Esta application for USA rip off!

gregg1

Sidecarjohn wrote: »

I too have recently been ripped off by this company, and after a series of emails don't expect to gain any satisfaction.
However, what frustrates as well are responses that suggest USA eservices are somehow righteous and "it's your own fault". Disclaimers, etc may well exist, but this company along with others is exploiting a situation of innocence on the part of folk.
Top of the heap when Googled doesn't help, as doesn't website presentation that catches the unwary. I last applied for an ESTA visa when it was free, and although I had learned there was now a charge, had no familiarity with how the process would operate, so it is easy to be duped because that is exactly what is happening.
The suggestions that it's down to you poor sucker is akin to when you're told it's your fault when someone breaks into your house because you hadn't created a second Fort Knox.
The bottom line is that USA eservices and their kin are exploiting a degree of innocence and misplaced trust. Legal it may be, but it ain't right.
After all, how many of those involved with USA eservices would utilise their facility to obtain an ESTA visa ? I think I know that particular answer. Another legal rip off.

Absolutely wrong!

Ever heard of the phrase "buyer beware"? I too was trying to sort out ESTA's for my daughter and her friend and was guided to the same site as the OP.

However, because I read everything carefully first, I realised it was not the official site. I googled again, got the correct site and paid around $14 for each ESTA. The OP was not ripped off. He merely did not do his homework properly and paid the price (a high one!)

It is NOTHING akin to having your house broken into. That is a ridiculous analogy.

JP_Oz

I received an email today informing me that my ESTA was approved and $74 had been deducted from my account. The website I used was at the top of the first search page. I have applied for the ESTA before and it looked very similar to the site I used then.

Despite what some people have posted on here, the fees were NOT clearly shown anywhere on the website. In the terms and conditions, the $14 charge is shown numerous times, then in a small paragraph in letters, rather than numbers, it states that euros will be charged for service. It is certainly not clear, and it is certainly not that we, the customer, cannot read. When the credit card was processed, the amount said $14. My receipt says $14. It was only when I received email confirmation that the ESTA was approved that the extra fees were shown in dollars. Still the receipt attached says $14 was taken from my account.

Some people on this forum are saying it's a legit fee. That's ridiculous. It is dodgy and completely unethical. The form is replicated, the customer fills it out, the website charges $60 for 'processing'. I do believe that the government site should take more action as we, the average consumer, do not have much power to do anything about it.

Caz3121

The site that comes up top has the following on the main page

APPLICATION FEE:
Our ESTA processing fee is $74 per traveler, which includes the $14 government fee.

It also states
Legal Disclaimer: USAtravelvisa.net is a private website not affiliated with the United States Government.

which website did you use?

CKhalvashi

Caz3121 wrote: »

The site that comes up top has the following on the main page

APPLICATION FEE:
Our ESTA processing fee is $74 per traveler, which includes the $14 government fee.

It also states
Legal Disclaimer: USAtravelvisa.net is a private website not affiliated with the United States Government.

which website did you use?

I’ve just changed my passport, and it cost $14 (I’ve got one in my Georgian passport, but it’s easier to go through on a British one).

You’ve gone through a third party site.

CK

photome

Why is it that people dont take responsibilty for their own actions these days? It always someone elses fault!

I checked the first three links found by google, 2 of then showed the charge at the top of the page, the third one wasnt so clear.

the 4th link was the official site

the 5th link which was very clear to see was, How not to pay more than $14 for an ESTA.

When purchasing anything from the internet use caution...simples

The burglary analagy is just wrong!

GlennTheBaker

OP: Why not just sue Google? It was clearly their fault that you blindly clicked the first link that appeared.....

George_Michael

photome wrote: »

Why is it that people dont take responsibilty for their own actions these days? It always someone elses fault!

Unfortunately, this seems to be the way that people are brought up nowadays and the extremely high number of "Had an accident?, claim now" adverts on the TV simply reinforce the point that when something goes wrong it is always the fault of someone else and personal responsibility is something that doesn't exist any more.

De

spite what some people have posted on here, the fees were NOT clearly shown anywhere on the website

Which website was it that you used?

scottishperson2

JP_Oz wrote: »

we, the average consumer, do not have much power to do anything about it.

You have the ultimate power to do something about it. That power is to actually not fill the form in, not give your credit card details over, not pay the $60 processing fee, and do the application yourself on the proper website.

Blaming someone else, in your case google/the government/the website involved is laughable, especially when you have the ultimate responsibility for your actions.

ash28

JP_Oz wrote: »

I received an email today informing me that my ESTA was approved and $74 had been deducted from my account. The website I used was at the top of the first search page. I have applied for the ESTA before and it looked very similar to the site I used then.

Despite what some people have posted on here, the fees were NOT clearly shown anywhere on the website. In the terms and conditions, the $14 charge is shown numerous times, then in a small paragraph in letters, rather than numbers, it states that euros will be charged for service. It is certainly not clear, and it is certainly not that we, the customer, cannot read. When the credit card was processed, the amount said $14. My receipt says $14. It was only when I received email confirmation that the ESTA was approved that the extra fees were shown in dollars. Still the receipt attached says $14 was taken from my account.

Some people on this forum are saying it's a legit fee. That's ridiculous. It is dodgy and completely unethical. The form is replicated, the customer fills it out, the website charges $60 for 'processing'. I do believe that the government site should take more action as we, the average consumer, do not have much power to do anything about it.

It may be unethical to your way of thinking or a business opportunity to someone else's. They may not be "nice" but they are legal.

It is up to us to educate ourselves

I think the thing to be aware of, is that like the UK any official US government website will have .gov in it. If it doesn't it isn't a government website.

The ESTA application can be accessed through the Customs and Border Patrol (part of Homeland Security) website :http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/home.xml

or The Department for Homeland Security: http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm

or The US Embassy in London: http://london.usembassy.gov/

or The Electronic System for Travel Authorization: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/application.html?execution=e1s1

Just remember that it is government who issue visas and if there is no .gov it means it's not a government website.

The US Customs and Border Patrol is the equivalent to our UK Border Agency: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/

If you are coming to the UK there is all the information you need about visas on the UK Border Agency website - and there are a load of visa websites for the UK just as you have found for the US.

dzug1

JP_Oz wrote: »

I do believe that the government site should take more action as we, the average consumer, do not have much power to do anything about it.

Exactly what action did you have in mind?

Given that the governments concerned on both sides of the Atlantic are rather more concerned to promote business than further the interests of/protect consumers and make loads of noise if little action about deregulation/getting rid of red tape then I think it's a slim hope.

At least there's a valid non-commercial route. Many countries say you must apply for visas through a commercial agent.