Your review is misleading. Throughout both applications, we acted promptly and professionally at every stage and made sustained efforts to assist you. Any delay arose from Embassy processes entirely outside our control.
You refer first to a visa we obtained for you in April and the length of time taken. You formally instructed us on 3 April. We submitted your application on 4 April. The Embassy authorised passport submission on 10 April, and we submitted the passport on 11 April. Your passport was returned to you with the visa on 16 April, based on the processing speed you selected.
At that time, visa processing times were significantly extended because the Chinese Embassy was transitioning to a new online visa processing system. This transition affected all applicants applying in April and was entirely outside the control of any visa agent. At no time during the process did you mention you needed the visa back by a certain date.
In relation to the subsequent visa application, you formally instructed us on 24 September. We submitted your documents to the Chinese Embassy on 25 September. On 26 September, the Embassy authorised submission of your passport. We informed you immediately. We received your passport from you on 29 September in the afternoon and submitted it to the Embassy on 30 September. Due to Chinese national holidays during this period, the Embassy’s published processing timetable indicated an expected return date of 8 October.
However, on 7 October, the Embassy contacted you directly after identifying, during its own background checks, that you had previously changed your name. This information had not been disclosed to us by you at any stage of the application process. When asked about this, you confirmed to us that only you and the Ukrainian authorities were aware of the name change.
As a result of the Embassy’s discovery, additional documentation was requested. We assisted you in providing the further documents promptly. The Embassy then initiated extended background checks, a process entirely outside the control of any visa agent.
Throughout October, we dealt with your emails and phone calls, repeatedly chased the Embassy, and kept you informed. There was no lack of communication at any stage between you and us.
On 20 October, you stated that you wished to attend the Embassy in person to ask about the status of your application. We arranged an appointment for you for the following day. However, prior to the appointment, you received an email directly from the Embassy confirming that they had no update on your case, which was exactly the position we had been communicating to you throughout. Following this email, you chose not to attend the appointment.
On 25 November, you chose to withdraw your application before the Embassy concluded its checks. As a gesture of goodwill, we refunded all of our service charges in full, despite having completed the work and despite the delay not being our fault - the delay arose from Embassy procedures following the discovery of your change of name. The only amount not refunded was the mandatory fee charged by the Embassy’s visa processing centre, which was retained by them. We therefore retained none of your money.
We have also checked all email correspondence between you and us and have found no evidence of rudeness. If you can identify any specific incident, please let us know.
We regret that you were dissatisfied with our service, but it is wrong to attribute Embassy-driven delays and processes, and Embassy system-wide processing disruptions, to us in circumstances where we have acted appropriately and promptly at all times.