Applying for a visa

What’s the most dreadful (or wonderful) experience you’ve ever had as a customer?

Many years ago I applied for a US visa from my home country. My brother was working as a doctor in the US and I wanted to visit him. Now since you are paying for the visa you are a customer and it’s only fair to expect some good service in return.

I first had to queue outside the embassy. I remember the place where I was standing had no shade and it was in the hot months of summer. There was an old gentleman who had turned up wearing a suit in his zeal to impress. After standing for about an hour he collapsed and was helped by others also standing in the queue. Nobody from inside the embassy came to help.

When I finally got inside, there was another queue to deal with. When I reached the counter I remember the man interrogating me like a suspect. He asked me about my work, (I was working for a telecom company at that time) and would stare at me for a few seconds after I answered as if to judge whether I was telling the truth or not.

I got a 5 year multiple visit visa. I never went to visit my brother but I did visit the US years later with my husband.

The best experience I had with visa applications was recently when I applied for a Turkish visa from my country of residence. We waited in a room for around 10 minutes before being called to the counter by a friendly visa officer who checked our papers and then offered to give me a 2 year visa instead of the 1 year I had applied for.

Daily Prompt: Are you being served?