Our experience changing consulates

[cardinal 1]

First off, I wasn't sure whether to post here or in the consulate forum - moderators please move if it would be better placed there

My fiance has been in France on a student visa. He finished his degree this month and his visa expires end sept, so he will be heading back to Burkina then. We had put Paris as the consulate on the I-129F, but back in July when we realized it wouldn't be approved in time for him to do his interview in Paris, we set about changing the consulate back to Burkina. And yet...our file is currently en route to Paris. Below is our experience in detail. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

July 25: I call USCIS to find out whether they can change the consulate while the file is still at VSC. First person tells me to schedule an infopass appt. Second person tells me to ignore the first person and to send a letter by mail to VSC requesting the change

July 26: Letter is sent by 2 day priority mail with delivery confirmation. It includes all the requested information including receipt number, names, DOBs, etc.

July 28: Letter is delivered

No response

Monday, Aug 8: NOA2!!!

Fri, Aug 12: I call NVC and am informed that the file just arrived in the mail. No, there is no case number yet. No, he cannot tell me whether the consulate has changed. No, I should not call back on Monday; I should wait several business days because it will take a while for it to get into the system, and it will be several weeks before it is sent out.

Tues, Aug 16: I call NVC, get the case number, and discover that it is still assigned to the Paris consulate. The rep tells me: no problem! Just send an email requesting the change with a copy of his passport (showing he is eligible to have his interview in BF).

Tues, Aug 16, 1 hour later: Email is sent. I receive an email from NVC confirming receipt

Wed, Aug 17: I call NVC and am told - Oh, it looks like your file was sent to Paris yesterday. WTH?!?! Rep tells me there is nothing they can do, but to send an email to the BF consulate asking them to request the file from Paris.

Wed, Aug 17, 1 hour later: Email is sent, with copies of all of our correspondence to USCIS and NVC attached

Thurs, Aug 18: I call DOS. Rep tells me that we "did everything right" (nice to hear, even though it doesn't help with our file) and that we should email the Paris consulate, with copy to Ouaga, asking them to send the file to Ouaga. Why do I get a different answer every time I call these people? She also tells me it will likely take several weeks since it has to go by diplomatic pouch.

Thurs, Aug 18: I call ouaga to confirm whether I am supposed to email them or Paris, and am told to call back later.

Paris has no phone # for immigrant visas, or I would call them as well. I have tried to be patient, but at this point I am seriously upset. I realize that in the grand scheme of problems with the immigration system this is not a big deal, but to us it is...we are trying to plan our lives and the uncertainty over if and when our file will ever arrive in Ouaga is not helping. And when we are paying this much for a visa I expect a basic level of competence...at a bare minimum getting accurate information when I call.

So my question is - what next? I will try to call ouaga again, I will send the email to Paris, and if I don't get responses within 1 week I will contact my congressman and both senators. What else? Should I be calling/emailing DOS and the consulate daily? I find it really irritating that THEY screwed up and yet WE are the ones who have to spend time and money trying to fix their mistake. I have had to deal with the Paris consulate when I lived there previously and in my experience they are not terribly responsive, which worries me.

[P.A.T 1]

You have to realize that once the process starts it's very hard to change anything due to the huge amount of other cases in the system, there is no personal attention with USCIS or the Embassy, you're just a case number to them. I would suggest writing a very precise email to the Paris Embassy and ask for your case to be diverted to the embassy in BF. You could also try asking if it's possible to have the Paris interview appointment expedited instead of diverting the case so that your significant other can make it before the visa expires.