Have you ever called the American embassy or consulate for help and been ignored?

Question

I want information from Americans living or travelling abroad who have been refused emergency service or been ignored in a time of distress while overseas.

Answer 1

In tabulating your answers, please keep in mind that a good number (the majority?) of issues that people bring to an Embassy are things that the Embassy doesn't have the mandate, budget, or personnel to do (mostly they don't fall within the purview of what Embassy offices can do).

Answer 2

I've had very good experiences and very bad ones.  Generally, my bad experiences were with local, foreign-national employees at the US embassy.

Personally, I think people expect far too much from an embassy when they get themselves into a jam.  An American embassy can't get you out of jail and they can't evacuate you back to the states if you become ill or get into an accident.  They can't find you an "honest" local attorney and they sure as heck won't pay for one.  They can't give you money if your money is lost, stolen or frittered away.

During years I lived overseas I always found a little advance planning went a long, long way when things didn't turn out the way I expected them to turn out.