Complaints
This profile includes complaints for CIBT Visas's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 20 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 10 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:09/29/2023
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
CIBT sent me an email stating that the cost for two VISAs to China would be $450 each plus fees--which we knew to be fairly nominal. During our initial phone call, ***** said we would pay over $1,700. We instantly cancelled the service. They charged us almost $800. They had promised services for the fee. Nearly $800 is a bit steep for the 10 minutes or so he and then his supervisor spent on the phone with us. We have no idea how it went from $900 to nearly double that.Customer Answer
Date: 10/06/2023
The business has resolved the issue. Thank you.Customer Answer
Date: 11/02/2023
Date Sent: 10/6/2023 2:08:28 PM
The business has resolved the issue. Thank you.Initial Complaint
Date:09/06/2022
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Placed an order for an Australian business visa with CIBT on August 26, 2022. The visa application kit they sent me was incomplete. They did not have the entire Visa application form in the kit. I had to download the complete form from the Australian Home Departments website so I could sign in. I was charged for a business cover letter and was told I could change it for free within 14 days. On changing it within 15 minutes I was charged again. All my documents were sent to their office in Washington DC using the shipping label they provided to me. Despite the tracking showing it was delivered and signed for on Thursday September 1, 2022, they have refused to go ahead change the status of the documents to received even though they say they will mark it as received within one hour of receiving the documents. To top it off, they are sent me an email saying Final Notice even after getting the documents and me sending them an email asking them to confirm the receipt of the same. I was also charged a passport replacement coverage fee, when an Australian Visa does not require the passport to be sent to them since it is all electronic and a letter is provided. Their customer service is useless, I stay on hold for 30 minutes and the agents cannot help me or I am disconnected. I am at a point now, where I need to spend more money to rebook/cancel flights and loose out on business because they do not do what they advertise. I will never use this service again.Customer Answer
Date: 09/13/2022
From: ************************ <********************>
Date: Mon, Sep 12, 2022 at 7:49 PM
Subject: Complaint ID ********; CIBT Visas
To: *********@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>
*****,
The business has gone ahead and resolved my complaint. We no longer need the complaint to be kept open. Thank you for the assistance.
Regards,
******Initial Complaint
Date:08/29/2022
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My husband and I both applied for visas through cibtvisas. We placed our order on August 10th. We were each charged $214.41. our travel agent asked us to get our visas to her as soon as possible. My husband was told that others that were going from our company had their visas the next day after applying with a different source. On August 15th I called cibtvisas to inquire when are visas would be sent. I was told that they would be ready August 23rd and they would be emailed directly to us. I explained that we needed them sooner and could we please cancel the order and be issued a refund. I was told yes and she put me on hold while she canceled our order and then came back then told me I should see a credit within a couple of business days. I was also told that she would contact the caseworker and let him know that the order for the visas had been canceled. I then applied with the other source and we did get our visas the next day. We didn't get a refund so I emailed cibtvisas August 20th. I called them August 22nd to ask them about the refund. I was told there was never a refund issued and that our visas would be there on August 23rd. She said she would send my concern to the department that needed to know this. But we still haven't received a refund. Yes our Visa through cibtvisas did come to our emails. Now we have two Visas each. That's when I decided to contact BBB to help us get our promised refund. I uploaded the supporting documents and some of them are my call log showing that I called cibtvisas.
Business Response
Date: 08/30/2022
Hello,
I sincerely apologize for any issues you had concerning your Kenya Visa experience. I have refunded all the fees as requested and attached the credit notes indicating refunds.
We appreciate the feedback on your working with us. Note that the fees assessed were the discounted fees for ************** and that your Kenya evisas were completed and sent to you on 23 August. Our records indicate you are not entering Kenya until mid-September so the processing of the visas were done well in advance of your trip.
We hope you will consider CIBTvisas again in the future.
Regards
Eric M***********
V.P. Operations
North America
CIBTvisas
Customer Answer
Date: 09/01/2022
[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.]
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*****************************
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