frenchside.co.za Recensioni 17

Contracted Frenchside (also known as Global Apostille) in May 2026 to obtain a Letter of No Impediment. Paid in full on May 22nd after submitting all documents on May 20th via international transfer from Japan. Notified them that I need to and will collect on the date of June 1st and 2nd which was never met. Even after asking for multiple confirmations, no answers.

At no point did this company proactively communicate anything to me. Every single update throughout the entire process had to be chased by me via email. Aida's responses were consistently vague, never addressed what was actually asked and were nothing more than copy pasted template replies. It took them a week just to confirm receipt of payment.

The application was only submitted to Home Affairs ten days after payment was made with no communication given. On June 3rd Aida called personally and guaranteed 1000% the document would be ready by June 18th. I requested written confirmation of this — it was never provided. After that call, silence again until I followed up myself. Two days before my final collection date I was told they could no longer assist due to "unforeseen circumstances" with no further explanation despite multiple requests.

When it came to the refund they refused to return the money to our Japanese bank account despite having no issue accepting our international payment. They would only offer a local transfer or cash collection — completely impractical for someone based in Japan. They refunded only the base amount and refused all additional compensation.

We acted in good faith at every step and gave this company every opportunity to deliver. Instead they held our money, made empty promises and abandoned the service without explanation. We are now questioning whether this company is even legitimate and are at the point of taking legal action.

This is a clear breach of contract under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008.

This company operates under two names — Global Apostille and Frenchside Translation and Interpreting — same person, same address, same bank account. Be warned, especially if you are based abroad as they appear to rely on the fact that overseas clients are unlikely to follow through on legal action.

Edit in response to their reply and unfactual claims:

Thank you for your response. Please note that all communication and proof of payment throughout this process has been fully documented. Our response below is factual, unlike several claims made in yours.

Payment was made and confirmed on May 22nd 2026, not May 29th as claimed. This is clearly evidenced by our proof of payment. We welcome any fact checking of this claim.

At no point were we informed in writing that the application would only be submitted on June 1st. Despite multiple follow ups, no such communication was ever received. We welcome any fact checking of this claim against the full email correspondence.

Regarding the allegation of offensive, patronising and demeaning behaviour — every communication sent was firm but professional. The complete email correspondence is fully documented and we invite anyone, including Trustpilot, to review it in full. Requesting updates on a paid service and written confirmation of verbal promises does not constitute offensive behaviour. It is the basic and reasonable expectation of any paying client.

Throughout this entire process a written explanation for the unforeseen circumstances was repeatedly requested and never once provided privately to us as a paying client. This public response is the first explanation offered. We note that management found time to respond publicly yet was completely unavailable to a paying client over several weeks of correspondence.

We formally request clarification as to who is authoring this response, given that management contact was repeatedly requested throughout this process and never once fulfilled.

The personal remarks regarding our review history are noted. All reviews left are factual, documented and made in good faith as a consumer exercising their rights.
Please be advised that we are in contact with our attorney regarding the false claims made in this public response, including the incorrect payment date and the unfounded allegations of offensive behaviour, both of which are contradicted by documented evidence. We are also in the process of filing a formal complaint with the National Consumer Commission under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008.

We have no further comment at this time and will allow the facts and the full correspondence to speak for themselves.

We paid for the translation of a document from Spanish to English - invoice was paid upfront and in full.

Once paid, document was not set within the stipulated time and they simply stopped replying to emails.

Repeated calls yielded no results - each time I was given an excuse.

I don't recommend this company because they give false turnaround times even if you pay extra for the "expedite" services. They also won't give a refund if they don't deliver in the time that they promised. Not worth the money and rather find another company to translate or acquire your documents.

SCAM Company. You pay for the translations but never receive it. Don't waste your money.

Excellent, professional and speedy service with great amount of patience given that as a client I didn't know enough about the process. Very courteous with the advice and support given.
Would happily recommend or use their services again

I have used French side for translations French-English and Portuguese to English on numerous documents. I find then quick, reliable and professional and would certainly recommend their services.

I asked them to urgently translate my stepfather’s bank statement , I let them know i needed it done in less than 24 hours as it was a university application. They promised to deliver first thing in the morning the next day. Once I sent the money and POP they went silent past the deadline and I had to follow up myself. 4 days after I’ve been called a ‘Nigerian Scammer’ for no reason other than that I paid them from an international bank, I’ll leave it up to your imagination why they immediately assumed I was committing a crime (that’s if this company is real). I have still not received a refund. Please don’t send documents with sensitive information to them, they may be scammers because this whole debacle is bizarre and the lady I dealt with had a west African accent. I will be alerting mine and my dad’s banks! If you need translation services please use Simply Translate, Carryn and team helped out within 4 hours and were communicating with me the entire time. Mind you, the simply translate team received the money within an hour regardless of the excuses made by this company 4 days later. To the Frenchside team, if you’re a real company, gaslighting customers is not ethical.

Amazing service, very efficient and very fast. Cannot recommend them highly enough

Frenchside translators offer top tier service and prompt feedback via email. Their service consultants were informative and without fail punctual in turnaround time with document administration. I highly recommend their services. I did a sworn Spanish translation of two documents for a study visa. I’m extremely satisfied with my service.

I urgently needed help getting two birth certificates and a marriage certificate apostilled and found Frenchside/Global Apostille online. I initially spoke to Jennifer and she laid out the requirements, timelines and costs very well.

I went to go visit the offices and talked to Aida, who is a lovely very friendly woman who is very professional and gave some very good advice regarding laminated copies of documentation. It's not clear anywhere that laminated documents cannot be apostilled and she informed us how to get a re-issued certificate within a day at Home Affairs.

The birth certificates were done in 2 days and the marriage certificate in 4 days Well within their timeframes. And done in such a way that made the service almost seamless with little to no input from ourselves. digital copies were sent ahead of time and the documents were collected in good order.

I would encourage anyone with use for these services to give them a try. You will not be disappointed.

Reliable and professional, will always go back and refer others.

Very efficient, great communication, fast and correct output

Excellent, profesional and fast service. I’ve used Frenchside for official translations and appostille and their service has been great!
Thank you for good work!

I've been working with Frenchside for over 2 years now and their team and equipment are always excellent. The team is responsive and helpful with all my issues (via email and whatsapp). Thank you Frenchside for your professionalism and great job!