Royal Mail Lost My Passport

lifemagic

Hi,
I had no space left in my passport and filled in a form for a new one, enclosed pics etc. and used the included envelope, which says on it 'please check the weight and use the correct postage'. The guidance booklet says used recorded or special delivery. I went to the PO, the lady said it should go special delivery. I said recorded is also stated as OK and she said it limits compensation to fifty pounds. If it was lost I'd lose the application fee, which is 80. If they lose special delivery I'll get the full 80. I said that doesn't make sense as there isn't cash in there, so recorded is fine. She got gruff about it and wrote on the receipt, 'customer was advised spec. del'.

You guessed the rest. I don't know if she just binned it, or if it was genuinely lost. But this was about 3 weeks ago. I live abroad so was expecting it back now. I've an exam here tomorrow so this slipped my mind to check but it has been neither signed for nor received. I phoned the post office and they couldn't care less, said just fill in a claim form as it's non-trackable. He sounded so irritated I thought he'd put the phone down on me.

Now I'm stuck here and my form will need to be countersigned, and I just don't know anyone. I'm registered as 'no fixed abode' with a gp I've never met and am living in an airbnb bedroom.

But it's so strange, that this warning was written on the receipt and then they lost it. What do you think?

jacques_chirac

My local post office got stroppy with me when I refused SD, but the passport did still get there. I don't know if they binned yours, but you're never going to prove it either way so you might as well get on with reapplying.

zax47

I think you should have sent it Special Delivery as that is fully tracked and has a next day by 1pm delivery guarantee. Recorded (now called "Signed For") merely has a record made IF it is delivered, it is not tracked en-route, travels with normal post and has no delivery time guarantee.

Sorry but no sympathy for you on this occasion - you were correctly advised at the PO and chose not to take that advice.

soolin

Signed for in some areas is rarely signed for and never updates online. Have you been told definitely that your passport is lost, or are you going merely by the lack of online signature?

paddyrg

If you are getting a while new passport now, and seem to use it a lot, maybe get a 48 pager? I used the post offices check and send service, it costs a few quid but was worth it, I'd made a silly mistake on a form (a loop on my signature went outside the box!) which I would have been rejected for. I can't say if it gets you preferential treatment but my new passport was back in a couple of weeks.

Of course if you're in a real pickle you can go to the passport office and get it issued in a day assuming you can find someone in the country to vouch that you're legal and who you claim to be... Former school headmaster would do.

Alas the few quid saved on not following the special delivery advice means your costs will now be higher if you have to travel to get witnessed photos etc.

lifemagic

OK. Bit of tough love there I think. I went with recorded because the guidence that came with it said that was OK, I used the provided envelope that way, and it was explained to me in a non-sensical way, i.e. I'd get the full cost of a passport as compensation rather than a fifty pound limit.

I'm going as it being lost because, phoning the post office, they said fill in a lost form and that's it, won't do anything else.

I think IPS is at fault though, as if it really needs to be sent special delivery they shouldn't suggest recorded is OK.

lifemagic

I mean, there also the issue of writing a disclaimer on the receipt, are they supposed to do that.

One little bit of good news. I got in contact with my late mother's partner. He runs a pub and has a licsence (I always spell that wrong), and on the IPS website, it says that's an accepted profession. But they never married, and so he's not related to me. I think that might be OK.

paddyrg

I really can see where you're coming from. IPS can't be responsible for the Royal Mail, no matter what suggestions they make of optional ways to get the forms to them

custardy

lifemagic wrote: »

Hi,
I had no space left in my passport and filled in a form for a new one, enclosed pics etc. and used the included envelope, which says on it 'please check the weight and use the correct postage'. The guidance booklet says used recorded or special delivery. I went to the PO, the lady said it should go special delivery. I said recorded is also stated as OK and she said it limits compensation to fifty pounds. If it was lost I'd lose the application fee, which is 80. If they lose special delivery I'll get the full 80. I said that doesn't make sense as there isn't cash in there, so recorded is fine. She got gruff about it and wrote on the receipt, 'customer was advised spec. del'.

You guessed the rest. I don't know if she just binned it, or if it was genuinely lost. But this was about 3 weeks ago. I live abroad so was expecting it back now. I've an exam here tomorrow so this slipped my mind to check but it has been neither signed for nor received. I phoned the post office and they couldn't care less, said just fill in a claim form as it's non-trackable. He sounded so irritated I thought he'd put the phone down on me.

Now I'm stuck here and my form will need to be countersigned, and I just don't know anyone. I'm registered as 'no fixed abode' with a gp I've never met and am living in an airbnb bedroom.

But it's so strange, that this warning was written on the receipt and then they lost it. What do you think?

The strange bit is you didnt heed her advice

soolin

lifemagic wrote: »

OK. Bit of tough love there I think. I went with recorded because the guidence that came with it said that was OK, I used the provided envelope that way, and it was explained to me in a non-sensical way, i.e. I'd get the full cost of a passport as compensation rather than a fifty pound limit.

I'm going as it being lost because, phoning the post office, they said fill in a lost form and that's it, won't do anything else.

I think IPS is at fault though, as if it really needs to be sent special delivery they shouldn't suggest recorded is OK.

Regardless of what the passport form states signed for (recorded no longer exists) is not suitable as it does not cover 'paper' loss, only actual loss so you will almost certainly not be covered for anything as you have to consequential loss cover and a paper passport has no monetary value.

As I asked above though, have you been told by the passport office that your passport has failed to arrive or are you going on the online signature page alone?

soolin

Interestingly if you use the Post Office check and send service they only use special delivery:

https://www.gov.uk/how-the-post-office-check-and-send-service-works