[Carlene]

Hello everyone - My husband and I are contemplating whether to use Great Wall of China. Any comments would be truly welcome. Thanks a bunch!

[ReyMim32]

We are currently using Great Wall. We chose Great Wall based on a few different things. First, we know two families who used Great Wall and had nothing but positive things to say. This was certainly a plus to us since this entire process is new to us. Next, I contacted Great Wall by phone and by email before we sent them our application. I received prompt and complete attention to my questions through both forms of communication. I have never had to wait what seems to be an exorbinant amount of time waiting to hear from them. Lastly, everyone I have spoken with at Great Wall have been approachable, patient and positive. So far, we have had nothing but positive experiences. I know this is a huge decision. Best of luck!!

[Carlene]

Thanks for the information and good luck to you. I've actually printed out the application and am in the midst of filling it in. How far along in the process are you? Have the 2 other familes already completed their adoptions? Thanks again!

[ReyMim32]

The other two families have their daughters home. They couldn't be more happy. We are in the process of completing our Home Study. This is such an exciting, yet overwhelming experience. I wouldn't change it for the world. Please feel free to keep in contact. It is always nice to know someone else going through the process.

Mary

Our email address is: jreyno6@tampabay.rr.com

[bobanna]

My husband and i are also begining to research adopting a baby from china..any information would be GREATLY appreciated! we are looking into spence-chapin agency in nyc...i would love to hear from people who have succesfully completed the adoption process and what it all entailed and the outcome...thanks!

[SAC]

I have a friend who works for Spence-Chapin in NYC and I know she wouldn't work for anyone that wasn't reputable.

I wish we could use this agency, but they're not licensed in VA. I'm very bummed about this. Best of luck to you!

[jessica1467]

This is the one and only agency we went to because they had been in business for so long. They are the best and everything is taken care of for you. We went to an informational meeting in May 2002. We applied and were put in a home study group with five other couples in September. We had three meetings, were given all the paper work, and told that we did not have to wait for everyone else in our group to complete everything before we would be put into a travel group. We liked this because a friend told us that although they were done with their paperwork, they had to wait for everyone else to finish before all the dossiers were sent off. We had our home visit in early January by the coordinator of the China program, Felicia Van Praagh. We can't say enough great things about her! Because we lived near her on Long Island, she came out to us on a Saturday in the snow. Our dossier should be going out sometime this month. They will go as fast as you want them to go. I'm sure it could even have been done faster, but Thanksgiving and Christmas held us up a bit. They also are always available by phone or e-mail and usually get back to you on the same day. They have a sliding fee scale and a discount for second adoptions.
Good Luck Jessica

[bobanna]

Thank you so much for the information. We have our first meeting with spence-chapin tuesday night....we are so eager to get this going...i have researched so much information, and we are definite that it is spence-chapin we are going with. If you dont mind me asking, it seems that the paper work is the longest part...what has been the most difficult part of it for you...we have been waiting for 2 years now to finally get this going and now that we are ready, it seems that we want to go thru it as soon as possible!! This is all new to us , so any info is so greatly appreciated.... thank you
anna

[Daddy2b]

Hi -

This is Jessica's husband and everything Jess said is true. The folks at Spence-Chapin really know their business, are very thorough, helpful, pleasant, patient, honest, and attentive. The only thing that needs to be clarified is that I don't think the Saturday home visit is exactly policy with them. Ms. Van Praagh (Flicka) did this with us because it was more convenient all around, as she spends her weekends on LI and we're further east on LI than most of their clients.

I cannot speak for Jess, but the hardest part of the whole adoption process for me was the three meetings with the other couples. Essentially baring your soul is hard to do in front of a dozen strangers. With that said, it was also the most interesting part of the process thus far. The conversations we're fascinating. The paperwork is honestly not that big a burden, I promise. Jess and I spent one weekend solid on it, then little bits here and there. That weekend was spent mostly on writing autobiographies and reading assigned literature.

My advice would be to just follow their instructions to the letter and you will be fine. If ANYTHING confuses you, STOP, drop what your doing and call or email your caseworker. On weekdays, we have NEVER waited more than 24 hours for an email or a call back - usually it's more like 2-3 hours and that's if you don't get them immediately.

Spence-Chapin is, in my humble opinion, an excellent agency and I have not a single regret or issue with them. Jess and I are not rich, but I had no buyer's remorse when it came time to write some large (to me) checks. Flicka may also be a candidate for sainthood, as she has put up with my pestering with resolute pleasantness.

If you'd like to discuss this further, please feel free to email either me or Jess at juddman@optonline.net or jessica1467@optonline.net anytime.

I wish you the best of luck!

[Mom88]

We are in VA too. We just started our process with Great Wall. We have been told this agency is great to work with.

[seanbeck]

Hi! We are also with GWCA. So far we've been very happy with them. We are currently waiting for our 171h. We are using their dragon plan because we felt clueless about the certification and authentication and we have 4 states to send things to. I've never done it myself, so can't really give you any good comparison, though. But GW has been terrific so far, and hopefully will continue to be so We know a lot of people who are using them via the GW yahoo group, and most have been very happy with them. A great positive about GW is that they have an office down the street from the CCAA in China. Also, they send dossiers to China weekly. Many agencies only do it once or twice a month. Feel free to ask away and I'll try to answer any questions. You can PM me if you want.

Good luck!

[CoatAnnHat]

We are LID 2/17 with GW, they are wonderful! I did all my own authentications and it wasnt nearly as bad as I thought. I only had two states to deal with so I figured I would give it a shot. Our Dossier Consultant, Miranda, was there every step of the way. I sent email after email and several phone calls and she was always pleasant and helpful. I never waited more than a day for an email response and once it was within an hour.

What I like about GW is that they review your documents BEFORE you have them state certified and consulate authenticated. Our DC caught an error on my DHs medical and i was able to get it straightened out immediately. If they had waited for me to send the entire dossier it would have meant the extra time in having them certified and authenticated, not to mention the expense and at minimum a 2 week delay in being DTC. There is no 2 week critical review that you hear about with other agencies. By the time your dossier is compiled they have made sure your documents are perfect. If your dossier is in the office by 10am on a wednesday, they review it again and it goes out THAT friday. No last minute surprises.
I also like that they translate AFTER sending your dossier to China. That means your LID is sooner. People with another agency sent their dossier the same day as we did and their LID is two weeks AFTER ours. With referrals coming one week at a time that coudl make the difference of 1-2 months extra waiting.

[Jdubs03]

Ditto to everything that Sheryl has said! Our experience with Great Wall has been wonderful. I highly recommend them to anyone considering adoption. Feel free to PM me with any questions that you have!

[bam125]

We used Gladney and couldn't be happier! Everything went so smoothly from start to finish. There isn't a single negative thing I could say about Gladney's China program. In fact, when we start the process again in the fall, we will be using them again! Please feel free to PM if you would like more information

Beth Anne
NYC

[morsedonna]

We are using Great Wall and are very happy with the entire process. Ditto to all the above