Could my sister claim compensation

Tutes24

Hi

Sorry if this is put in the wrong place but i didnt know where to put it.

My sister was due to go on holiday tomorrow but her new passport hasnt arrived in time that she sent off for weeks ago. She rung the passport place asking what the hold up was, They werent very helpful at all and very rude also. They said they had sent it out to her on the 11th march and that it wasnt there fault but the posts fault. Is there a way she can complain and get her money back cause of this?

Thanks alot

DrFluffy

How far in advance did she apply for her new passport? Did she make a standard or urgent application?

Incapuppy

When did she ring them?

chuckles1066

Incapuppy wrote: »

When did she ring them? If it was me and I had been told that it had been posted on the 11th March I would have been jumping up and down and trying to make urgent arrangements as soon as I had been told that it had been posted but not arrived.

Passports aren't posted out. They go via a network of private couriers because the Royal Mail can't be trusted with them.

And by private couriers, I mean husband and wife jobbies who've been vetted........I know, because we've had new passports recently; you'll get a guy pitch up in a car, it's all very anonymous.

Incapuppy

chuckles1066 wrote: »

Passports aren't posted out. They go via a network of private couriers because the Royal Mail can't be trusted with them.

And by private couriers, I mean husband and wife jobbies who've been vetted........I know, because we've had new passports recently; you'll get a guy pitch up in a car, it's all very anonymous.

Haha - you caught my quote before I edited it for that very reason - after I had finished typing I recalled that OH's had been delivered by courier a few years back but I wasn't entirely sure.

DrFluffy

chuckles1066 wrote: »

Passports aren't posted out. They go via a network of private couriers because the Royal Mail can't be trusted with them.

And by private couriers, I mean husband and wife jobbies who've been vetted........I know, because we've had new passports recently; you'll get a guy pitch up in a car, it's all very anonymous.

It's usually HDN, who are crap! Worse than Royal Mail!

chuckles1066

DrFluffy wrote: »

It's usually HDN, who are crap! Worse than Royal Mail!

Not round these parts

Territory-based husband and wife teams..........they get a communication each day telling them there are x packages waiting for them.........they drive across to Swansea, jump through hoops to provide the relevant id and then, and only then, are the passports released into their custody.

I had quite a long chat with the guy about it all.........it all seemed a bit too intense for me but he was quite happy with it all.

In fact, it's at the sort of level where, if you're not in and they leave you a card, you phone them and they say "are you in within the next hour? We'll pop it round".

DrFluffy

round these 'ear parts, it's HDN - we had lots of fun getting them to actually deliver and to stop lying about attempted delivery... The joys of having a 24 hour consierge and CCTV!

Voyager2002

Tutes24 wrote: »

Hi

Sorry if this is put in the wrong place but i didnt know where to put it.

My sister was due to go on holiday tomorrow but her new passport hasnt arrived in time that she sent off for weeks ago. She rung the passport place asking what the hold up was, They werent very helpful at all and very rude also. They said they had sent it out to her on the 11th march and that it wasnt there fault but the posts fault. Is there a way she can complain and get her money back cause of this?

Thanks alot

If only you had posted a couple of days ago!

I am sure that the courier responsible can be traced, and probably a check of their records will lead them to the missing passport. But not before it is time to go tomorrow.

It sounds as if the courier has been negligent, and so might be liable for the losses that result. However, the courier's customer is the passport agency, rather than your sister, so it is unlikely that she will have any joy. And of course the passport agency enjoys Crown immunity.

DaisyFlower

" We recommend you submit your applications six weeks before you need your passport to travel and do not book any travel arrangements until the new passport is received."

Cant imagine she has a claim for compensation looking at the above. If it was sent out on the 11/3 and she rang them yesterday then what realistically did she expect them to do if she should be travelling tomorrow?

Most couriers terms and conditions only limit their liability to the actual cost of the item - ie paper documents are just the printing cost but thats all they are worth to the passport office anyway. Your sister has no contract with the courier anyway regardless of their GIT liability.

IvanOpinion

Would this be covered under her travel insurance? I could understand if it wasn't (falls under the remit of personal responsibility) but maybe it is.

ivan