# When traveling US citizens have problems US Embassies aren't noted for being very helpful - Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 1, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-traveling-us-citizens-have-problems-us-embassies-arent-noted-for-being-very-helpful-why/675226 "2013-12-01T18:57:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-traveling-us-citizens-have-problems-us-embassies-arent-noted-for-being-very-helpful-why/675226/61 "2013-12-05T15:04:55Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Ditto - not my experience at all. I’ve always enjoyed interactions with Parisians, and cannot recall a rude or nasty one at all. > > I do recall seeing many bewildered Parisians trying to deal with anglophones who think that if they only SPEAK LOUDLY IN ENGLISH the French will suddenly understand them. :rolleyes: Fun with Paris - my Mom and I were there in April of 1976 and she wanted to see the Eiffel Tower - absolute classic tourist stuff. So after we did the tour we were walking down the promenade and saw some poor German tourist trying to get something from a French cop, the cop spoke french. The tourist spoke German. My Mom speaks German and English, I speak English and French. So we tag team translated directions to get to the Louvre from the Eiffel Tower. We had a blast, and amused a bunch of people gathered around us watching. [Almost as much fun as sitting in a cafe watching the Paris fire department doing some sort of drill with a pumper truck, the Seine river and inadvertantly backing the pumper into the river. :eek::D] I will say that I never experienced any issues with the French being rude, but then again I always spoke in Canadian accented French before switching to English when I ran across people wanting to practice English. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-traveling-us-citizens-have-problems-us-embassies-arent-noted-for-being-very-helpful-why/675226/62 "2013-12-05T19:02:21Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I may be mistaken, but I’ve heard your passport is confiscated until you do pay it back. Can **Surly Chick** or anyone else verify if this is true? When I was doing Consular work, the passport was confiscated and a special single use passport was issued to get the person back into the US. Times may have changed since then as it’s been six years or so since I was a Consular officer. And I’m currently posted Stateside so I can’t wander down to the Consular section to ask… ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-traveling-us-citizens-have-problems-us-embassies-arent-noted-for-being-very-helpful-why/675226/63 "2013-12-05T19:12:54Z")
Missed the edit window. As I said, it’s been a while but I do know that the DoS doesn’t actively pursue people who don’t repay the loans. There are no wage garnishments or anything like that. But you certainly can’t get a new passport until it’s repaid. And I won’t make excuses for the bad service people have gotten in this thread. We have bad people just like any other company. But I used to bend over backwards for the AMCITs that came to the Consular section despite my moniker.🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-traveling-us-citizens-have-problems-us-embassies-arent-noted-for-being-very-helpful-why/675226.md?page=3)