3227 East 31st Street
Suite 200
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74105
United States
918-749-4600
info@dillonadopt.com http://www.dillonadopt.com
Type: Private Agency
Average Ratings Based On All Reviews
Review by Jessl81 submitted on March, 25, 2010 at 08:14 AM
Adoption Details:
Child's Age: 0y 6m
Start Date: May 2007
Status: Finalized
Completion Date: Dec 2009
Time Until Placement: 31 months
Type: Closed, International
Special Needs: No
Child from Can Tho, Vietnam
Pros: always available to answer questions, very professional but also personable. Our trip went very smoothly because they attended to every detail. Post adoption support is EXCELLENT!
Cons: none very pleased with Dillon
Reviews: great agency. I would reccommend to others
Review by justonemore submitted on November, 9, 2007 at 07:54 PM
Adoption Details:
Child's Age: 0y 8m
Start Date: Aug 1998
Status: Homestudy and documentation
Completion Date: Nov 1999
Time Until Placement: 15 months
Type: Closed, International
Special Needs: No
Child from Anqing, China
Pros: Three main reasons we are so grateful to have Dillon International, Inc. as our adoption agency:
(1) Professionalism and meticulous attention to detail in preparing our dossiers to be submitted to the People's Republic of China, as well as keeping us well-informed and responding quickly to all of our queries along the way;
(2) Outstanding service while traveling in China, from arrival to departure and all activities in between;
(3) Commitment to Dillon families for life. Once you adopt a child through Dillon International, they are committed to your family and your child throughout the lifetime of that child. Ongoing cultural events and birthland tours just begin to scratch the surface of their commitment to Dillon's children and families.
Cons: Since our initial conversation with this agency in 1998, we have never had a single negative experience with Dillon International. We have only good things to say about them and we highly recommend them.
Reviews: When we first made the decision to adopt in 1998, I spent two months on the Internet researching adoption agencies. I called several agencies and spoke with them, and I called references and asked lots of questions. I narrowed the list down to two agencies. One was a very large agency, the other was a smaller agency. Both had good reputations and had been facilitating international adoptions for several years. In the end we went with Dillon International, Inc., whose main office is in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They have an excellent reputation, and they have facilitated more than 5,000 international adoptions in the past 35 years for families from all over the United States. We chose Dillon not only because of the wonderful recommendations that had been provided by their prior clients, but also because they are a smaller agency, which we hoped would provide more personal service (which they definitely do).
Since Dillon is a smaller agency, their travel groups to China aalso tend to be smaller, usually ranging from 4 -9. Some agencies have way more than that in their travel groups, and we saw that as a negative.
If you travel with a smaller group, you tend to be able to get consulate appointments quicker, thereby getting travel approval earlier than other groups. While some agencies wait several weeks for travel clearance, Dillon families usually get travel clearance earlier because of the smaller groups.
Additionally, we believed that it would be easier to travel with fewer people. Although it is nice to have the additional support that comes with traveling with families in your same situation, I would think that it would get old having to wait on families at the bus, the hotel, the sightseeing tours, etc., that would inevitably come with traveling with groups of 15-20 families. It's also nice to know that the travel coordinators are more available for each family when there are fewer there.
Dillon uses Bridge of Love Adoption Services ("BLAS") to do their translations, as well as all travel arrangements within China. BLAS is located in the same building as the China Center for Adoption Affairs ("CCAA") and it's nice knowing that BLAS is right there where the CCAA is in case there is some question about the translation of a document, or a particular question regarding the referral (such as health of the child).
Dillon families stay in 4- or 5-star hotels and they provide sightseeing tours while in China, all of which are optional (you might want to stay in if you're tired or your baby is fussy, grieving, or sick).
I can't say enough about the staff at Dillon International. We have found them to be knowledgeable, supportive, and infinitely patient with us. We have never received incorrect information from them, and they are always quick to respond to all of our questions, either by phone or by e-mail. They are meticulous in their review of all of the paperwork required to send to the CCAA, and good about giving us regular updates on the status of our adoption.
Their professionalism and attention to detail in submitting our dossiers to the CCAA were wonderful, but they also really shined while we were actually in China to adopt our children. Dillon families usually depart on Wednesday and arrive in Beijing on Friday. They are met at the airport by Dillon representatives and/or representatives from BLAS, who escort the families to a 5-star hotel within walking distance from Tiananmen Square. Families spend the weekend in Beijing sightseeing and getting acclimated to the time change. Dillon arranges the trips this way so that the parents are not completely exhausted and on different time schedules from their new children when they first meet.
On Sunday the families fly from Beijing to the province where their child lives, escorted the entire time by someone from BLAS (and often a Dillon representative as well). The families receive their children either on Sunday evening or Monday morning. The adoption is finalized on Monday morning, and the families stay in the province until Friday, when their children's passports are ready. The days in between are spent sightseeing with Dillon's guide or staying in the hotel with the new children. Sightseeing is always provided, but never mandatory.
Friday afternoon the families usually fly from the province to Guangzhou (with their BLAS escort and/or Dillon representative), where they stay at the White Swan Hotel, a 5-star hotel located on Shamian Island. The weekend is spent in Guangzhou sightseeing and shopping. Monday morning the children have their visa photos taken and their medical exams, all of which are walking distance from the White Swan.
Visa packets are usually delivered on Wednesday or Thursday, at which time the families are ready to come home. As usual, BLAS and/or Dillon escorts are with the families the entire time. From the moment the families land in Beijing until the moment the families depart Guangzhou, someone from BLAS or Dillon is either with them or on-call (in the same hotel), 24 hours a day.
Dillon is great with the dossier preparation and excellent while traveling in China, but they also excel once the children come home with their post-placement services. China Heritage Camp is held each year, and is a wonderful and affordable way for the children and families to reconnect. The children spend the days learning about their heritage while the parents attend adoption-related workshops. Trips to a water park and a Dillon Family Picnic make for a wonderful weekend. Additionally Dillon provides China Birthland Tours for adoptees and their families to return to China and reconnect with their birth country, as well as explore their heritage. Trips to the adoptee's province is arranged, and many times the families are able to return to the orphanages.
We began our adoption journey with Dillon International in 1998, and have been an active part of the Dillon Family ever since. Jerry and Deniese Dillon have dedicated their lives to helping orphans, not only by facilitating adoptions, but also through their humanitarian efforts for those left behind and may never have a home of their own.
I am a committed supporter of Dillon International, Inc. Although I do not work for Dillon, I am a grateful Dillon mom. If you would like more information about Dillon International, please feel free contact them at (918) 749-4600 or www.dillonadopt.com.
