The Consulate General of Colombia in Atlanta (Georgia) announced the Wednesday, October 29th, the two-day rolling workweek scheduled for the weekend The appointments scheduled for October 31st and November 1st were suspended due to improper handling and fraudulent billing.
The announcement was made via a Press release published on the consulate's official website and social media channels, two days after the appointment booking page was activated, on Monday, October 27 at 3:00 pm
“We regret to inform you that this decision is being made due to serious irregularities detected in the process of appointment scheduling which include: improper manipulation of appointments and fraudulent charges,” the statement said.
"It has been identified that some people have demanded payments from our fellow citizens in order to obtain an appointment “This violates our policy of access to free consular services,” the message adds.
The consulate headed by Andrea Paola Rojas Charry , in charge of consular functions, The statement said, “The consulate’s position and commitment is as follows:”Total rejection of fraud The Consulate General categorically rejects any type of charge for scheduling appointments or for intermediation in consular procedures. The official appointment scheduling platform is and always will be free.
Appointments are booked in three minutes
Although getting an appointment for a Colombian mobile consulate in Charlotte has never been an easy task, since generally once the scheduling page is activated, what has been seen for years is that the appointments run out in a matter of minutes.
“This time was unusual. The appointments lasted three minutes. This has never happened to us before,” Consul Rojas Charry told Enlace Latino NC.
Colombians denounce the manipulation of appointments
On Monday, complaints from Colombians on the consulate's social media accounts were quick to follow.
“I think it’s great that they’re reporting this. They charge up to $80 per appointment. You log into the system half an hour early, waiting, and then when you finally get in at the scheduled time, there are no appointments left. And the people who are actually getting paid are kicked out in less than a minute. So I don’t understand how they do it?” commented one person on Instagram.
“In groups they offer the services of these supposed 'agents' and the worst part is that they are people with Colombian numbers, but they charge in dollars,” the internet user added.
Frustration grows
In the newsroom of Enlace Latino NC We received several complaints between Monday and the Tuesday, people complained about the same situation.
“As soon as I logged into the system at 3:00 pm sharp, when it opened, I selected the time, filled in my information in less than 15 seconds, and when I was about to click 'finish appointment,' it said there was an error and sent me to another time. I tried all the times, hours, and both days, and it wasn't possible,” Paola Martínez told Enlace Latino NC .
For Carolina García, the experience was no different. García entered the QR code provided by the consulate a few minutes before the appointment page was scheduled to go live, at 3:00 pm.
García explained that, when the link was activated, a page would appear where personal data such as name and surname, type of document, document number (passport or ID card) had to be entered and then proceed to the next page.
“The calendar was already showing up, and I selected October 31st. When I logged in, several times appeared, but when I chose the first time, it said: not available, and I had to start all over again and enter all the information. And when I finally managed to get back to the calendar two minutes later, there were no more times available. That seemed very strange to me,” the Colombian woman said.
A problem that is not new
This situation of citation manipulation is not new. Complaints have also been made about the appointment system at other consulates, such as Miami y New Yorkwhere consuls have confirmed the problem in interviews from the sale of appointments.
“I had a similar experience with the consulate in New York when I tried to help a relative schedule an appointment. The same thing happened to me, but this time I tried for a whole week and it didn't work, so I contacted the consulate by email. They asked me to send them screenshots showing what was happening. I did, and they gave my relative an appointment for the next day,” Martínez commented.
El “business” of selling appointments It is a problem that has affected not only Colombians, but also consulates of other countries, such as Honduras and Guatemala.
Recently, a Guatemalan woman reported to our newsroom that the "sellers" of dates were charging up to $350 for an appointment .
El Consulate of Honduras He too suffered from this fraud, and due to so many complaints from his fellow citizens, they were forced to change the appointment system twice. Today they have also implemented walk-in service.
Consulate evaluates new appointment mechanisms
Due to the situation that arose this time with the appointment scheduling, the Consulate said: “We are evaluating and strengthening our scheduling mechanisms to guarantee a fair, equitable and transparent process for the entire community.”
Scheduled appointments are invalidated
The consulate warned that appointments scheduled for the double session in Charlotte were invalid due to the "suspension of the session".
They urge people to report it
Due to the notorious manipulation of appointments, the consulate insta Colombians who were victims of improper charges are encouraged to report them..
“We ask citizens who have been victims of improper charges to please report these incidents to the competent authorities and send detailed information to our official email: catlanta@cancilleria.gov.co,” the consulate said in the statement.
They expect to have a new appointment scheduling system.
Given the serious situation, the consulate indicated that "they will be informing as soon as possible about the new dates and the new scheduling mechanism, which will be implemented to ensure that the service reaches all Colombians in Charlotte who need it directly and free of charge."
“We appreciate your understanding and patience. Our commitment is to defending your rights and providing dignified and free consular services,” the statement reads.
You may be interested in: Uncertainty for more than 260 people who depend on WIC in North Carolina
Information and complaints
You can stay tuned for new updates in the official website of the Consulate General of Colombia in Atlanta and on their official social media accounts: Instagram and Facebook.
*This is a developing story. If you would like to share information with us about selling appointments, you can send it to our editorial office at the following email address: patriciao@enlacelatinonc.org
You can make your complaints to Consulate of Colombia in Atlanta to the email address: catlanta@cancilleria.gov.co
PODCAST
After the storm
A year ago, Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina. The Latino community responded with something stronger than the storm: solidarity.
🎧 In this episode, learn how Latino organizations transformed crisis into resilience.
▶️Press play to listen!
Republish our stories for free on your website or newspaper. We follow the Creative Commons license. Click the box and follow the instructions.
