POST OFFICE ... Passport rip-off

coupon_king_2

I need to get my kids a passport as the are no longer valid on mine .... so am having to pay £25 each ( only lasts 5 years ) + £3 for photos each

So I take forms to the post office where I have been known for over 20 years by the post mistress to ask her if she would kindly countersign them to confirm who my children are ( would take all of 2 mins ) ....... But she informs me that Head Office have said she must now charge .... £5 for EACH .......... This is absolutely DISGRACEFUL and I am totally disgusted ....needless to say I will be finding an alternative method !

Malestrom

I just used the Check & Send service at my local PO and they said that I needed a long birth certificate for my sons renewal. So we duly went and got one from the Registrars (£7) then went to a nearby PO to post the forms off and the woman told us we didn't need any supporting docs as it was a renewal. Then she charged us ANOTHER £6 for check & send. AGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!

Flipping incompetent fools.

pin

Nothing new to charge to countersign documents. GP's can do it, lawyers do do it. Also please don't take it out on the post mistress. She is only doing her job. If its a sub-post office, if she doesn't take the £5 each, that will have to come out of her pocket.

coupon_king_2

Have no intention of blaming Post Mistress as already stated have known her over 20 years and was told this charge has come from Head Office ... I am annoyed because same person countersigned both mine & my husbands with no such levy being asked for ... but now I am expected to fork out nearly 2 hours of my hard earned wages just to have someone confirm my identity .... As far as im aware anyone who holds a british passport and knows me is allowed to confirm my identity and im pretty sure none of the people I know would dream of charging me .....( and yes I will ask one of them )

SORRY but as far as Im concerned this is just another shocking money making scheme employed by a company which over the years has been run into the ground and now has the audacity to think it can just RIP-OFF people

YorkshireBoy

pin wrote:

Nothing new to charge to countersign documents. GP's can do it, lawyers do do it. Also please don't take it out on the post mistress. She is only doing her job. If its a sub-post office, if she doesn't take the £5 each, that will have to come out of her pocket.

As a professional "incorporated" engineer I have been signing passport photographs for friends and work colleagues for years now.

Its a common misunderstanding that only doctors and lawyers etc can vouch for who you are.

Ask around (friends, family & work colleagues) and you'll be surprised how many people can sign.

The main criteria seems to be that you are a member of a professional body - for me that means the Engineering Council (IEng) and the Institution of Incorporated Engineers (MIIE).

HTH
YB

esalan

QUOTE: The main criteria seems to be that you are a member of a professional body - for me that means the Engineering Council (IEng) and the Institution of Incorporated Engineers (MIIE).

That's correct -- also includes members of scientific bodies such as Institute of Physics. I could do it (for free!) but only for people I have known personally for x years.

pin

YorkshireBoy wrote:

As a professional "incorporated" engineer I have been signing passport photographs for friends and work colleagues for years now.

Its a common misunderstanding that only doctors and lawyers etc can vouch for who you are.

Ask around (friends, family & work colleagues) and you'll be surprised how many people can sign.

The main criteria seems to be that you are a member of a professional body - for me that means the Engineering Council (IEng) and the Institution of Incorporated Engineers (MIIE).

HTH
YB

Sorry, wasn't just trying to say that its just lawyers and doctors who can countersign, was just trying to give a couple of examples (and more specifically examples of professions who normally charge for this).

Altarf

The complete list of who can sign is here:
http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/faqs/faq.asp?strAreaNo=321_1&intelement=454

ACCEPTABLE COUNTERSIGNATURES

* Accountant
* Articled Clerk of a Limited Company
* Assurance Agent of Recognised Company
* Bank/Building Society Official
* Barrister
* Broker
* Chairman/Director of Limited Company
* Chemist
* Chiropodist
* Christian Science Practitioner
* Commissioner of Oaths
* Councillor: Local or County
* Civil Servant (permanent)
* Dentist
* Engineer (with professional Qualifications)
* Fire Service Official
* Funeral Director
* Insurance agent (full time) of a recognised Company
* Journalist
* Justice of the Peace
* Legal Secretary (members and fellows of the Institute of legal secretaries)
* Local Government Officer
* Manager/Personnel Officer (of Limited Company)
* Member of Parliament
* Merchant Navy Officer
* Minister of a recognised religion
* Nurse (SRN and SEN)
* Officer of the armed services (Active or Retired)
* Optician
* Person with Honours (eg OBE MBE etc)
* Photographer (Professional)
* Police Officer
* Post Office Official
* President/Secretary of a recognised organisation
* Salvation Army Officer
* Social Worker
* Solicitor
* Surveyor
* Teacher, Lecturer
* Trade Union Officer
* Travel Agency (Qualified)
* Valuers and auctioneers (fellow and associate members of the incorporated society)
* Warrant officers and Chief Petty Officers

Or persons of similar standing to the above, working or retired, are acceptable as countersignatories.

Relatives or partners should not countersign passport applications.

mrwibble

Lol ! It really is out of date - I can set up a limited company for peanuts off the shelf (admittedly with annual filing charges) and sign passports - want your passport endorsed at a cut-rate ? Of course I know you - old chum !!

wendytiggermad

HHmmm nice list.. however i took my driving licence photo to be signed into a my Barclays bank only to be told they cannot do it....:(

Curry_Queen

Local business person and Publican can be added to that list too ... at least for a DL photo but I think also passport photos too. My tattooist signed mine :rotfl: