We may not be going :( :( [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

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angel_nix

11-11-2008, 08:38 AM

I posted the other day about the problems that we are having obtaining a passport for dp. Anyway, had a letter today (dated 7th, today is the 11th) to say that the cheque wasn't enough to cover the fee. Checked and £72 cheque is what was needed and the incompetant fool at the PO had ticked the return supporting items by secure post and I didn't spot, so £3.00 was owed to them, therefore they didn't start to process the info! Bearing in mind, I didn't pay any extra for having Lotties documents returned by secure post!

So anyway, the people at the passport office are now saying it may be four weeks before Neil can have an interview, we leave in just over that and there is no way we can hurry things along. And to top it all off, his initial small birth cert was accepted without problem at the Passport Office, therefore, we could've sent it weeks ago if I had ignored the people who worked int he Post Office and had no idea what they were talking about.

As you can imagine, we're fuming, and a letter of complaint will be going into the POs that we used and luckily for us, one of our good friends is related to the head of the PO, so he will be hearing about it!

So please send us lots of luck this way, hopefully it will arrive in time, if not, I don't know what to do. I can't take Lottie on my own as the Eurostar is fully booked and I don't drive, so can't drive over like we were planning to do.

torsie24

11-11-2008, 08:40 AM

:wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard:

Luck luck luck

:hug::hug::hug

mommy2ash

11-11-2008, 08:51 AM

oh no that is just awful. i would be so mad if that happened to me. do you not have emergency passports over there?? like here you can get one in a couple of days

angel_nix

11-11-2008, 08:54 AM

No emergency passports, the big problem is that apparently it is unusual to apply for a first ADULT passport as most people now have them from childhood!

It's a total farce and I am trying to stay calm, but am absolutly fuming. I am just hoping that it arrives in time. On a positive note, Lotties arrived today, only took six DAYS!! So that's somethign positive at least!

mommy2ash

11-11-2008, 08:58 AM

thats just terrible. seeing as it was their mistake i really hope they hurry the passport along.

DLPdaft

11-11-2008, 09:02 AM

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you :wizard: :wizard:

joolz1910

11-11-2008, 09:03 AM

How utterly frustrating! Isn't there any way that your partner could get a cancellation and have an interview? I can't see why it's taking 4 weeks to get an interview! Is that a definite time-scale or just worst case scenario? They tell you to allow for 3 weeks or so, to get your passport, but they usually turn it around within a week. Perhaps 4 weeks is the maximum wait - fingers crossed. I am sending you lots of crossed fingers and positive vibes. Good Luck!

angel_nix

11-11-2008, 09:12 AM

Thanks everyone!

It turns out that they don't offer emergency cancellation appointments (even though he works about 15mins away from the interview office, and his employer has said he can go whenever!) and he can't book an interview until they give him his passport number :rolleyes2 :rolleyes2 So he has to phone back at the end of the week to see if they can give him a number yet, rather than wait for them to send it out in the post (bearing in mind they posted the letter on the 7th and we received it this afternoon!) They also said they would phone if there was any problem and they haven't!

It has been a total farce, the PO and Passport Office can't agree which paperwork/proof of ID is needed, Passport Office have since said not to bother using check and send for first adult passports (even though their literature says to!)

This from the government that thinks National ID cards are the way to go :rolleyes2

hollymattbenmilo

11-11-2008, 10:47 AM

angel_nix

11-11-2008, 10:56 AM

I may be totally wrong.... but just trying to help! so ignore if its rubbish! haha. When i was worrid about my sons passport getting back in time someone told me there is a main office in london, where you can literally que up.. (may take all day) and get your passport done then and there..... interview etc....? is this right? maybe it worst comes to worse they can send you birth cert etc back and you can do that?

We've looked at that option and you can do it for anything except a first adult passport which is what we need! It's new (ish) regulations that they have to be done on different days, totally ridiculous. Makes you wonder what they would do if someone needed to fly out to another country in an emergency with no passport!

hollymattbenmilo

11-11-2008, 11:05 AM

oh no! thats just awful... well keep ringing and hasseling people! If worst came to worst is there anyone that can drive that could take your oh's place? oh... so sad... i am sure you will get it all sorted!! xx sending some disney magic! :wizard:

thelittlemermaid83

11-11-2008, 11:16 AM

I really hope you manage to get it all sorted in time hun.

ema74

11-11-2008, 11:38 AM

Hope you get it all sorted out very soon. Should only take 2 weeks so hopefully it will. :hug:

angel_nix

11-11-2008, 11:41 AM

I hope it only takes two weeks, we're trying to put plans in place so that someone else can go if necessary!

Ema74, you arrive on the same day that we hopefully do aswell, except we're staying in the Cheyenne!

giuly09

11-11-2008, 12:24 PM

pixiedust:pixiedust: and :goodvibes :goodvibes hope you can sort out everything soon!!!!!!

sam_rogers

11-11-2008, 04:11 PM

oh no i hope everything works out ok :hug:

gemmybear83

11-12-2008, 03:15 AM

Hope it all works out ok for you :hug:

angel_nix

11-12-2008, 03:20 AM

Ware Bears

11-12-2008, 05:33 AM

I had to renew all my DDs passports recently. I did them one month at a time to make it seem a little less painful on the pocket and when they were delivered I was out and each one had just been shoved through the letter box even though they are supposed to be signed for. :confused3

Keeping everything crossed for you :wizard: :wizard: :wizard:

thelittlemermaid83

11-12-2008, 05:36 AM

Mine was just shoved through the letter box when i applied for DD's passport and had mine re-done.

hollymattbenmilo

11-12-2008, 06:42 AM

I signed for my partners passport.xxx

Melodyuk

11-12-2008, 07:11 AM

hope luck comes your WAY

I signed for the whole familys passports when they came !

ukstitch

11-12-2008, 07:18 AM

Thanks again everyone, will be on the phone to the Passport Office tomorrow to harrass them again lol!

Quick Q - does anyone know if it has to be the Passport holder that signs for its delivery now??

It should just need signing by somebody - not necessarily the named person on the envelope. It's done to help aid tracking the package, so if there's a problem, they can see if it was signed at delivery and what address it was signed at.

Putting something as important as a passport through your letterbox without getting it signed first is risky and I'd actually consider pointing out that this has happened if it happened to me. If it had been dropped through the wrong letterbox, then there would be no proof it was delivered, making tracing the missing passport much harder to do.

minniecassie

11-12-2008, 03:25 PM

Had the same thing happen to me and I phoned them up and gave them my credit card number over the phone and I had the passport 2 days later. It saved sending anything through the post. Didn't want the special delivery but knew it would be quicker if I just paid there and then. Hope you get it sorted.

PJackson

11-12-2008, 03:31 PM

I did check and send at our local PO for my DD2's first passport a few months back - have to say the PO lady didn't really have a clue - it was me telling her!!! Not what you expect when you are paying.

She did tell me though, that if there is a hold up with your passport application - like for payment or photo not right, they carry on doing the actual application so that it doesn't hold up the process and then just wait for the stuff they need to finish it off....

Hope this is the case for your DH and he gets his interview and then passport really quickly.

Booknut

11-12-2008, 03:33 PM

Hope you get everything sorted in time :hug:

j_darl

11-13-2008, 03:13 PM

Oh no this is awful, I'd drive you there myself if I could have the time off work. When I recently changed my name on my passport I paid extra for check and send as I needed it quickly and I also paid for secure delivery of passport and documents back again and nobody had to sign for them they were just posted through. Hope that helps your earlier question. I can't believe if not many adults apply for thier first passport that the waiting time is still 4 weeks!! Thats so bad and like you say what if you had to leave urgently (like a family death or something) you'd have no chance! It's just so ridiculous. I really hope it gets sorted out in time!! Send good luck to you.

mummyal

11-13-2008, 03:27 PM

Oh no, hope everything will be sorted out VERY soon!

We never use the check & send service at the PO. My DH's colleague used it twice (once for passport & once for driving licence I think?!) and both time, the forms came back because there was an error on the form and the person at the PO didn't pick it up. What a waste of money.

Also, someone was meant to sign for the passports etc (we chose secure delivery) but ours was shoved through our letterbox as well. Very secure... not!

joolz1910

11-13-2008, 03:29 PM

I had my DD's photo taken at the post office for her passport and it was rejected by the passport office. I was not best pleased and they did it again for free. The passport office processed the application and just waited for the new photo - the passport arrived within a week of the new photos being sent. Hopefully your partners passport will be with you soon!

angel_nix

11-13-2008, 04:00 PM

Thanks everyone! Good news today that the initial checks had all been completed and it had been passed onto the next stage of checking, so hopefully on Monday afternoon, Neil can phone again and harass them and book an interview!

Only one month to go - eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!

hollymattbenmilo

11-14-2008, 07:33 AM

ukstitch

11-14-2008, 08:48 AM

oh............ i hope the interview comes quick!!

i to did check and send... wast of money.. she missed that my partner has missed a box in his... and got sent back.. so i just sent it off next time and got them back 3 days later. i wouldnt advise using them... they dont knwo what they are doing anymore then we do!

That's daft - I would have been inclined to complain and request the cost of check and send back. I thought the whole point of it was to make sure it was right so you didn't get it sent back to you :confused3

hollymattbenmilo

11-14-2008, 08:52 AM

I know! haha, infact all my family that used check and send got it returned. my mum asked about one box and the post office said to leave it blank... which my mum didnt believe, so she e-mailed them and asked and she did need to check the box... so hers got returned... haha.. they are useless! ia m sure the ones that have been trained are good... but most are not... they know as little as any one else does!!

joolz1910

11-14-2008, 02:40 PM

I have read somewhere that the check and send service just checks the documents you need to include and not your application. Either way, it's a rip-off.

thehails

11-15-2008, 03:49 PM

I hope it works out for you.

I agree with PP the post office check service is a waste of time and a waste of money. We only used it the one time and never ever again. They didn't have a clue :confused3

I know that it's not the same, but just to give an indication, the passport office seem to be working really quickly at the moment, my DS replacment came through within 7 days of sending it off, which must mean about a 5 day turn around once it arrives with them.

I hope your DH interview goes well