VisasDirect review: Visa agency failure to plan, manage and deliver visa causes loss and great pain

On the 8th April I submitted and paid for Visasdirect to arrange my UK visa - date of departure 2nd June, submission therefore just short of 2 months beforehand - enough time. Booked by visasdirect agent Natasha for my "interview" at Embassy offices in Sandton on the 6th May. To my concern, I was told by them to expect to wait up to 20 working days for visa issue. I had 19 days left to departure? Interview should have been booked earlier! Despite my emails and Whatsapps, almost no feedback from visasdirect. Only with one week before intended departure, and my increasingly anxious daily communications, did visasdirect start regular communicating! Well, today the 2nd June is my day of departure, and NO VISA!

Consequence - 4 months of organising and planning and I have been forced to cancel my whole trip, including flights, car, accommodation, pay cancellation penalties and most painfully, not seeing family and friends, all because visasdirect did not properly plan, manage and submit in good time. The irony - I went to a visa agency to avoid exactly what happened! Beware travelers of visasdirect service. Never again!