduates in the way it used to some decades ago; and people in such positions aren't rewarded for going above and beyond in independently acting ... even within the scope of reason and common sense.
It's sort of like a government-operated call center but where you show up in person and receive US3 airline-level of domestic ground service. Except it tends to be even less responsive than the IRS, whether or not it's just as bureaucratically rigid.
Of course this leads to a lot of frustration, even unnecessary frustration, more so when dealing with the visa process than when dealing with ACS. And for this, Americans increasingly pay more than before without getting more than before.
It's sort of like a government-operated call center but where you show up in person and receive US3 airline-level of domestic ground service. Except it tends to be even less responsive than the IRS, whether or not it's just as bureaucratically rigid.
Of course this leads to a lot of frustration, even unnecessary frustration, more so when dealing with the visa process than when dealing with ACS. And for this, Americans increasingly pay more than before without getting more than before.
Nov 21, 2015, 8:37 am
#19
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Florida USA
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Worsening or poor service is sort of a given when given this: the sheer volume of people involved in requesting various services; staff hearing so many sorts of stories that sort of drive skepticism and all sorts of other things that yield apathy/detachment in some form or another; staff turnover/rotation; the security worries; and the "these are the rules, no exceptions" grooming of staff. And it's not like USFS is such a rewarding career path that it attracts and retains some of the better graduates in the way it used to some decades ago; and people in such positions aren't rewarded for going above and beyond in independently acting ... even within the scope of reason and common sense.
It's sort of like a government-operated call center but where you show up in person and receive US3 airline-level of domestic ground service. Except it tends to be even less responsive than the IRS, whether or not it's just as bureaucratically rigid.
Of course this leads to a lot of frustration, even unnecessary frustration, more so when dealing with the visa process than when dealing with ACS. And for this, Americans increasingly pay more than before without getting more than before.
It's sort of like a government-operated call center but where you show up in person and receive US3 airline-level of domestic ground service. Except it tends to be even less responsive than the IRS, whether or not it's just as bureaucratically rigid.
Of course this leads to a lot of frustration, even unnecessary frustration, more so when dealing with the visa process than when dealing with ACS. And for this, Americans increasingly pay more than before without getting more than before.
Nov 21, 2015, 8:16 pm
#20
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Saw the OPs post on TV,
Suradit69 is very knowledgeable.
also search and read other threads there for leads...
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=googlecse#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q="DS-160"
You could also try their Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/usembassybkk
and Twitter:
@usembassybkk
twitter.com/USEmbassyBKK
Suradit69 is very knowledgeable.
also search and read other threads there for leads...
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=googlecse#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q="DS-160"
You could also try their Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/usembassybkk
and Twitter:
@usembassybkk
twitter.com/USEmbassyBKK
Last edited by transpac; Nov 21, 2015 at 11:09 pm
Nov 23, 2015, 8:54 pm
#22
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Anybody know what a GSSO is? They finally sent an e-mail to him and told him to fix his GSSO profile. Hunted all over their website plus searched on GSSO both on their site and in Google. Nothing.
Nov 24, 2015, 12:21 am
#23
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The end of the world as we know it????
The visa section sent another e-mail. The last e-mail they sent reads in part
The government said that? And they apologized? And assured me it won't happen again? Am I in an alternate universe?
Anyway, it is a communication error internally and I get to reschedule the appointment. And whoever sent the last e-mail (no name was attached) was quite considerate and polite.
This was our error.
Anyway, it is a communication error internally and I get to reschedule the appointment. And whoever sent the last e-mail (no name was attached) was quite considerate and polite.
Nov 24, 2015, 8:35 am
#24
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Florida USA
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The visa section sent another e-mail. The last e-mail they sent reads in part
The government said that? And they apologized? And assured me it won't happen again? Am I in an alternate universe?
Anyway, it is a communication error internally and I get to reschedule the appointment. And whoever sent the last e-mail (no name was attached) was quite considerate and polite.
The government said that? And they apologized? And assured me it won't happen again? Am I in an alternate universe?
Anyway, it is a communication error internally and I get to reschedule the appointment. And whoever sent the last e-mail (no name was attached) was quite considerate and polite.
Nov 25, 2015, 11:35 pm
#25
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I notice they continually have an aversion to putting their name to their work.
All my affidavits are obviously signed/typed name by an American ACS employee. I've never had anything but hugely positive experiences at the U.S. Embassy here.
That said, my home state's RMV is vastly superior to what is was ages ago, but then, it used to be pretty bad.
It sounds like, once the OP got the right email address (on ThaiVisa), he was quickly able to resolve his issue.
All my affidavits are obviously signed/typed name by an American ACS employee. I've never had anything but hugely positive experiences at the U.S. Embassy here.
That said, my home state's RMV is vastly superior to what is was ages ago, but then, it used to be pretty bad.
It sounds like, once the OP got the right email address (on ThaiVisa), he was quickly able to resolve his issue.
Nov 26, 2015, 12:29 am
#26
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Applying for, or soon to be part of, a graduate student program at a US university? Didn't sound likely to me, but maybe they meant the government services office profile used by some contractor for visa application purposes?
Dec 5, 2015, 8:43 am
#27
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This may be too late, but you can always call your congressman/senator if you are having problems with a US Embassy or Consulate. Call their local office in your state, not the DC office.
Dec 5, 2015, 2:47 pm
#28
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Interesting "next step" on my BIL's visa. They turned him down (kind of expected that because he doesn't have a good job here). But they didn't tell him that was why he was turned down. They didn't give him a reason at all, just said he didn't qualify. Then, on the paper they gave him, invited him to pay the money and try again once he fixed the problem.
You have a problem. We won't tell you what it is. But if you fix it you can try again.
Only a bureaucrat could think like that.
Dec 5, 2015, 5:17 pm
#29
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From experience, calling them does no good. They want paperwork to look at. I had my congressman (Jerry McNerney) help me once before with an issue with my wife's Green Card. He was very helpful but it took a couple of months.
Interesting "next step" on my BIL's visa. They turned him down (kind of expected that because he doesn't have a good job here). But they didn't tell him that was why he was turned down. They didn't give him a reason at all, just said he didn't qualify. Then, on the paper they gave him, invited him to pay the money and try again once he fixed the problem.
You have a problem. We won't tell you what it is. But if you fix it you can try again.
Only a bureaucrat could think like that.
Interesting "next step" on my BIL's visa. They turned him down (kind of expected that because he doesn't have a good job here). But they didn't tell him that was why he was turned down. They didn't give him a reason at all, just said he didn't qualify. Then, on the paper they gave him, invited him to pay the money and try again once he fixed the problem.
You have a problem. We won't tell you what it is. But if you fix it you can try again.
Only a bureaucrat could think like that.
Just a heads-up if considering a second application. Once a person is denied a visa twice in a row, the odds of qualifying for a visa -- short of a major life-changing qualifying event that involves different visa types -- plummets and doesn't ordinarily improve for perhaps as long as decade.
Having more material ties -- like property ownership, higher education enrollment, wife/children not coming on the trip -- in current country of residence for the applicant could help improve application approval odds. But once rejected, the odds of a second rejection are very high for applicants using a passport from a non-VWP country.
Dec 11, 2015, 3:29 am
#30
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Well, I go as far back as 1992. My only personal contact has been getting more visa pages (back before they charged $82 for that), but I hear lots of stories from friends who live there or who have more-complicated things to get done (including one who had to try to get the body of a Pattaya Flying Club member sent back to the U.S.). Stories of frustrations in dealings have been pretty consistent for many years.
My only other visit for visa pages not in Bangkok was in Luxembourg, of all places. Very laid back, as you might expect, and friendly staff and no waits, at least when I went. It's what Americans would like to see in Bangkok but aren't likely to because it's a vastly more busy operation that also has more security worries.
My only other visit for visa pages not in Bangkok was in Luxembourg, of all places. Very laid back, as you might expect, and friendly staff and no waits, at least when I went. It's what Americans would like to see in Bangkok but aren't likely to because it's a vastly more busy operation that also has more security worries.