Before and after CIBT buyout Before buyout a trustworthy company. After, too many hidden fees offered almost as an afterthought (one $25. fee written in light grey typeface almost impossible to see... but even if checked, they charge you anyway). I used the company for many years. During the last two uses I have been scammed by them..... twice. I'm done.

Mixed-- others I've referred have received great service; my rush order was overlooked. I would probably recommend A. Briggs (especially over dealing with embassies directly), but I would caution that if your email doesn't receive a response, you should follow up ASAP. I put in a rush order and received some materials by email after shipping the rest, and when I forwarded them, they were ignored for two days, by which point it was too late to proceed. I would have thought my order was already in the queue and the agent would be on the lookout for the final materials.

over promise. under deliver. Unprofessional

DISASTER We have obtained visas for nine countries and traveled to 66 countries, we have never had such an awful experience, both with the Indian government process and with A Briggs. After many frustrating unsuccessful experiences trying to use the website to apply, we finally had to travel to San Francisco -- the nearest A Briggs office -- to apply in person. We made an advance appointment for the visit through the NYC office, but when we arrived in San Francisco no one was in the office. After waiting over an hour for someone to show up we called the NYC office to complain. Shortly someone appeared in the SF office and we finished the application.

Wish I could give 0 stars. Hidden fees, dreadful communications. First problem was they wanted to process my application for a tourist visa as a business visa and put a "due date" ten days after what I had requested. Website says fees "start" at $90, but since I wasn't applying for expedited service, I didn't see the fine print that said I had to opt out of a $25.00 "Passport Replacement Fee" in case they lost my passport! They also charged another $25.00 for a "Brazilian upload Surcharge" after I had completed the application online, printed it out, signed it, and mailed it to them. There was also a 4% "Consular Processing fee." Add $10.00 for a money order which costs $1.25 at the post office and which other services ask you to mail in with your application, but which Briggs/CIBT does not include in their requested documents. Their communication protocol is horrid. You must call a central office and wait for them to get around to contacting someone in the office actually handling your application. (Emails also go through a central screening.) That may take 2-3 days. One morning I called and the person answering said they had heavy volume and that I had to leave my name and number and I would get a call back. I did not get a call back until two days later. You cannot call and expect to be connected to the person actually handling your visa.