CIBT, Inc

What A Briggs used to get completed in less than 3 days takes CIBT a minimum of 5 days and at a higher cost!
I have used A Briggs for nearly 2 years. Now that A Briggs has been bought out by CIBT, the entire experience has drastically changed for the worse!!
CIBT is total corporate bureaucracy with slow turnaround times, high fees that are not fully disclosed upfront, and extremely poor customer service! I have never seen a company that wants your credit card number upfront without disclosing the total cost of services to be rendered!! BEWARE!!
Thanks to flippant customer service agents that are only robots reading off a computer screen, I will have to find another Visa service for all my business travel. Thanks for wasting my time CIBT and still not getting me a travel visa!

2 weeks before my husband and I leave for our first all inclusive vacation in Riviera Maya, we remember that we never changed my passport to my married name. Needless to say I was panicking. I was in the process of scheduling an appointment at the passport agency in Chicago to get it expedited when I was referred to CIBT by a family friend. Her company has been using them for years. I submit a request on Saturday and was contacted Monday around 4pm by a nice man named Lawrence. He informed me that the call would last about 20 minutes and he was going to get information from me to fill out my passport application. I had already done this prior to the call so I knew that the information he would ask me was sensitive but was necessary. I provided him with my information and card number and he explained the process and fees to me, stressing that my card would not be charged until the process was complete. As a personal banker, I'm wary of providing my information over the phone because I hear stories of scams and fraud all the time, especially when most of the reviews online are negative, but I felt comfortable with this service since it was referred to me by someone who uses them regularly. The next day Lawrence emails me my kit to print off, fill out, and take to FedEx. I was able to track the process online through their website and he guaranteed me that it would be ready by October 6th. I'm receiving my passport today and could not be more thankful. I truly had a pleasant and painless experience with this company. It was expensive, but worth it to not have to deal with the stress of doing it myself.

Review: Was charged $39 more than the I was told I would be charged for a visa to [redacted].

The extra charges were for:

Money Order Fee $8

Passport Replacement Service $25

Photocopy Fee $6

I did not agree to these charged upfront and would have chosen a different visa service had they told me about these charges up front. I have contacted CIBT (DBA visacentral.com) by e-mail and by telephone. I have received one phone call back (which a message was left for me) but no resolution to the overcharges.Desired Settlement: $39 Credit card refund

Business

Response:

Hello [redacted] Thank you for sending this email. In response to the complaint that was filed, we refunded the customer and credited his account for $39.00 on 4/4/2013. The customer was notified of this credit. Please let me know if you need any additional information to resolve this issue. Best, [redacted] VP, Online Marketing1650 Tysons Boulevard, Suite 1350McLean, VA 22102 p. [redacted]

Review: Russia (unlike China) requires a complicated application on line. (It is the only way it can be purchased.) Visa Central seems to have an "in" with them. At the start, they list several different charges -- without giving a total. I did not know that all those charges would be charged to my credit card. It was, and the total was $512.00. (I only paid about $160.00 for my China Visa)Visa Central has an office in [redacted] Texas (from which they sent back my Passport with the visa in it). I guess I have no one but myself to blame, but I don't believe I would have reserved my Russian River Cruise if I had known ahead of time of the $512.00 cost of getting that visa.Desired Settlement: Yes, it would be nice to get some of my money back, but I think someone needs to investigate this business. It is deceitful, at least.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

CIBT Visa Center was one of the most disorganized inept companies which we have had the misfortune to deal with. This company was the only service Holland America recommended. We even had our travel agent file a complaint with Holland about CIBT. As for the cost which was double the quoted rate needs to be mentioned also.

Review: I called the office on Tuesday May 28th and again on Wednesday May 29th to request assistance. On Monday I spoke to [redacted] who seemed helpful and emailed me a packet with instructions. [redacted] told me a few of the forms I would need to provide, including a marriage certificate from my previous and current marriage because the passport is for my child and I needed to show why my name had changed. He then said all instructions would be in the email he sent. The email he sent did not mention the marriage certificates.

After re-reading the packet I called customer service on May 29th and spoke to someone else. I do not know her name. I told her that I was very confused and I needed assistance. She said all I had to do was follow the instruction packet. She re-sent an email to me and read off the directions from a few sections of the packet, When I asked her if CIBT was registered with the US Passport Agency she replied that she did not know and would ask her manager. She did that and told me yes. She was very polite, but obviously new. I got off the phone feeling like an it because I could not understand what I was told were very simple instructions. So I re-read the instructions again and tried, unsuccessfully, to get them submitted so that CIBT could assist me and expedite the process.

The packet does not specifically tell me to tell the person at the USPS that I am using an expediting service. I arrived with all of my forms and attempted to hand them to her. The USPS service employee told me it was not necessary and that she would ask only for them forms she needed. Her rudeness is not CIBT's fault. However, if CIBT representatives or the CIBT form had told me that I needed to tell the USPS employee I was using them I would have insisted. It does not state in the CIBT packet to tell them this. There is a small section that has one sentence that says I will mail both the sealed and unsealed envelopes. This sentence is buried in the bottom of the instructions. It is NOT clearly visible. The packet does NOT clearly state CIBT needs to submit the passport application for you. Only that they will get it returned more quickly than I could on my own.

When I called on Wednesday May 29th and told the rep that I did not understand the packet and what to do with it, she should have told me more than reading from the instructions word by word. She should have made it clear that CIBT processes the application, not the USPS. I was very clear that I was confused and anxious regarding the application process through CIBT. I thought I submitted only the copies of the forms to CIBT by overnight mail.

When I called back on Thursday May 30th to tell them I had completed my appointment and that the USPS had mailed my forms and I would mail the copies to them, I spoke to [redacted]. [redacted] knows how to explain the program! She was very clear. I did not have to fully explain what happened before she stopped me and gave me full and easy to understand explanation of the process. I attempted to have the USPS give me the forms back but was unsuccessful. I again called CIBT told a different rep what happened, this rep blamed me for not being able to fully understand the instructions that were emailed to me. I told her that was why I called her office and requested help. I apologized for my rude tone and told her I knew it was not her fault. I had her cancel my order. I requested a manager to call me. She told me that [redacted] was unavailable and that she would give her a message to call me. It is Thursday night and I have not received a call. At this point I do not believe that there is anything they can do to help my situation.

I would NOT recommend CIBT to anyone due to the inability of the majority of their customer service/sales reps to do anything more than tell the prospective client to read the forms. If you do not understand the form they provide then you cannot accurately complete the process. There obviously is NO do-over when it comes to submitting a passport application. Now we may miss our vacation to Mexico and lose a few thousand dollars. VERY SAD!!!Desired Settlement: I would like for the company to apologize. It would be even better if they could adjust the instruction process and better train their staff to do something besides read off the same list of instructions that they give prospective clients. Besides [redacted] they seemed very rushed and poorly trained. Their business leaves no room for errors at the time of submission of the passport. The lack of instruction provided to me, upon request, could leave me wasting my hard earned money that was saved for vacation and leave me without a vacation.

Business

Response:

Hello,

This issue complaint was resolved directly with by our VP of Operations, [redacted] on June 7, 2013. Please let me know if you have any questions of need me to provide additional information.

Best,

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

If I could give this company negative stars I would. Literally the worst. I wanted to go on a cruise and the passport expired in October of last year and the cruise was booked for February 2015. Did the rushed delivery thinking we would get it back in a week. NOPE. ITS JUNE AND I STILL DONT HAVE THE PASSPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...⇄ Getting a hold of these people is impossible. No one knows what is going on in the office. Funny thing, when we called the actual Dep of State they said the passport is done but we have to go through CIBT because thats who started this process. THIS COMPANY IS SUCH A SCAM. The prices are ridiculous and they still havent given me anything! I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY TO ANYONE.

Review: cibt could not locate my grandsons application that I filled out along with my own and submitted on their web page. I then printed, signed them and sent these copies over night in time to be submitted to the Russian Consulate for Visa's. Due to the staffs inability to locate his application, though they found mine, we were NOT able to make the trip. We were assured by the supervisor at cibt that we would have our visa's. This was right up to the time we were on our way to [redacted] airport. She told us that they could fly them in from New York in an hour. However, 20 minutes from our reaching the airport I received a cell phone call that it was not going to happen. I immediately became physically ill. Having my grandson see me sick on the side of the road was embarrassing. I have tried in vain to get reimbursement for what I lost in fees and penalties. Know one has responded to my emails or phone calls.I was credited back the fee for the visas(not total amount)but I believe this credit is an admission to their over site in locating that application as it was there all the time. The staff was not familiar with the process to locate this applications. One of their staff members was able to locate it after I called out of frustration and talked with her. She seemed startled after I said something that clicked for her and she put me on hold for awhile. But she was able to locate it. This had been going on for more then 2 weeks. This delayed the submission of documents to the Russian Consulate. Visas were received 4 days AFTER trip began.Desired Settlement: Regain the money I have lost due to cibt's oversite. I did not lose ALL my money I paid for this tour. But it amounts to almost half of the total cost. I had travel insurance but this type of issue was not covered and I could not file a claim for any loses. This fee was lost also.

Business

Response:

[redacted],

It was nice to speak with you today. Regarding the complaint from [redacted] we have been working on this since October 24th. We have left multiple emails and voice mails and have had difficulty connecting with her to review the complaint.

We have finally made contact and she is providing us with additional information and I expect this to be resolved soon. Attached is the last update I received from our VP of Operations dated 11/21 – nearly a month after the complaint was filed. I confirmed with him, prior to sending you this, that they are still working the issue.

Please let me know if you heed any additional information.

Lesley

VP, Online Marketing

p. ###-###-####

m. ###-###-####

CIBT The Global Visa and Passport Professionals

Australia | Austria |Belgium | Canada | France | Germany | The Netherlands | Singapore | Spain | Switzerland | UK | USA

Review: CIBT demands a credit card before providing service and chooses to charge an unsubstantiated amount. I received a 30% credit only I had [redacted] intervene.

The company ignores its posted service charges. Its poor service and poor management make it impossible for me to ever use the company again.Desired Settlement: The company ought to leave Revdex.com since it does not follow any form of customer service

Business

Response:

Hi

I want to apologize again for the delay in response but also for the service failure from CIBT. My team in [redacted] certainly did not deliver on your request causing inconvenience to you.

I have refunded all the monies paid as of today, typically the credit takes up to 72 hours to appear on your card statement.

Again my apologies and I hope that you consider using CIBT again in the future.

Regards

Eric

Review: Visas ordered 12/26/13. Visas delivered 1/10/14.

Invoice dated 1/8/14 incorrect, charged in full against our credit card.

Multiple attempts to get invoice corrected finally resulted in second incorrect invoice 1/24/14, with only partial credit awarded. (1/8, 1/13, 1/14, 1/15, 1/17, 1/23)

Repeated attempts (email and phone to both VA and NY) requesting remaining corrections have not been answered. (2/10, 2/17, 2/22, 2/25)

The original invoice was padded with overcharges, unauthorized rush surcharges and replacement fees, the most blatant of which was the listing of $140 for $100 Kenyan visas and $120 for $100 Tanzania visas.Desired Settlement: We request accurate billing adjustment to reflect correction of Kenyan visa fees and Consular Processing Fee. Also reimbursement for a portion of CIBT 'service' charges ( which amounted to more than the total actual visa fees involved.). 'Service' includes accurate and prompt billing which, after over two months of repeated requests for corrected accounting, has not been delivered.

Business

Response:

HiTotal credits of $484.21 have been applied, we refunded his disputed amounts which totaled this, not $580. I have emailed him to apologize and advise of credits. Eric

Business

Response:

Company states it contacted complainant directly and provided monetary adjustment.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory enough.However, the fact that our concerns had to be brought to the attention of the Revdex.com indicates the seriousness of our complaint. We approached the company multiple times and were responded to repeatedly with inaccurate information and heavy innuendo that their 'confusion' was our fault. Our application was clear and correct. Our response to the multiple, inexplicable overcharges was clear and immediate. Having to wait three months and ultimately having to appeal to Revdex.com for correction of the overcharges guarantees that we will not use their services again.

Regards,

Went through CIBT to obtain a visa because they were recommended to me by another company. I figured the $114 that I though CIBT offered was a fair price since typically a Visa to Vietnam cost around $35-$65, minus the shipping fee, for a single entry 30 day visa if you fill out the paperwork and mail it directly to the Embassy. I was wrong, I ended up getting charged almost $400 using this service without my knowledge as CIBT does not tell you how much your total is until they finish with you visa. They will list several charges at the beginning of the process but make it confusing to figure out what your paying for and how much because they never give you a total of what you will be charged. I also kept receiving an reminder in my email to upload a picture (not knowing it was only to be viewed to determine if it would pass or not on my visa application) and uploaded the same picture twice because it kept asking for one on my CIBT account. I had no idea it would cost $25 per picture; It was rejected by CIBT's "computers" but, when I sent the same picture it to the embassy there was no issues with it. This company should be investigated for unfair practice. I did not get an invoice until my Visa was processed and the charges were placed on my account. had no idea CIBT would charge me $400 for something that should have been around $100 if I sent in my application my self. All CIBT does is take the info you get from the actual embassy website, with your passport, and walks it over to them all of which could have been done by an any individual 1/4 of the cost they charged.

This company has very shady billing practices. When you submit your application, you really need to make a copy of it because they will add services to your order without your consent. When I received my invoice, they had added a rush surcharge ($109) and a passport replacement service ($28) without my consent. Oh, and the shipping label they give you to mail 10 pieces of paper will cost you $37.09. They don't disclose that up front. When I called, they immediately removed the passport replacement service. It was clear they have a lot of issues with this one. You apparently have to opt-out or they charge you - which seems illegal to me. For the rush, they said I asked for it on the application, but upon probing, I found out they take the application and put it into their system and don't keep a copy, so there is no record of which boxes you actually check unless you make a copy. In my case, when I called to ask if I would have my passport back by a certain date, they said "yes" and then went and added the rush service. I didn't ask for the rush, I just made an inquiry of when it would be returned. They didn't inform they were adding a rush surcharge or that it would cost $109, which I would have declined. All in all, $540 dollars for a B[redacted]l visa. They have very shady billing practices. It is no wonder that my company stopped using them.

Only use A Briggs if you DON'T actually want to be able to leave the country. I have never received such poor customer "service". In the past seven days I have left 14 voicemails to try to ascertain the status of my customer complaint. Finally one person returned my call this morning (though I had left voicemails with five different persons). They are trying to not take responsibility for the way that they handled my visa request (sending it to the wrong consulate), and are trying to place the blame on the consulate. I had to cancel my trip because they could not deliver my visa in a timely manner. And then they charged me the consular fees for a visa that arrived one day before my scheduled trip ended. If they do not rectify the situation and reimburse me for the costs I have occurred because of their negligence I will be filing a formal complaint with the Revdex.com.