₦airaland Forum

cyberbro:
One of my friends in Nigeria also partially fell victim to some scammers who promised him a visa to New Zealand. They manipulated the guy with ETA and they said he'd cross into New Zealand via boat cruise. Even when I was telling this my guy it was a scam, he didn't quite believe until the scammers now showed their true color.

Unfortunately, because of these scammers, even the legit agents are now called scammers once the visa doesn't come out.

In my own experience, some Nigerians who want to go abroad don't like the truth and always opt for cheaper routes because they don't want to fulfil the prerequisites and that's when they get scammed.

If you must visit any country, try to do your personal research so you don't fall victim. It's also better for you to process your visa yourself and if you cannot, make sure you have adequate knowledge in the entire process.

Warmaterial:
To me no legit agent in 9ja all are pure scammers. Anyone who wants to travel should do it by himself, is not too hard but people don't no.

Akeemilori:
Is not too hard how many people in your surrounding that you have helped to secure visa

ATTAHDYE:
Visa processing is not a guaranteed service, the same thing with admissions to study abroad.

Anybody that tells you that you should pay money and in 3 weeks time, you should come and collect your visa, is lying.

Unfortunately, what the average Nigerian who wants to relocate abroad wants to hear is that[b] LIE![/b]

Once you try to explain the process to them and their chances of getting and approval or a denial, they will just see you as someone who doesn't know what he is doing.

The final decision is out of the agent's control.

Know this and know peace.

ATTAHDYE:
Visa processing is not a guaranteed service, the same thing with admissions to study abroad.

Anybody that tells you that you should pay money and in 3 weeks time, you should come and collect your visa, is lying.

Unfortunately, what the average Nigerian who wants to relocate abroad wants to hear is that[b] LIE![/b]

Once you try to explain the process to them and their chances of getting and approval or a denial, they will just see you as someone who doesn't know what he is doing.

The final decision is out of the agent's control.

Know this and know peace.

cyberbro:
LOL you're absolutely correct. In fact the agents don't have to make any mistake before the embassy denies a visa, but how do agents explain when the clients have paid and want to see result? 😂😂😂

Just like someone said above, it's better to guide people (consult) and charge for your service than to charge a lump sum for visa processing, cos that's where the blames start from. When you charge a service fee and tell them to pay all other fees themselves, it's a win-win, even if the visa doesn't get approved, they know they did everything themselves. Perhaps this is the best way to run a travel agency in Nigeria.

Slimani:
I think this is way to go.

Travel consultants should offer consultancy /support /guidance / professional advice and get paid for that only.

Then client can pay for vendor fees themselves — application fees, medicals, logistics, etc.

Also, in this case, would it make sense for travel consultants to offer warranties and refunds in case the application is unsuccessful? This would go a long way in building client trust.

cyberbro:
I think some agents already do that. Some charge only when visas come out, so yes, it's very much possible. But another thing is the client meeting his own end of the agreement cos some Nigerians too won't pay once they get what they want 🤷🏽‍♂️

I think what builds trust is transparency and as long as the agent is upfront about what to expect and what not to expect, it's fair enough.

Even all these talks about self application; most people who have applied for visas before know it's no small feat, the mistakes could even be more expensive than giving it to an agent, but really I am tired of Nigerians blaming people for their visa woes.

My own philosophy now is: just apply yourself and bear your wins and losses yourself. I am really tired of all these talks of visa scams. If you're not lazy, run it yourself and learn from it.

Slimani:
You are making sense.

So, the scam is not only on the client side? Travel agents get scammed too? Wow.

But would something like an escrow help to establish transparency? Seeing that both sides might have trust issues?

Myself, I wouldn't be comfortable paying travel agents upfront, no matter how much promises they make. And I wouldn't want to even do the whole visa wahala myself. Lol

This is quite a dilemma an I guess we are plenty on this table. Lol

cyberbro:
LOL, knowing how some Nigerians behave, a lot won't pay once their visas come out, that's the truth.

Regardless, all these talks of escrow etc is really unnecessary. Just find those agents who receive payments after the visa is granted and if you cannot find any, do it yourself.

Anyone who is skeptical about paying a travel agent should at least have the courage to apply himself. It will take time, effort and you could even make costly mistakes in the process, but that's the price of doing it yourself. If you're careful enough and apply the right way, you can also get your visa without issues.

Either ways, there is always a risk factor whether you're doing it yourself or using an agent, so it's your choice at the end of the day.

AllLovingGod:
Lol! A Visa agent has spoken

cyberbro:
LOL, knowing how some Nigerians behave, a lot won't pay once their visas come out, that's the truth.

Regardless, all these talks of escrow etc is really unnecessary. Just find those agents who receive payments after the visa is granted and if you cannot find any, do it yourself.

Anyone who is skeptical about paying a travel agent should at least have the courage to apply himself. It will take time, effort and you could even make costly mistakes in the process, but that's the price of doing it yourself. If you're careful enough and apply the right way, you can also get your visa without issues.

Either ways, there is always a risk factor whether you're doing it yourself or using an agent, so it's your choice at the end of the day.

michigang:
what exactly does the agent do for you?

cyberbro:
Nothing o, so why go to them in the first place? Do it yourself.

michigang:
will they go to interview on your behalf

Slimani:
Lol.

There's always need for travel consultancy, but getting legit agents is the issue.

Maybe visa agents or travel service providers should be paid for guidance only.

They should only guide you through the whole process, you pay vendor fees yourself, and then pay the agent for guiding you. Maybe this could work out better and reduce scams?