Nightmare of the passport

Prof_Ligate

arichmond64 wrote: »

Did anyone have any luck with the Peterborough office? My passport is there and I'm getting absolutely no where with the 0300 number, they can send an email, and that's it.

Supposed to have had several callbacks with no luck.

Jokers

No luck at all. We have been ringing but it defaults to call back mode after 10 or so mins of hanging on. Then no call back.

We made application on line, payment processed on 6 May for child renewal. Supporting docs sent shortly after and still no passport and, we go away in less than 2 weeks!

arichmond64

Prof_Ligate wrote: »

No luck at all. We have been ringing but it defaults to call back mode after 10 or so mins of hanging on. Then no call back.

We made application on line, payment processed on 6 May for child renewal. Supporting docs sent shortly after and still no passport and, we go away in less than 2 weeks!

You're in a better spot than me, I'm supposed be going a Week thursday. Doesn't look very likely.

I've read on forums that people have gotten through and then they've actually acted and done something, but now there's all this stuff in the papers, it's unlikely anything will get done quickly.

The thing that peed me off, is that their website still said 3 weeks, when they knew it was taking longer.

nearlyrich

Problem is they are all answering the phone instead of processing passports.....

cannyscot_2

Why would you be chasing them for a passport if your holiday is the end of July!!

From what I have been told if you are within a week of travel then when you ring they will automatically out you through and fast track you. If you are phoning because your passport is late and you are not travelling soon then all you are doing is getting in the way of people who are genuinely in distress to get to wedings etc.

balletshoes

cannyscot wrote: »

Why would you be chasing them for a passport if your holiday is the end of July!!

From what I have been told if you are within a week of travel then when you ring they will automatically out you through and fast track you.
If you are phoning because your passport is late and you are not travelling soon then all you are doing is getting in the way of people who are genuinely in distress to get to wedings etc.

the problem is actually getting to speak to a human being though, even if you are within about a week of travel and still don't have your passport back.

As I said before, I contacted the passport office at 8am the week before last, at that time there was a little wait but i did speak to a human being. Later in day/evening no chance, just hanging on and on until eventually you are put through to a callback service.

arichmond64

balletshoes wrote: »

the problem is actually getting to speak to a human being though, even if you are within about a week of travel and still don't have your passport back.

As I said before, I contacted the passport office at 8am the week before last, at that time there was a little wait but i did speak to a human being. Later in day/evening no chance, just hanging on and on until eventually you are put through to a callback service.

This is exactly the nightmare people are having.

They told me Friday, they put my request to upgrade to fastrack through, and that I'd get a call in 48 hours. Now it's Tuesday, I call up and he says, oh I will have to send them another email.

They simply ignore the emails, and there's nothing you, or the guy on the phone can do, they say they don't have a direct number for the office, which is obviously a load of crap, but they won't call for you because they'd be calling for everyone.

I've read people have had success calling the direct line, where their passport currently is, mine being in Peterborough.

But yeh, one thing which won't be helping is people panicking because they've seen the stuff in the news, even though they're not going for over a month or something.

arichmond64

Oh it gets better and better, after calling for over 2 weeks, being told I can upgrade it from literally day one, I've been told that because it's a passport replacement, for lost or stolen, that I can't get the upgrade.

So about £30 worth of calls and 2 weeks of waiting and being told I can upgrade, I can't.

The left hand doesn't even know the ffffff right hand exists let alone what it's doing.

Worst thing is, I could have just cancelled my first application and took the £73 hit in order to actually get it.

Complete joke

FRESTER

They received my application for my sons first passport last Tuesday.
Suppose I better give it six weeks before I call

Prof_Ligate

arichmond64 wrote: »

Oh it gets better and better, after calling for over 2 weeks, being told I can upgrade it from literally day one, I've been told that because it's a passport replacement, for lost or stolen, that I can't get the upgrade.

So about £30 worth of calls and 2 weeks of waiting and being told I can upgrade, I can't.

The left hand doesn't even know the ffffff right hand exists let alone what it's doing.

Worst thing is, I could have just cancelled my first application and took the £73 hit in order to actually get it.

Complete joke

Tis a bit of a shambles. I finally got my callback but as I didn't make a note of my online application reference, they can't track my application no matter what other info I give them. The online system doesn't have a username or password reminder/prompt and so there is no way I can find it out. Without it I can't get an update and unsurprisingly the 'free upgrade' is also not available without said reference. Of course old passport and birth cert is somewhere in the passport office with the application which means I can't really make an emergency application in the alternative. In any case I've paid for this one.

The best I can do is hope else daughter may get left behind!!

housebuyer2

If your application is urgent then ring your MP and give then the details - they have a direct phone line into the passport office to chase these delays up - and they are really good at helping

The other option is to email the CEO - search online for his email address. I did this and got a reply the same day to say they had spoken to the passport office and got my passport approved that day - it arrived one working day later!