Almost anything else would be better than CKGS!

This is a review for Cox & Kings Global Services, VISA department.
As of May 2014, this company is the official handler of Indian visas.

I am applying for the simplest of visas: a tourist visa for US citizens. Should have been straighforward, but not when you have to deal with a buggy website, incompetent staff, and inefficient bureaucracy!

The "Feedback/Inquiries" form on their website doesn't work. Emailing them directly gets no response. Calling them is just a waste of time.

For 1 hour during their business hours today, all their 4 phone lines in San Francisco were down; I mean, not even ringing, going straight to a voice mail saying there is no service.

When I finally managed to get through, I had to wait 45 minutes -literally!- for someone to pick up.
And when the operator picked up, he was of no use. I called about an error on their web site, which prevented me from paying the visa fees online. He acknowledged the error, and advised me to pay by check. I told him that according to the web site, his company doesn't accept personal checks. He put me on hold to confirm it. Really?! I had to tell them how their fxxx company operates?

Like their predecessor, the crappy BLS that lasted just a year, CKGS will go down. Unfortunately, a lot of people are inconvenienced meanwhile.