According to the 2016-2017 national budget, Liberia has 27 missions, embassies, and consulates worldwide, providing ample opportunity for foreigners to be exposed to the positive aspects of Liberia and the potentials of doing business with Liberians.

However, my latest experience with a consulate worries me about the image we’re projecting to the world. A Liberian carrying a US passport, I approached one of these consulates to obtain a visa for my family for a trip to Liberia.

I mailed my family’s passports to the Liberian Consulate in New York ahead of the American Thanksgiving holiday. I paid the visa fee, the additional US$75 for rush service, and I included a return envelope with the express mail postage already paid for. The consulate in New York acknowledged receiving my package.

To my dismay, they never processed the paperwork nor did they process the visa. In fact, the consulate did not call me to let me know what was going on. When I called the office, they did not pick up their phone, prompting me to go through my contacts in Liberia. A veteran journalist and a friend of mine connected me with someone at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where I received the phone number of a Jimmy Barchue, who works at the consulate.

When I first called Barchue, he told me that the passports had already been shipped. He assured me they had been mailed out before the Thanksgiving holiday and I only needed to wait for it.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, I received nothing in my mailbox. Saturday produced no result either. On Monday, I drove 225 miles from Boston to New York and found out that the passports were still in the office.

The informal explanation I received from a woman who worked there was, “The passport right in front of me here. I’ve been holding it because you didn’t send me the yellow book.”

While I eventually received the visas, the unprofessional behavior of the consulate’s staff resulted in over US$3,000 lost due to canceled tickets. Moreover, I had also lost money due to the fees I paid to rush my visa processing and the expedited shipping. These services were never rendered.

When the consulate general overheard me complaining, he did not apologize or offer a refund. I’ve resolved to launch a formal complaint to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to the office of the president to receive a refund for my forfeited plane ticket and the extra expedited service which were not rendered. If that complaint is not fulfilled, I plan to take the Liberian government to court.

I am not the first one to encounter such bad service with the consulate or the embassy in Washington, DC. This unprofessional behavior is not representative of the caliber of the good people of the Republic of Liberia, but it may lead foreigners to conclude so, and that could lead to missed opportunities for the country in general.

The customer service at Liberia’s overseas missions contribute to our country’s branding and can affect who wants to do business with us. Employees who exhibit such disregard for Liberia’s image should be fired. Absolutely no one working for me would be allowed to work if they demonstrate such unprofessional behavior, and we cannot allow the people who represent Liberia to act that way, either.

Featured photo by Chris Guillebeau