Beware that poster 1675 isn't lurking here to provide helpful information but to advertise his own visa service.
Doesn't really matter, does it? If he or she can get people visas in Beijing, this is helpful information for people on this forum, regardless of the poster's affiliation.
Ill be in Hong Kong by this weekend. Will post the results as and when they happen.
Good reply everbrite. You've pretty much been the one on here on top of things the last few months. I reckon tens of thousands of people have benefited. Rules on the books...that's China for you eh.
#1677,
Beware that poster 1675 isn't lurking here to provide helpful information but to advertise his own visa service.
Hi 889, but the company was quite reputable... I'm not saying it's risk-free, but I think some people used this company before and were okay with the services.
Unlike the rest of us here, 1675 is posting to make money off this forum.
I think that's disreputable.
And it's especially disreputable to include a link to a visa company without disclosing that it is the poster's own company.
From the Terms of Use:
"You are permitted to use this community and its services for personal, non-commercial purposes only."
I applied for a 1 month L visa from the Hong Kong airport. There were a couple visa agencies on the way out of the airport, just outside of the baggage pickup area.
It was 400 HK dollars and you needed to show proof of 1 day booking in a hotel to the area you were going to (not sure what this proof was...perhaps printing out the booking?) and a printout of your plan ticket/eticket showing you are leaving China. I only had an old peice of paper showing a flight out of hong kong on Nov 5, 2008. Of course my visa to china is only 1 month....but this incongruity did not seem to matter. Furthur more, the visa agent said it didn't matter. I didn't have the hotel booking, but they were able to book me a cheap hotel for about 250 RMB right there which they said they would use as proof. Anyways, I pick up my 1 month L visa on tuesday (4 business days).
Unlike the rest of us here, 1675 is posting to make money off this forum.
I think that's disreputable.
Well I think it's helpful. Why should he or she keep quiet if he can offer visas to people looking for visas?
And it's especially disreputable to include a link to a visa company without disclosing that it is the poster's own company.
If I prvided a link to FireArm's Visa Service, would you need me to tell you it was my company? Or could you figure it out on your own?
Get a grip, man.
I think it is one thing to suggest a company whose services you have used and found acceptable.
I think it is something else altogether to post about your own services without making it clear that you are posting about your services.
There are plenty of travel agencies and other travel service providers who answer questions here on the TT without actively promoting their paid services. What I find unacceptable is promoting your services without making clear that you have a financial interest and posting just for the purpose of promoting your services.
But either way in this case someone has pointed out that the poster does have a financial interest in the recommendation so now all buyers are forewarned.
Ruth
Back in April my daughter was asking questions on this forum about obtaining a tourist visa for me in Hong Kong to enter China for a holiday. I contacted the visa agency in Hong Kong who said there would be no problem but I was hearing stories to the contrary i.e. a tourist being offered a two day visa to China and when he protested being told that if he paid extra he could have a month's visa - this was at the same visa agency whom I had contacted! I then phoned the Embassy in London who said they had not heard of any difficulties in Hong Kong which I found hard to believe however, they told me that if I presented my application before 11.00 a.m. I would receive my tourist visa at approximately 12.30 the same day, for an extra fee of course. I was travelling from Spain to London and fortunately staying for one night so could go to the Embassy the following morning. I was advised to arrive early as "there are long queues". The Embassy opens at 9.00 a.m. so I arrived at 7.45 a.m. to find there were about 30 people in front of me.
Having had a knee operation two months before I was using a stick and the thoughts of standing for a long period of time was not good but it had to be done. Then the rain started and I was waiting outside for two and a half hours! Only five people at a time were allowed to enter the building and it was 10.15 when I entered to find that there was still a long queue inside.
There were only two windows open for China visas, another one for Hong Kong visas and another for people who needed official stamps on documents. A few minutes after I entered one of the clerks at the China visa windows left and was never seen again - well at least not whilst I was there. I was told that this happened every morning. So now there was only one clerk dealing with a packed room and a queue outside which now stretched right round the block.
TIme was marching on and I was beginning to panic. Then I realised why there was still such a long queue. In the queue were several men with huge piles of passports, they were from travel agencies and were there every day to obtain visas for tour groups and individuals who had booked through agencies. I got talking to a couple of them and found out that previously they had had to queue at a separate window which of course made sense but that had been changed and now they queued along with individual travellers, no wonder there was such a delay. One of these men had at least 20 applications.
Since there were no queues at the Hong Kong window I went to ask if they could help me as by that time it was 10.50, I was shouted at in a very loud bullying manner and told I had to queue, "Queue?" I replied, "I have been queueing for three hours!" I then went to the 4th window where the gentleman was very courteous but said he could not help me. Fortunately for me two of the agency men allowed me to go in front of them and at about 2 minutes to 11 I passed over my papers to a very strict looking Chinese lady who barked something at me which I did not understand. She said it again, still I did not understand until one of the agency chaps told me she wanted me to circle my name on all the papers with a red pen as she did not understand my name. This I did, with shaking hand, as it HAD to be past 11.00 by then! Anyway she accepted the papers and barked at me that the visa could be collected from the basement later on. I hobbled away sick with relief but so angry to have been treated in that manner. There were hundreds of people queueing each with at least £30 for their visa, some paying like me extra for same day, or the following day. That makes thousands of pounds each day and I believe everyone should be treated with respect but of course it is not like a shop where you can go somewhere else if you don't like the service. That was the fourth time I have applied for a visa and I have also been there when applying for a visa for my daughter and never were we treated like that.
I then went down to the basement to wait as there was no point in my condition with a painful leg walking around in the rain. Fortunately there were chairs downstairs and I was able to relax and read a newspaper whilst I waited.
When it was time to collect my passport/visa another bad tempered clerk attended me, no greeting, no smile, just grabbed my money in her gloved hand and shoved my passport at me. Now I understand why the Chinese had to be taught to smile for the Olympics. I was so pleased it was all over and there was a spring in my step as I walked down Portland Place to Oxford Street whilst texting my daughter that I had been successful!
BUT I will never put myself through that again - next time, if there IS a next time, I will go through a visa agency. China does itself no good to be so throughly disagreeable to people who want to visit their country and will be spending their hard earned cash there.
P.S. I had a wonderful holiday in Hong Kong and China!
I think it is something else altogether to post about your own services without making it clear that you are posting about your services.
When the name of the business being promoted is the same as the name of the poster, I'd say that's making it pretty clear. I don't need a team of investigators to tell me a poster called "bjleeo" is affiliated to a company he is referring that is named "Beijing LEEO."
Now I just feel sorry for him/her for giving people on this branch way too much credit.