H B Jones, Wrexham, writes After booking a £5,000 tour of the US with Titan Travel, I contacted the company’s help desk for advice on applying for ESTA visa waiver permits. I was told the permits could be obtained online but to be careful which site I used. It was agreed the best way to proceed was through Titan’s own website.  Near the top of Titan’s visa information page is a bold panel saying: “Need a travel visa? Electronic visa required?” This transfers customers to the website of the visa agent CIBT. I filled in the forms for myself and my wife and received a confirmation slip with the permits which displayed the CIBT and Titan Travel logos.  I thought the charge of £128 was high but – on reading Telegraph Travel a few days later – I was shocked to discover ESTA permits cost just £9 per person.  I contacted Titan Travel to complain about being misled. I was told that Titan would have completed the ESTA forms on our behalf for £25 per person. While it is true that this is mentioned further down the visa information page, below the CIBT panel, there is no link to the official US government site which does not charge any fees for ESTA permits.  I may not have a case from a legal point of view but I feel strongly that Titan’s visa page is like a spider’s web, ready to catch the unsuspecting client.  A. I think you do have reason to complain as the CIBT panel is placed at the beginning of Titan’s visa webpage. I also note that while there are website links to the official electronic visa websites for other countries, Titan’s US information does not mention the official ESTA application site.  This is https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Make sure the banner at the top says “US Customs and Border Protection” as there are many clever copycat sites that charge service fees.  I contacted Titan to ask why its ESTA information was set up in this confusing way. Having reviewed the issues I raised, it responded immediately by making it clearer on its website that there are more cost-effective ways of securing ESTAs than using CIBT’s service. Titan also moved CIBT’s advertising panel to the bottom of the page and said it is renegotiating its rates with the company as it recognises that the cost “is disproportionately high for the service provided”.  As a gesture of thanks for uncovering the problem, Titan is refunding the £128 which you paid CIBT to obtain your ESTA permits.  Our Q&A service allows you can pick the brains of our experts at home and abroad. Email your query to asktheexperts@telegraph.co.uk. We won’t be able to answer them all, but we will do our best.  Gill is an expert on Cornwall and consumer issues, especially legal disputes.  Click here to find out about our other experts
Ask the experts: Gill Charlton, our consumer expert, looks into an unexpected charge for US visa waiver permits.