US Authentication Services

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
1. 1) US Authentication Services mentioned that it "will be approximately 10-business days, assuming no
delays or backlogs at the Embassy” meaning that if any delays where to take place it would be caused
by the UAE Embassy and NOT by US Authentication ServicesHowever, it
took US Authentication Services a minimum of business days to submit the
documents to the UAE embassy and the UAE embassy states on their website that
they “require a minimum of business days to process any document.” ***
didn't mention the date that the documents were initially submitted to the UAE
embassy in order to hide the fact that they were lagging even before the
documents reached the UAE embassySo US Authentication
Services can’t attribute their tardiness to the UAE embassy since the documents
were already a minimum of
business days into the cycle before they were submitted to the UAE embassy
2. 2) I Spoke to individual in UAE embassy and he said
that the embassy doesn't require that all documents be submitted under one
ticketThe real reason US Authentication submitted the documents
under one ticket is to save money on the moneygram transfer as they take a fee
on every transfer and not a percentage of the total amount of the balance to be transferred
3. 3) ***'s answer to how both diplomas were BOTH stamped on May 8th AND ready for pickup at
the same time even though they were submitted one day apart lacks substance*** also failed to mention how ***'s diploma could be stamped the very next day even though the attestation process takes a minimum of five business days according to US Authentication Services.
4. 4) As *** mentioned, they are going to the UAE Embassy everyday with or without my diplomasSo I don't see any substantial additional cost as he repeatedly mentions.
5) My diploma took seven business days and not six
as *** mentioned***’s diploma took six daysWhen I spoke to the individual
attesting the diplomas he said it was taking to business days.
Kind Regards,
*** ***

Dear Revdex.com Representative
We have a response for the client comments for Complaint ID *** from June 10th and was under the assumption we had business days to respondI would appreciate if you can facilitate our response to the customer commentsI am unable to post our response We have already processed a 50% refund of the service charges to the client via the portal:
Response to Customer comments
Timeframes are always up to the respective embassy/department Given that the Embassy had concerns with ***'s diploma, it is possible that **and ***'s diplomas were both held up at the embassy because of that and this was beyond our control The embassy themselves state on their website a MINIMUM of business days however this timeline does vary and extend at timesIt averages to business days usually as per our experience but in some instances documents have been processed earlier for certain clients based on the processing times
Documents can be submitted to the embassy separately under a ticker or multiple documents under a ticket In this case the question about Money orders is not relevant because the documents were in fact submitted separately the second timeThe first time yes, both documents for him were submitted together because both were under one order
***’s statement about saving money on the *** *** is baselessThe cost for money orders to us is free via banks and just costs cents if made via *** ***
As we have stated in our previous response, the dates documents get stamped versus the date it is actually ready for pickup are two very different thingsDocuments at each embassy go through their own internal process within various departments before they are ready This is a process with all embassies -- the date of the stamp does NOT mean the final day of the embassy step
The embassy's time frames vary -- this is clearly seen on their website, where they say AT LEAST business days.
The main point to get across here is that rejections by embassies, backlogs, etc are never in our control Our service is to submit documents in person to the necessary departments and embassies, but the decisions are always at the embassies' discretion
Summary of Response:
The initial notification of rejection by the embassy was provided after business of receiving the documents with a timeline provided of 10-business days approximately
This was the scope of the first orderThis marked the completion of the process which unfortunately resulted in the documents being rejected by the Embassy
We initiated a second phase to res-submit the documents which was done free of cost to the customerPreparation of the embassy packed included preparing copies and money orders and making three trips to the Embassy Two drop offs and one pick up since both were ready the same dayThe customer was NOT charged for this additional scopeThe customer mentions it is not substantial work for the company to go the Embassy since we go there every day which is incorrectRegardless of several trips made daily to Government Departments and Embassies, the re submission of documents constituted trip(s) to the Embassy for submission and pick upAdditionally, several emails were exchange with the customer notifying them about status and responding to their inquiries and significant time was invested on this order by our staff Any additional work constitutes payment of service charges which was never requested from the customer beyond the initial order
In looking back through email communication with ***, I would like to mention that there was never any indication of dissatisfaction and as implied in his email at the end quoted below”
“Thanks a lot ? and that would be for both degrees (** and ***) right? Do you know whether the letter that you received by mail from *** *** registrar will be included in the ***?”
Despite the fact that this was beyond our control and that we did additional work and submissions for him free of cost, we have already processed a 50% refund of our service charges as a courtesy We cannot offer any refunds on the Fees for the respective Government Department Fees, Embassy Fees and *** shipping as the documents were processed by the authorities and shipped via *** as per the scope of the initial orderAttached is a receipt for the refund
Sincerely,
*** ***
US Authentication Services
www.usauthentication.comBrookfield Plaza, #
Springfield, VA
*** *** ***

Dear *** and the RevDex.com,
"">We would like to respectfully respond to the
comments from *** regarding the authentication of his documents for
use in the UAE.US Authentication Services assists clients in
submitting documents to the appropriate departments and embassies in
Washington, DC for apostilles and authentications
*** (***'s sister) requested
a quotation and information from us regarding the submission of their
diplomas to the appropriate departments and embassy on April 10, via
email In our response via email on that same day, in addition to the
amount for services and the exact steps that would be followed, we stated that
the timing "will be approximately 10-business days, assuming no
delays or backlogs at the Embassy" and also that "the decision
to apostille/authenticate any document always rests with the respective
department/embassy."
As a confirmation to proceed with our
services, US Authentication Services received ***'s diplomas (one
fore him and one for his sister) and US Authentication signed order form with
payment for authentication on Friday April 11, We started the
process thereafter, submitting their documents to each department as specified
in the quotation email On Monday May 5, (business days later), we
received **and ***'s diplomas back from the UAE Embassy
*** emailed ***, explaining that the UAE Embassy did not
authenticate his sister's diploma, stating that it was an online diploma
At this point, had there been no issue at the embassy and both had been
accepted, the timeframe would have actually only been three business days
beyond the APPROXIMATE time frame provided to **and *** initially
(as the Embassy does have backlogs at times, which was specifically stated to
them in our email already)
However, as we state in all our emails to
clients, all documents are always at the embassy's discretion to certify, and
that is beyond our control of course *** emailed *** and did
not only just inform him of this, but in order to help him, she suggested
obtaining a letter from the university and said we could try and resubmit the
diploma, hoping it would be accepted the second time *** NEVER even
mentioned anything regarding additional fees for our extra time, resubmission
of documents, etc, and merely wanted to help them get the authentication
completed
The UAE embassy requires that multiple
documents be submitted together with one receipt, so if one document gets
rejected, all documents get rejected in that packet So because **
***'s document was not accepted, ***'s document was not either
On May 5, later that day, *** requested that his diploma be
submitted the following business day, while his sister would try to obtain a
letter from her university *** agreed and we submitted ***'s
diploma to the UAE Embassy on May 6, ALONE with its own receipt, having to
delay other clients' documents, but trying to help *** as much as
possible
On May 6, around 8pm EST in the evening, **
*** emailed a scanned letter from ***'s university We
resubmitted ***'s diploma along with the letter again to the UAE
embassy (please note that this is now the THIRD submission for them, all this
while we have not requested anything additional monetarily from them) on May
As we have many clients for UAE
authentications, we go to the UAE embassy on a daily basis, for both
submissions and to see if any documents are ready Over the next few
days, we updated *** multiple times as to the status, that both
documents were still at the embassy On May 15, 2014, both diplomas were
ready at the embassy We notified *** as soon as we found out
(around 11am that day) and of course agreed to send his out that day itself, as
he was expecting them urgently
With regards to ***'s issue that both
diplomas were stamped on May and they were ready for pickup on May 15, every
embassy has their own procedure in their back office, which includes looking
into the accreditation, stamping of the document, review by the General Consul,
accounting, etc The fact that the date of the stamp does not reflect the
date a document is actually ready at the front desk for pickup as there are
many departments within the embassy that documents go through "behind the
scenes." The date a document is stamped is
actually completed are two different things and beyond our control We
would advise *** to contact the embassy hi**elf and ask about the
various steps documents have to go through for authentication In
addition to that, the fact that both diplomas have the same date of May 8, even
though they were submitted one day apart, is also beyond our control The Embassy
took approximately business days again, this all depends on their backlog at
that time, and is beyond our control
In summary, US Authentication Services not
only submitted both diplomas to each department and embassy specified to **
***, but we also submitted their documents to the UAE embassy an
additional TWO times (one for each diploma) The work that we did was
actually beyond the scope of the work outlined to ***, and we never
once requested any compensation for that extra effort and time of our staff As
with any document, the final decision always rests with the respective
government agencies and embassies -- in cases where a document is rejected, we
work with the client to find a resolution, as we did in this case where we
advised *** to obtain a letter from her university We request
that *** reflect on the additional work that we performed, the help
and guidance we gave, as well as the timeline of events that has been outlined
here and that he revisit his request for a refundRespectfully,
*** ***
US Authentication Services

Horrible experience! They refused to address even one of my concerns during my month long ordeal. I was sent back one of two possible teaching certificate documents that I sent them because I was not sure which the UAE would want and they claimed to be the experts. They definitely do not live up to their claim: "the correct manner as required by government authorities all over the world." So of course I had to go through the whole process again. I had to pay it and send the same papers back. You had the correct paper work and did not proceed.

At one point they referenced Qatar requirements after they had my U.A.E. application. Any excuses there. Thank goodness I saw the email fast and corrected this error.

And then the companies last mess up. After a month, I was trying to figure out were my final document was in the process. I was told 3 different locations in just over 24 hours. This was most definitely cause for concern.

Perhaps the company will get better over time, but approximately $900.00 and a little over a month later I am still trying to get my paperwork for the U.A.E. so I can report for a school year that has already started.

Review: [redacted] at US Authentication Services promised my sister, [redacted], and I that she will have our diplomas attested and delivered within 10 to 12 business days. It took her 24 business days. [redacted] received our application and documents on the 11th of April, she mailed the documents on 15th of May. First of all, [redacted] was buying time by asking my sister for additional information that she clai** that the UAE embassy requires. However, my sister emailed the letter at 9pm on May 7th Virginia time which means that the earliest she can resubmit the diploma was the next day on May 8th. The stamp on our diploma from the UAE embassy is dated May 8th which means that they attested the diploma the same day that they received it which is impossible according to [redacted] because she stated that it takes at least 5 to 6 business days for the UAE embassy to attest the diplomas. I also called the UAE embassy and they said that it takes them 4 to 5 business days to attest a diploma.

Second, since the diplomas were attested on May 8th, why did it take her another five business days to mail out our diplomas?

Third, I asked her to resubmit my diploma to the UAE embassy ASAP and not to wait for my sister's letter and she notified me over email and by phone that she will resubmit the diploma the next day. She resubmitted my diploma at least one day before my sister's diploma was supposedly resubmitted because my sister didn't deliver the requested letter for at least one day after she supposedly resubmit my diploma. That being the case, how is it that both of our diploma's were both attested on the same day on May 8th when they are under different ticket numbers and submitted under different dates?Desired Settlement: I would like a full refund since US Authentication Services did not meet their promises, weren't even close to the promised due date and costed me a lot of money in lost income by delaying my employment!

Business

Response:

Dear **. [redacted] and the RevDex.com,

We would like to respectfully respond to the

comments from **. [redacted] regarding the authentication of his 2 documents for

use in the UAE.US Authentication Services assists clients in

submitting documents to the appropriate departments and embassies in

Washington, DC for apostilles and authentications.

**. [redacted] (**. [redacted]'s sister) requested

a quotation and information from us regarding the submission of their 2

diplomas to the appropriate departments and embassy on April 10, 2014 via

email. In our response via email on that same day, in addition to the

amount for services and the exact steps that would be followed, we stated that

the timing "will be approximately 10-12 business days, assuming no

delays or backlogs at the Embassy" and also that "the decision

to apostille/authenticate any document always rests with the respective

department/embassy."

As a confirmation to proceed with our

services, US Authentication Services received **. [redacted]'s 2 diplomas (one

fore him and one for his sister) and US Authentication signed order form with

payment for authentication on Friday April 11, 2014. We started the

process thereafter, submitting their documents to each department as specified

in the quotation email. On Monday May 5, (15 business days later), we

received **. and **. [redacted]'s diplomas back from the UAE Embassy.

[redacted] emailed **. [redacted], explaining that the UAE Embassy did not

authenticate his sister's diploma, stating that it was an online diploma.

At this point, had there been no issue at the embassy and both had been

accepted, the timeframe would have actually only been three business days

beyond the APPROXIMATE time frame provided to **. and **. [redacted] initially

(as the Embassy does have backlogs at times, which was specifically stated to

them in our email already).

However, as we state in all our emails to

clients, all documents are always at the embassy's discretion to certify, and

that is beyond our control of course. [redacted] emailed **. [redacted] and did

not only just inform him of this, but in order to help him, she suggested

obtaining a letter from the university and said we could try and resubmit the

diploma, hoping it would be accepted the second time. [redacted] NEVER even

mentioned anything regarding additional fees for our extra time, resubmission

of documents, etc, and merely wanted to help them get the authentication

completed.

The UAE embassy requires that multiple

documents be submitted together with one receipt, so if one document gets

rejected, all documents get rejected in that packet. So because **.

[redacted]'s document was not accepted, **. [redacted]'s document was not either.

On May 5, later that day, **. [redacted] requested that his diploma be

submitted the following business day, while his sister would try to obtain a

letter from her university. [redacted] agreed and we submitted **. [redacted]'s

diploma to the UAE Embassy on May 6, 2014 ALONE with its own receipt, having to

delay other clients' documents, but trying to help **. [redacted] as much as

possible.

On May 6, 2014 around 8pm EST in the evening, **.

[redacted] emailed a scanned letter from **. [redacted]'s university. We

resubmitted **. [redacted]'s diploma along with the letter again to the UAE

embassy (please note that this is now the THIRD submission for them, all this

while we have not requested anything additional monetarily from them) on May 7.

As we have many clients for UAE

authentications, we go to the UAE embassy on a daily basis, for both

submissions and to see if any documents are ready. Over the next few

days, we updated **. [redacted] multiple times as to the status, that both

documents were still at the embassy. On May 15, 2014, both diplomas were

ready at the embassy. We notified **. [redacted] as soon as we found out

(around 11am that day) and of course agreed to send his out that day itself, as

he was expecting them urgently.

With regards to **. [redacted]'s issue that both

diplomas were stamped on May 8 and they were ready for pickup on May 15, every

embassy has their own procedure in their back office, which includes looking

into the accreditation, stamping of the document, review by the General Consul,

accounting, etc. The fact that the date of the stamp does not reflect the

date a document is actually ready at the front desk for pickup as there are

many departments within the embassy that documents go through "behind the

scenes." The date a document is stamped is

actually completed are two different things and beyond our control. We

would advise **. [redacted] to contact the embassy hi**elf and ask about the

various steps documents have to go through for authentication. In

addition to that, the fact that both diplomas have the same date of May 8, even

though they were submitted one day apart, is also beyond our control. The Embassy

took approximately 6 business days again, this all depends on their backlog at

that time, and is beyond our control.

In summary, US Authentication Services not

only submitted both diplomas to each department and embassy specified to **.

[redacted], but we also submitted their documents to the UAE embassy an

additional TWO times (one for each diploma). The work that we did was

actually beyond the scope of the work outlined to **. [redacted], and we never

once requested any compensation for that extra effort and time of our staff. As

with any document, the final decision always rests with the respective

government agencies and embassies -- in cases where a document is rejected, we

work with the client to find a resolution, as we did in this case where we

advised **. [redacted] to obtain a letter from her university. We request

that **. [redacted] reflect on the additional work that we performed, the help

and guidance we gave, as well as the timeline of events that has been outlined

here and that he revisit his request for a refund.Respectfully,[redacted]US Authentication Services

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

1. 1) US Authentication Services mentioned that it "will be approximately 10-12 business days, assuming no

delays or backlogs at the Embassy” meaning that if any delays where to take place it would be caused

by the UAE Embassy and NOT by US Authentication Services. However, it

took US Authentication Services a minimum of 10 business days to submit the

documents to the UAE embassy and the UAE embassy states on their website that

they “require a minimum of 3 business days to process any document.” [redacted]

didn't mention the date that the documents were initially submitted to the UAE

embassy in order to hide the fact that they were lagging even before the

documents reached the UAE embassy. So US Authentication

Services can’t attribute their tardiness to the UAE embassy since the documents

were already a minimum of 10

business days into the cycle before they were submitted to the UAE embassy.

2. 2) I Spoke to individual in UAE embassy and he said

that the embassy doesn't require that all documents be submitted under one

ticket. The real reason US Authentication submitted the documents

under one ticket is to save money on the moneygram transfer as they take a fee

on every transfer and not a percentage of the total amount of the balance to be transferred.

3. 3) [redacted]'s answer to how both diplomas were BOTH stamped on May 8th AND ready for pickup at

the same time even though they were submitted one day apart lacks substance. [redacted] also failed to mention how [redacted]'s diploma could be stamped the very next day even though the attestation process takes a minimum of five business days according to US Authentication Services.

4. 4) As [redacted] mentioned, they are going to the UAE Embassy everyday with or without my diplomas. So I don't see any substantial additional cost as he repeatedly mentions. 5) My diploma took seven business days and not six

as [redacted] mentioned. [redacted]’s diploma took six days. When I spoke to the individual

attesting the diplomas he said it was taking 4 to 5 business days. Kind Regards,

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com Representative