Courier Reviews

I thought it would be helpful and interesting to post our own personal reviews of the Couriers we have used to get our Visas.

Lets share our experiences with one another and for future reference for those deciding if they should use one and who. I know having all this in one place would have really helped me out.



Courier:
Contact at Courier:
Number and/or Website:
Cost:
Experience:

Courier: Allstar Visa and Passport Service
Contact at Courier: Ken
Number and/or Website: http://www.allstarpassports.com/
Cost: $120 for premium same day service
Experience: My transaction with Ken at Allstar was great! I would highly recommend Ken and the entire team. Any time I called the office I was greeted warmly by a staff member who would transfer me. Ken was very patient with me and very helpful with explaining the process that he would follow in order to get my papers into the consulate. I must have called the poor man a million times and he even gave me his cell number!! Sure enough my Visa was granted around 4pm the same day that Ken took it in.

Wonderful idea.  Thanks for doing this!

Courier: Global VIP Services
Contact at Courier: Nadareh New
Number and/or Website: www.globalvipservices.com
Cost: $100
Experience: I sent an email letting them know I was getting ready to send in my application, my contact Nadareh call me the next day to see if I had everything in order, she was very friendly and professional. I asked a few questions about things that were giving me anxiety and she was able to assuage those fears. I sent my application next day air, and you can see the time it took from arrival to her calling me back with news of the visa approval in my signature below.

Easy, no muss no fuss, highly recommended.

I agree with mirrajay. Terrific idea! In fact, I was searching for a thread like this last night, and now suddenly here it is.

[mod note]

I see that so far we have only positive reviews.  Please remember that this site is owned by someone and she can be taken to task by companies for things people post on this forum.

Until she has been consulted and has given direction, please refrain from posting negative reviews.

Thank you.

[/mod note]

[mod note]

I see that so far we have only positive reviews.  Please remember that this site is owned by someone and she can be taken to task by companies for things people post on this forum.

Until she has been consulted and has given direction, please refrain from posting negative reviews.

Thank you.

[/mod note]

That kind of defeats the purpose of my post
If a business like Yelp exists how is it that she can get into trouble? Aren't forums specifically for the freedom to discuss topics? I just don't get how she can get into trouble for things members say. Freedom of speech you know?

I think we should wait for Leah to clarify but freedom of speech exists within certain limits and avoiding a defamation suit is one of those! I think it would be ok to say the name of the company, and the price, but any negative comments run the risk of arousing the ire of the company concerned and unless you are offering to indemnify Leah against the costs of any legal action, I think it would be best to leave it at that. Anyone who wants to let you know of any very bad experience can PM you if they want to.  This isn't a huge consumer review forum with the resources to defend litigation.

Libel laws are very different in the UK.  People have sued because a information published in other countries.   They travel to the UK to sue because the libel laws here are so lax.

The case that has provoked the most concern is that of an American researcher, Dr Rachel Ehrenfeld, who was sued in London by a Saudi businessman and his two sons over a book that sold 23 copies over the internet into the UK, where it was never officially published. One chapter of the book was available online.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/14/law.unitednations

The burden is on the person who made the comment not on the person who is suing.  If the comment is considered to be published with malice then, even if it is true, the person who wrote the comment might lose.

Unlike in the US there is no right to parody, this caused Weird Al some issues in the UK.

Courier: Global VIP Services
Contact at Courier: Nadareh New
Number and/or Website: www.globalvipservices.com
Cost: $100

Fantastic!  Please spend the $100 and save the heartache.  I didn't find out about courier service until 4 weeks after I sent in my application.  I wrote Nadareh and asked if she could help me, she said she could try.  She tried the next day and my visa was granted. 
My only compliant is I wish I knew earlier this service existed!   

I'm concerned. A particular courier said some things to me that caused me a great deal of anxiety while my visa was in their hands and I posted on here about getting some straight answers about what they said, and then later on about how to issue a complaint about them. Should those threads be deleted? 

Almariel, if you can pm me or another mod a link we'll take a look at it. Thanks.

Done, and again I apologize if they were not appropriate.

One thing I must say about the whole couriers saying things that make us anxious, remember that their job is to expedite your application, along the way the way they may say some things about the process that they have seen in order to let you know the possibilities. As much as it sucks to hear things you don't want to hear, sometimes it is good to know what the other side of the outcome could be, so that it doesn't blindside you.

I was told some things that caused me anxiety as well, but in the end the quick and efficient service trumped those few hours of anxiety. I'd rather somebody tell me something one day and I worry for that day and then get my answer the next day, instead of worrying for a month without anybody telling anything.

That kind of defeats the purpose of my post
If a business like Yelp exists how is it that she can get into trouble? Aren't forums specifically for the freedom to discuss topics? I just don't get how she can get into trouble for things members say. Freedom of speech you know?

I understand, and this thread is a great idea. I have seen many forums change their stance on naming and shaming, to only recommending because of these laws and litigation threats.

The following is regarding a popular football discussion forum last year.

Since 1879, corporations have also been able to sue for libel. The inequality of arms this causes is compounded by the fact that there is no legal aid for defamation cases. Lawyers are now allowed to fight these suits on a no-win, no-fee basis, but this freedom is double-edged: if a defendant loses, he could end up paying double the claimant's legal costs.

This is the context in which Sheffield Wednesday went to court to demand the names and email addresses of 14 people who had posted comments on owlstalk. Here are some of the comments over which the club complained. "What an embarrassing, pathetic, laughing stock of a football club we've become." "Another day, another blunder. I doubt even Leeds were in such a mess this time last summer, and look what happened to them." "I am waiting with bated breath to hear who the Chuckle Brothers have signed after their trip to watch players abroad. With the amount of money they have to spend and the wages they can offer the best we can hope for is that little known Transvestitavian International I Sukblodov, who last scored in a brothel."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/17/matthiasrath.medialaw

I've seen reports that there was an incident on a Mums forum and several forums were shut down by hosting companies. In addition to the forum owner being liable for all content as the publisher, the poster can be held liable, and the hosting company is liable as well.

Full explanation of Defamation/Libel and your rights in the UK

According to this, if someone posts a bad experience and it causes someone to lose business, which it likely would in this case, it's defamation and we'd lose. This site would disappear and I'd go bankrupt, so lets take the high road here please and not risk it.

Lets keep the reviews of couriers you'd recommend. If someone has a question about a courier not covered in the good reviews, please start a thread to ask if anyone's had experience with them and send a PM if it's not a good report.

Many thanks to all those watching out for the interests of the forum.