And you thought that my US Consulate saga was over. Nah ! Here is the exact email from my sister who went to HDFC bank to get the token
From: mnaaz wadia
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 4:22 AM
To: Arzan Sam Wadia
Subject: Visa TokenArzu,
Its done. Before you book your interview put up a part 2 to your post about archaic procedures.
The payment is 5240 for the visa fees and 322 for serice provider fees. The entire amount can be paid in cash only if the applicant is himself paying up. Could not figure out the logic of that, still cant. I had to either pay by cheque from my hdfc acct or demand draft from nationalised bank.
I didnt have my cheque book and only your cash. So i troop down to state bank of travancore, next door. They give me the dd for the 5240. I go back ke i will pay the 322 by cash cos there’s an option on the form. No. i have to pay either entirely by cash, or by dd.
I screamed cos they didnt tell me this first. Some bawa senior manager comes pacifies me n says as a special case, he’ll take the entire amount in cash (probably trying to impress me when he heard it was for my ‘brother’. i was in sari and all :).
Now i dont have that cos i just got the dd made. So i go back and get the other dd. I go back in and it appears i have to go to a 2nd floor office to submit everything. Again smiley parsi boy explains and apologises. I go up, pay, get your token and crib my way back to work. Aaaaagggghhhhhhh! The bloody idiots. And oh, comedy. when the guy at the counter told me i have to pay both by dd or cash, I asked him to show me where its written cos its not on the form. The poor thing bent over under hes desk, pulled out some stacks of papers to actually show me where it might be written. I was very amused at his gullibility. That’s when parsi boy stepped in on seeing that.
Get your appt. tell me when. I have the original of this receipt attached herewith. Seems you have to take it for the interview when you go. So do remember to take it from me.
Love, Menu.
More will follow as I get my appointment and land up at the consulate.
Hahahahaha….this is hilarious. I can only imagine poor Bawi doing all that trooping and the steam that probably came outta her ears whilst all this was happening!