Consulate-General of France in Johannesburg

YOUR OFFICE IS BLOCKING MY EMAILS TO THE CONSULATE
In one word - W H Y ?

Financial information
Bonjour

I'm hosting family and friends in Paris on a few occasions this year, from South Africa.

I have the attestation d'accueil, and have handed all my information and important documentation to the mairie in the 7th arrondismemt.

When my cousin went to apply at capago they asked that I re-submit my bank statements. I don't mind.. I want to know if I can submit them directly to the consulate or the capago office (they are not replying to my emails) instead of handing my private information to all family and friends..

Thanks

Regards,
Munira Orsmond

Sent from my iPhone

application for french visa
Good day sir/madam.regarding on my visa application,is too long on my first time application before them let me relise that them refuse the visa.now i appeal now i whant to know early before is late than previous application,i need to visit dubai again becus of my business appointment in 27/12/13.please let me get my passport back early before is too late.

my regard
monsuru.

impossible to book an appointment
drop down menu does not work, so cannot schedule an online appointment!!! it jams up near the end of the application I have been trying for four days!!! - no one answers the telephones!!! the online chat system does not work either!!! Wondering how anyone manages to get a visa!!!

Decentralisation of Services
To obtain a Schengen visa, one is required to go to J'burg. This is extremely inconvenient to most. Is this a strategy to discourage visitors from South Africa? I wonder if services are more decentralised in UK and other Eurocentric regions! Do we really have to provide a catalogue of documents in this age of technology?

Incompetent representation of the french consulate
Hi

i tried the whole of last week to either get through to Capago, sent an email and applied on the VIP section which they guarantee that you will be called back in 30min i am still waiting 10 days later. tried to get appointments from last week and was told i could only have an appointment on Monday. i explained my situation as i have to be in Dubai for urgent business meeting and am leaving SA on the 15th June, was told that it is fine as it would take 5 days. until today i have no feedback just rude answer to my mails that my visa is at the consulate. nothing else. i cant get through telephonically and i cant speak to a supervisor. i have asked for my passport then to be returned to me and not bother with the visa and i get no response. i have never in my life experienced such shocking service. i normally deal with a company in Dubai where i obtain Schengen Visa's in 3 days if you pay VIP, which i also paid here in SA. Staff are rude and unfriendly here. i do not think that this is a good representation of how the french consulate should have themselves presented it is extremely frustrating. you realize that you are in a 3rd World country

Atrocious
I tried today to get a visa for a visit to France for which I (would have?) depart on the 14th of June.

When visiting Capago's website one finds that the links don't work, drop-down menus don't work and the online-chat service doesn't work. After sending a request for the VIP service, for which one is 'guaranteed a response in 30 min', one waits in vain - I still haven't received anything (8 hours later).
I also tried the dreadful phone method... One just waits and waits and waits. When somebody did finally answer, the response was just that I cannot get any appointment (even VIP) before the 14th of June, which would obviously be too late. I told the lady that this is unacceptable and that she should indicate how I can get a visa in time. She then just repeated that I cannot get one before the 14th. I asked to speak to one of her superiors, she just said that she is in a meeting. When I demanded to speak to somebody senior, she just hung up. Later on, I tried again...After several unsuccessful tries (you get a voice telling you that 'if you prefer' you can just leave your contact details and they will get back to you and the system then just hangs up - oh, and they never get back to you).

When I did get through again, I warned the person that if she hangs up, I'm going to lodge a complaint against her personally - she hung up just after that.

I'll probably have to cancel everything now, because this incompetent bunch, which I now associate with the French consulate, just care couldn't care less.

I will lodge a formal complaint with the consulate, hellopeter.com, and I am going to name the persons who hung up when my questions were becoming too complicated.

I'm afraid, however, one is totally at their mercy and they think they can treat you in whatever way they want.

APPRECIATION FOR SERVICE DURING SECOND ATTEMPT
With reference to my first (bad) experience, I must report that I received excellent service during my second attempt today (30 May 2013). Due to the history of my application I was treated today as a "VIP" - the staff assisted me the moment that I arrived with friendly professional service. Thank you CAPAGO Sandton for rectifying the problem and for your assistance today. In retrospect, I think that the person (s) answering the phones needs training on good communication skills, also on relevant information sharing, this is imperative to avoid the problems that I experienced in future - they are the first line of our interaction with the French Embassy/Consulate, they are in the eye of the public the "representatives" of the French Embassy/Consulate - it should be a positive first experience, this will avoid a negative public discourse on the service rendered by Capago. To all staff that assisted me today - thank you, you set a good example for customer satisfaction. Let us hope that I will receive my visa in good time

INCOMPETENT CAPAGO STAFF AT SANDTON
I applied online for my visum about three weeks prior to my departure date to France. The interview schedule online was fully booked, the only time available was on this coming Thursday - which is a week prior to my departure. I phoned them - no answer - eventually after about an hour someone said "Yes,can I help". I told the person that I need to have an appointment a.s.a.p., that I cannot find an earlier appointment than Thursday. "Well sorry. there is no alternative date for your appointment", "But it will be too late for you to process my application", "Yes, that is why you will not receive your visum in good time" "What about the fact that I had to present a paper, that I spent already a fligth ticket and accommodation fees etc" "We cannot help" "But it is not my problem it is due to your system that I cannot be accommodated for an appointment, is there no alternative arrangement". "No" I asked to speak to a senior. She came back after a few minutes "Come on Monday at 8" Fortunately I asked her her name, I wrote it down. I checked on the system, they did not change my appointment date to Monday. I phoned back the following day - in vain - someone answered eventually (after about 40 minutes). I told her that I had an appointment for a France visum and that it is scheduled for Monday but on the system it is still showing Thursday. She told me that the system will not show a new date, I must report at 8 at the Sandton branch as XXX told me (this was the Friday). Monday morning at 4:30 I jumped out of my bed and at 5:30 I was on the N1 on my way to Sandton. At the office someone told me that they moved to a new building (I was not informed by XXX about this). At the new building, I arrived in good time. Shock number 2: they informed me that they do not handle any France visum applications on Monday (I was not informed by XXX about it, she instructed me to be at the Capago office at 8 on Monday) due to the fact that they are moving from one office to another - come back on Thursday they said. Well, let us see what will happen on Thursday - I had to present a research paper and my university already paid all the expenses - and I am in the hands of the mercy of Capago and their competent staff. While I was waiting for the bad news, another lady from the University of Pretoria complain about the same problem related to bad communication. What is the solution for this situation? There will be definetely more and more victims in future and it seems that no one really cares.

Shocking service at Capago
I cannot believe this is a company that is suppose to assist with visas. you have to try numerous times to get through the numbers on the website. And even after they answer, they are not able to answer you...they just repeat the same thing over. the staff themselevs sound frustrated...No one responds to any of the emails you send. I am so shocked at the service. Something needs to be done about this compnay and their staff urgently.