Complaints.com

From: Message Author
Date: Tuesday, 16-May-06 12:57:47 CDT

Business Info

I am complaining regarding a premium telephone service 09042-450100.

This is the phone number to schedule a VISA interview to the US Embassy London. To ring this premium number (1.2 pounds per minute) is the ONLY way to arrange an interview or make any enquiries regarding US VISA.

See detail on: http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/interview.html

It’s fair to charge the consumer for the service. However the problem is it is such a busy line that I have to hold a dozen of minutes before I can talk to a real people, AND they charge for the waiting. On 2nd of May, I rang this number for several times, after a brief introduction of the service, I was told to press “1”. Then the endless waiting at 1.2 pounds per minutes drove me crazy. I was really in a hurry to arrange the interview, so I had to keep ringing this number. But I did not get through until 4th of May.

I have been billed over 20 pounds for wait during this time. I saw other people complained about the busy line at the internet forum as well. I don’t know whether or not the phone company got a technical problem or is just short of staff. The only thing I can see is that they are really high efficient at charging people up to every second.

Anyway, it seems that the less people they hire to answer the phone, the more money they will make through people’s waiting. Is that fair for consumers? Supported by US embassy, what a monopolised business it is!

I strongly recommend them stop charging innocent consumers for the holding time, which should not happened in a 1.2 pounds per minute premium line service.