What to Do After a Bad Experience With a Study Abroad Consultancy

This is general practical guidance, not personalised legal advice. If your situation involves money you believe was taken improperly, or a document you believe was falsified, consider speaking with a qualified professional about your specific circumstances in addition to the steps below.

1. Gather what you already have

Collect receipts, payment records, contracts or agreements, and every message thread with the consultancy — WhatsApp, email, SMS, and any in-person notes you took. Do this before anything gets deleted or a phone gets lost, and keep a backup copy somewhere separate from your main device.

2. Write a factual timeline

Write down what happened in date order: what was promised, when you paid what amount, what was delivered or not delivered, and when. Stick to things you can point to evidence for — a message, a receipt, a date — rather than impressions or assumptions about intent.

A factual timeline is useful for your own clarity, for any conversation with the consultancy, and for any report you later choose to make public.

3. Contact the consultancy directly and calmly

Before escalating anywhere else, it is usually worth contacting the consultancy directly, calmly, and in writing, laying out what happened and what you believe should happen next — a refund, a correction, or a specific action. Keep a copy of this message; it becomes part of your timeline whether or not they respond helpfully.

4. Check official complaint options where applicable

Depending on your specific situation, there may be an official complaint or dispute channel relevant to your case — for example, through a relevant government office, a consumer-protection body, or the destination country's institution if the dispute involves them directly. Because these options depend on your specific circumstances and can change over time, check directly with the relevant official body rather than relying on a general summary.

5. Avoid publishing private personal data

When describing what happened publicly — including on Sachho — describe the consultancy's actions and your own experience, but avoid publishing other individuals' private personal details such as home addresses, personal phone numbers, or identity document numbers, whether the details belong to a staff member or another student.

6. Separate facts from assumptions

It's natural to form theories about why something went wrong, but when writing an account for others to rely on, keep assumptions clearly separate from what you actually know. "They told me X and then did Y" is a fact. "They must have been trying to scam me from the start" is an assumption — it may or may not be true, and presenting it as fact can be unfair and can also make your account less useful to other readers.

7. Share a structured experience on Sachho

Once you have your timeline and evidence organised, consider sharing your experience on Sachho. Reports go through moderation before publication, and a critical report is not automatically rejected simply for being critical — see how Sachho student reports work for the full process. One clear, factual report from your experience can genuinely help the next student who searches that consultancy's name.