Abdelrahman E.
Google
I had a very disappointing experience at the British Council and feel it is important to share it to warn others.
I went to the British Council only to stamp my Bachelor’s certificate. The desk employee, “J R”, informed me that it was mandatory to also stamp and verify my International Foundation Programme (IFP) certificate, and strongly implied that if I did not do it immediately, I would have to pay more later and return again to submit a separate verification request. This made it feel like I had no real choice, even though I never asked for this service.
Later, I found out that this was completely unnecessary, as my Bachelor’s certificate already contains my foundation year grades and transcript. I would never have agreed to or paid for this verification if I had been given correct information.
What made the situation worse is that “J R” contacted me on my personal phone number and spoke to me in an inappropriate and unprofessional manner, which I found highly unacceptable.
When the issue was escalated, a manager named “K” contacted me and stated that they were “only advising” me and that I was “not forced” to pay. However, the way the information was presented initially was clearly manipulative, creating pressure and fear of extra cost and repeat visits if I did not comply immediately.
To add to this, I was told at the desk that no refund was possible because the process was already done, even though the process should never have been initiated in the first place.
This experience reflects poor communication, lack of transparency, and unprofessional conduct. I expected much higher standards from an organization like the British Council.
