Following an FIJ story published on Friday, VFS Global, an international Visa processing company, has refunded Chimebere Innocent’s N34,994 debited from his account since May 2022 while he was attempting to book a Visa appointment with the company.
Innocent confirmed the development to FIJ by Innocent few hours ago.
READ ALSO: Nigerian Students Can Now Renew their US Visas Without an Interview
He said the Deputy General Manager (Operations) requested for his account details for a direct refund, which was done after their conversation.
“I am writing to inform you that few hours after the publication, I received a phone call from one of the company’s agents. During our conversation, he requested for my account number and the money has been refunded,” Innocent, a health practitioner, told FIJ.
With excitement, he added: “I sincerely appreciate your intervention and I am most grateful to the entire FIJ team,” he added.
Earlier on Friday, FIJ had reported how N17,759 was deducted from Innocent’s Zenith bank separately on May 30 and 31, 2022 while trying to pay for a visa appointment that was not eventually confirmed by the company.
READ ALSO: VFS Global Violates Own Policy, Fails to Refund Customer’s N34,994 Visa Appointment Fee
Despite providing all the information requested from him by the company to process the refund request, the refund was not done for six months.
FIJ’s review of the company’s refund policy showed that the company ought to refunded the money within 15 working days of the customer’s request.
This report was produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability project (CMEDIA) funded by the MacArthur Foundation
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