CounterClifton

Man, they're never going to allow me into India at this rate.

CounterClifton

Martin - you seem to know quite a lot about BLS's future and operations for someone with one consumer's experience via the mail. Which is one more than I have, but I'm kind of thankful for that.

I have no idea what a TRP game is. I can't imagine what motive any regular user here would have for falsifying their negative experiences or squelching real, positive experiences. Even more true for the moderators. They don't want people not to go to India! They sell guidebooks to Americans on how to get around India! They'd only hurt themselves by scaring people away from applying for visas.

There are no competitors to BLS, as I understand it, to benefit from making BLS look badly. However the moderators.. AND their company have every reason to remove what it believes to be untrue information. They wouldn't wish their website to have a poor reputation caused by giving customers fake information. Any good business knows this and works very hard to fix this sort of damaging situation immediately rather than spending it's time arguing about it with their own customers. And that's what they've done - fixed it. As an observer, it makes perfect sense to me. The rush to create accounts and make up stories instead of working harder on your business to really fix the problems makes a lot less sense to me.

I also know this isn't a blog, another interesting oversight common among several who have arrived recently to post their positive thoughts. But who knows? Perhaps it really is all an incredible coincidence. I do hope in the future what they do is process visas and send people back their passports on a timely basis. One can hope.

jacketwatch

Well said sir. BTW as for your user id does "counter" refer to your profession like being an accountant for example. Just curious. Thank you.
Larry.

CounterClifton

lol, no. I've been just plain old "Clifton" since before registration was required for the site. I've used the forums here since '98 or so. Then for awhile, so I could focus on the business (which isn't accounting), I deleted my account. I created a new one some months later when things settled. Counter-spy, counter-terrorism.... thought I was being semi-clever at the time. Instead, I became a pseudo-accountant. Otoh, the business *is* food related, so I do end up standing at kitchen counters a lot.

jacketwatch

I guess I was just a wee bit off on that one.

ShanRochester

Iam in a similar situation having applied to renew my daughters passport with BLS International in September 2013, and never got the renewed passport back.
On Nov 15th , all I got back was my self-addressed envelope "sealed" and returned back with nothing inside.. There was no passport or any communication regarding the application inside!!

I tried contacting BLS International numerous times through emails and phone calls, but could not get any valid response back on the status of my daughter’s passport.
After 4 months of emailing, finally forwarded an email complaint to the consulate, for which I got a phone call back from a person who introduced herself as a BLS manager in Chicago, indicating she will update me with the status in 48 hours,
and that she was not the manager who processed my daughter’s passport, and the old manager who processed the passport has left the company??

Since there were no response back from her in two day, I called her back and to my shocking surprise she stated that, the BLS tracking systems indicate that my daughter’s passport was dispatched on Nov 13th and delivered to me Nov 15th.
She stated that the passport is most likely “stolen or lost in the transit” advising me to “re-apply for the passport “. She also claimed that BLS will not be responsible anymore for the passport, and not to call her back.

After going through this terrible frustration, Iam about to pursue legal action, and would like to hear from other victims on your experiences.
Can you kindly help me share your thoughts at
shan dot ramal @ gmail dot C O M ?

thanks

jacketwatch

BLS tracking systems? Tracking should be with Fedex or UPS or the like. She should provide that tracking information.

Isigma

I applied for Visa at the end of September in Houston,TX. I the beginning of November they where still playing with my application, so I had to contact the consulate. That helped to speed up the process and according to consulate's information the issued me with Visa on November 8th.
Since then I never saw my passport. BLS doesn't want to discuss anything. They say that my documents were sent back to me.

I'm shocked by irresponsibility of the official company (BLS) in the US and by absence of any reaction from the Embassy on their crime.

boydhwilson

I feel compelled to add a positive note re: BLS International. I have been leading student tours to India for the past 20 years. At first I went directly to the Indian Consulate in Chicago for the visas, and got professional and efficient service. Then, I had to begin using Travisa. The first year was rough, but they got better and I had good experience with them. In July, 2013 I met with a colleague whose daughter was going to India on a semester long college program, and she was having a great deal of difficulty getting her visa. That is when I learned about the fact that on June 1, BLS International had taken over the process. Everything I read about BLS made it sound like a nightmare!! So when I was planning a trip in December to attend the wedding of a dear friend, I was seriously concerned about securing my wife's visa (I already have a 10 year visa, so I had no problems). Assuming this would be a nightmare, I applied in August for a visa that I did not need until December, allowing many months for BLS to mess up. I sent the visa and application out on a Wednesday and on Thursday, a week later, I received my wife's passport and visa.

I was still worried, though, because I still was reading horror stories such as these on Fodors.com. So, as I planned my student tour of India for May, 2014, I submitted the applications very early. I sent 12 student passports with visa applications via UPS on late Monday afternoon, February 10. I received all 12 passports back from BLS early Thursday morning, February 20. I consider this very efficient!

So, while I know that the problems reported must be real . . . please be assured that this testimonial of fast and efficient service is equally real. So far, I have had nothing but good experience with BLS International. Perhaps I should add that it is the Chicago office that has given me such good service. It seems that other offices might not be so efficient!

jacketwatch

Goof for you. I had a nightmare of an experience with the Chicago office BTW.

The Indian govt. has begun a bidding process to replace BLS. They should be out of the picture by June.

filmwill

Hmm. New poster who signed up just to tout BLS. Never seen that before on this thread.

jacketwatch

I believe this guy but also believe its very atypical. The vast majority received horrid service as noted on Fodors and the Indian govt. was compelled to make changes.

Its a moot point anyway as BLS will be gone and one hopefully soon the visa on arrival process will be in place.

chirag2014

I am the most recent victim of BLS international Washington, DC. They lost my parent's passport as well.
For 5 months they kept saying that the application is in process, when we finally went to the location, they told us that they cannot find my parent's passport. While we were at BLS international, 4 other applicants came in the office with the same issue. I have proof of FEDEX tracking number which shows that the BLS International received the passport. BLS international website shows that the company is liable to pay $195.00 for each lost/stolen passport but one of their employee gave a personal check to us for that amount. When we asked the Manager at BLS International why she is paying out of her pocket, he told us that their company policy is that the associate has to pay for any lost passport. When we challenged the manager on the discrepancy between the website and what he was saying, he just left the conversation. BLS international employee came back to us with a letter that shows that the passport is lost by her but that letter was not on BLS International company's letterhead. In that letter, there was no mention of BLS international. She refused to write BLS international on the letter.

Now I have to apply for new passport and apply for new OCI. This is so frustration. I never had such a bad experience in my life yet.

sidnewyork

Police Investigating Passports Stolen from San Francisco BLS Office

Read more at http://www.indiawest.com/news/17340-...Y5PE9ggK1IG.99

tampaite

Ahh one more person to the queue.

Am totally, totally frustrated with the BLS location in Atlanta. it's been 3 weeks now and they claim they mailed my US passport along with OCI card and yet there is no tracking information.

What are my options?

I don't get any responses to phone calls or emails and am very very disappointed in how they treat their customers.

Kathie

BLS is no longer the contractor for India visas. It is now Cox and Kings. You should not be dealing with BLS at all for any India visa business.

SKT13

To add to the horror stories...

I'm guessing my passport was one of the last handled by BLS before Cox took over. I had sent it late April, and since then, have spent over 2 months trying to figure out where it was, and no one seemed to know.

Finally, after multiple inquiries to BLS and Cox & King, I was notified that it had been mailed to me on May 20th. Except they chose to mail the package to an address that I had lived at 7 years ago, rather than my current address. When UPS tried returning to BLS, their offices had closed since Cox&King had taken over by then. So, UPS figured the package was abandoned and (hopefully) destroyed it. So, as of today, my US passport and my old Indian passport are both lost...

Can anyone suggest how I can proceed with the replacements? Will FBI or US Department of State be able to help any, or am I on my own? Also, what should I be concerned about in terms of the lost passport possibly being mis-used?

pbahri

I don't think BLS loose the US passports. They intentionally sell the US passports to make good money.

I applied for PIO card in March 2014 and its not August 2014, they send me all the documents back to my address but not the money order. After asking them on phone, on emails they said we need a proof of USPS money order that says BLS cashed it. I got proof too from USPS still they don't send me my money back. BLS logo is "Proud to be an Indian company" , they should change their logo to "Proud to be crook's company". Indian companies don't do these kind of mistakes.

AjitS

@SKT13

Have you received your passport?

Guys, My passport says on BLS website tracking as dispatch but USPS tracking number says not found, it's over 3 days now.

None of the number mention on website are answer. Not sure whom to contact.

Since you have gone through this, You will be able to guide me on this.

I appreciate your response!

Nanda152

@AjitS,

Same question to you as well..have you received your passport?
It seems this is a very common situation and it applies to me as well.

BLS website is saying they dispatched my passport on 16th Apr 2015, but I am not able to track it in Fedex website.

I have been calling BLS support number but that is nothing but useless.

I see that you have reported this on March 20th, so I am hoping that you made your way through this mess.