Given a choice of writing this post or chewing glass, I would prefer the latter. Nevertheless, I can see no way to avoid my clear duty to de-recommend people I have done so much to promote in the past on these very pages.
With great sadness, I must announce that Miguel and Fatma Silva have been permanently removed from our list of recommended professionals. This removal is based on clear and indisputable facts, of which I want you to be aware you so you can make your own decision regarding them.
As you will recall, the Copperhead and I hired the Silvas as our immigration consultants in order to secure our residency. You will further recall that we reported to you about their work in the most glowing of terms. We also reported on their success with others. In fact, to date, I have received no complaints about their work as immigration consultants; though I have in one other matter.
The problem is simply this: someone from my office, usually Santiago or the Copperhead, spoke with the Silvas, or sent e-mail to them at least every other week asking about the FBI clearance letters for which the Copperhead and I have been waiting since last August. The response has always been, “we check at least every other week, and they are not in yet”.
After 10 months, I decided to have someone else verify the status of our application. I authorized our law firm to get that information, and to my great dismay was told that the FBI clearance letters for both Copperhead and I had been at immigration since February 23, more than four months ago. Obviously, the Silvas had NOT been checking ” at least every other week”!
I was stunned, and the Copperhead was very angry: I had my cedula “in tramite”, while all the Copperhead had was his visa.
Several days after our attorneys discovered the truth, I got an e-mail from the Silvas saying that our FBI letter had just come in. Obviously, one of their contacts at immigration had warned them that someone else had been poking around in our file.
We asked Santiago to meet with the Silvas in order to hear their side of the story before we reacted. He called many times on both of their phones without a single response. Finally, at my direction, he sent them an e-mail explaining what we had found out. As of this writing we have still had no reply…and that lack of response is deafening.
.
If the FBI reports had come in only a month or even six weeks before, I would have given them the benefit of the doubt. But, four months is simply too much. If they had told me the truth, I would’ve forgiven them. But they did not. They lied about checking every other week. They lied about the FBI reports having just come in. And because of those lies, I have lost all trust in them and consequently can no longer endorse them.
I have given much thought to an appropriate public response, and I have decided to ban the Silvas from the blog, the forum, and our other websites, but I have decided against placing them on a blacklist. I wish them well, but will personally not trust them again. My preference is to deal with this matter once and then move on.
• If you have hired the Silvas as your immigration consultants, I am NOT suggesting you fire them–I am suggesting you learn from my disappointing experience!
• If you are considering hiring the Silvas as your immigration consultants, I am NOT telling you not to do so–I am suggesting that you take my experience with them into account.
The bottom line is this: as of now the ONLY immigration consultants recommended by UruguayLiving.com is the law firm LVM, which is listed on UruguayLiving.INFO under both attorneys and immigration consultants.
http://www.uruguayliving.info/ul-i/immigrationconsultants.htm
In response to Southron’s delisting of the services of Fatma and Miguel Silva, I would like to add we are not pleased with our dealings with them either. We had to secure the services of a lawyer, but have just recently managed to regain our documents and most of our money they were holding. If you wish to read a more detailed account of our problems, please refer to the Sociedad Southron (”Warnings”).
Syd Blackwell and Gundy Baty
Left by syd on July 1st, 2007
David,
Even though this was difficult for you to write we thank you for doing so. Those of us that are working hard to make the move need the honest and fair reporting you do.
Thank You!
S&D
Left by Steve Fitzhugh on July 2nd, 2007
Thank you for the honest and forthright update. It so happens that the reason I was logging on today was to get their contact information to pass on to someone else. Very timely.
What happened reminds me of my own experience with the FBI check, which I initiated here in Montevideo. I personally checked with immigration, who assured me that my background check had not been received. One day I stopped by at the Interpol office (Maldonado 1109), and they told me that it had in fact been received, processed through their office, and sent to Immigration.
Immigration, however assured me that Interpol was wrong. The record was not there. Back to Interpol.
This time, Interpol showed me a transmittal form with a date and time. They called Immigration and politely assured them that they had it, somewhere. Back to Immigration.
Low and behold, the manager had it in her hand when I walked through the door. So I came back the next day, took my number, and headed for my turn at the desk to have everything processed. Once again the agent told me that it wasn’t there, and sure enough, it hadn’t gotten into my folder. I asked her to speak to the manager, who found it again.
The lesson I learned from this (and believe me, I’m still learning) is that no amount of follow-up is too much. The people at Immigration are great, but the system for processing, tracking and follow-up is quite disorganized.
Again, thanks for your continued diligence and unbiased info.
Lee
Left by Lee Harrison on July 3rd, 2007
I do not know if it is correct to compare a Mexican with someone from Uraguay, but many have said it applies to most all South Americans, which I can not say is true. But part of the culture in Mexico is to always say what they think the other person wants to hear. (in other wards lie when necessary) If they think you want them to go somewhere with them, they will say they will go, and then they won’t show up. If you ask a girl out on a date, she will make the date and not be there, instead of politly saying no to you. It is the aspect of living in Mexico that I have the hardest time with.
There is not much creedance given to a peron’s word. This might have been the case with your people. They were lax and inneficient in their job responsibillity to you, and when confronted, they lied, because this is just what they do. It is more accepted there and kind of expected. I have seen that. It doesn’t mean that those people are necessarily bad people in other respects, just not very efficient, and if you are going to REALLY adapt, then you will need to understand that the truth is a real rarity in this part of the world. A lousy way to live, I agree, but are you going to be able to change them?
I have experienced this myself with my Mexican employees. At first it really threw me for a loop, and left me scratching my head. I can’t tell you how many times I said to them “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth” It would have been better for everyone concerned, but it is just not their way. These same people might also walk a mile to help out a total stranger in need, so we can not say they are necessarily bad people - just not truthful.
>>I have a rule of thumb regarding comparing Latin American culture from Mexico and Central America to the culture here in the Southern Cone of South America: I DON’T!
I am happy to say that I have never had the problems you mention with my staff here–though it exactly described my experience in Costa Rica. My staff, and the professionals with which we work most closely have been paragons of truthfulness and reliability.
That being said, in general Latin Americans do seem to be more tolerant of people telling lies and half-truths than my rearing will allow–but here I attribute that to tolerance and good humor, not mendacity..
The Southron
Left by modhatter on July 4th, 2007