Passport Problems Aaaargh

[KWC]

As some will know we are taking the two Grand Children over with us on 27th April. This has been booked since last October and at the time said to my Daughter, that she should get the two kids passports renewed, as young kids only last a few years as opposed to Adults.

Any how she said there was plenty of time and she will get them after the the New Year, Much to my protesting that if its going to go tits up, it will with us etc etc.

February came and went, and she eventually after getting it in the neck from me that she is leaving no room for error, sent away the documnets at the begining of March. She said I worry too much and she knows what she's doing blah blah.

A week and a half ago she received the two old passports back and one new one. I said quickly call them to see where the other one is. Not to worry she said! it will come soon. It never did and she is now panicking as the passport office say it was delivered and they would normally wait 4 weeks to ensure it is classified as missing etc.

Its what is called "I told you so" time and of course she is balming the post office, while I am putting the blame on here shoulders.   So worrying three weeks ahead methinks, and it would be a shame if the kids didn't get going, never mind the wasted cash .

Does anyone know what happens in these situations? Can they fast track a temp one for a kid? -  Help!

[PHo]

I know that if you go in person to a passport office you can get one in four or even one hour if you are prepared to pay more. I have done this myself. If she does this and says she has lost the previous passport it should be OK, albeit at some cost.  Get her to phone her nearest passport office and ask them the procedure.  They are usually very helpful in an emergency.

[KWC]

I know that if you go in person to a passport office you can get one in four or even one hour if you are prepared to pay more. I have done this myself. If she does this and says she has lost the previous passport it should be OK, albeit at some cost.  Get her to phone her nearest passport office and ask them the procedure.  They are usually very helpful in an emergency.

Thanks PHo. She is going to call them at 09:00.10 sec 

[PHo]

Good luck - let us know how she gets on

[fuerte crazy]

It won't be the fault of the Post Office as the new passports are delivered by courier and if you're not in, then they will leave it if they are confident it's the correct address, but they take a photograph of the outside of the property as evidence.  She will need to make an appointment with the Passport Office as you can't just turn up.  If she has the old passport she should be ok to make an appointment, go to the local passport office and use the Fast Track service, where a replacement will be delivered usually within a couple of days or at least within 7 days.  We did it recently., went on Thursday, and new passport was delivered Friday evening by courier.  The documents arrived the following Monday by Royal Mail.  A friend also did it for her adult daughter, went on the Thursday, new passport came Saturday morning.  The system at the passport office is very efficient and you're usually in and out within 5 -10 mins. 
Hope it gets sorted and the grandkids have a lovely time.
FC

[KWC]

It won't be the fault of the Post Office as the new passports are delivered by courier and if you're not in, then they will leave it if they are confident it's the correct address, but they take a photograph of the outside of the property as evidence.  She will need to make an appointment with the Passport Office as you can't just turn up.  If she has the old passport she should be ok to make an appointment, go to the local passport office and use the Fast Track service, where a replacement will be delivered usually within a couple of days or at least within 7 days.  We did it recently., went on Thursday, and new passport was delivered Friday evening by courier.  The documents arrived the following Monday by Royal Mail.  A friend also did it for her adult daughter, went on the Thursday, new passport came Saturday morning.  The system at the passport office is very efficient and you're usually in and out within 5 -10 mins. 
Hope it gets sorted and the grandkids have a lovely time.
FC

Spot on FC. The issue she is now having is that the Courier company say they have a picture of her door.  Ok so far, but that doesn't say they were definatley put through the letterbox. After all they only have a picture of her front door and she did receive one envelope with one passport within.

Now they are saying they can't answer any questions untill they [the passport HQ] they carry out a rull and lengthy investigation. They did say she could book an appointment with her local [glasgow] office and pay for a fast track replacement and claim the cost back from the courier company or ?, if they are found to be the reason etc.  But then how does she prove that?   

Its a shame that she has to pay something like £180 ish to re apply this way, especially when she went to all the bother of paying the P.O to check here documents for a enhanced fee. 

Couriers even in my working world are a pain in the butt and seemly have little respect or care for what they are delivering etc. 

[fuerte crazy]

It's worth mentioning that when you use the Post Office Check & Send service (which is well worth the extra by the way) and they give you the tracking number incase of any queries, the number is not just for your passport, it is for all passports they send on that particular day to the Passport office!  I found this out to my cost once when I rang the Passport office to get an update on a 'rush job' for my son's passport.  I gave them the tracking number and asked for an update and they said they could only confirm that they received a consignment from the Post Office bearing that tracking number.  Seemingly once it reaches the Passport Office, it disappears into a 'black hole' for a few days. 
FC

[kaynig]

Phone up and asked who delivered it,  they are not delivered by general post. and if no one is in and it is put through your letter box a photo is taken of the door it is posted in as reference. This happened to me. I rang up and they said they had delivered it and they had proof of delivery. (it was not my door in the photo) it was then re delivered to me the next day at a cost which I did get back, but had to pay before the company tat delivers would give it to me...

[KWC]

Phone up and asked who delivered it,  they are not delivered by general post. and if no one is in and it is put through your letter box a photo is taken of the door it is posted in as reference. This happened to me. I rang up and they said they had delivered it and they had proof of delivery. (it was not my door in the photo) it was then re delivered to me the next day at a cost which I did get back, but had to pay before the company tat delivers would give it to me...

She knows who delivered it ok, but has still to see the picture, but they did deliver one to her door, so it was the correct address.
Why us 

[KWC]

Update


My daughter managed to get in touch with a  "customer Care" officer, who had looked through her complaint and she was told that they had a picture of her front door and as far as they are concerned it was delivered!! She was told to re-apply if she wanted the passport replaced.

My daughter has made an appointment for Monday and will have to pay again, and more again if she wants it quickly, which she does.  This is rubbish service and not what we wanted to hear, so whats to stop any crooked delivery guy stealing passports and selling them onto to the undesirables of this world if there is no proper recourse of action.  What is to stop him even sticking it in so far into the letter box, then after taking a picture, pull it back out again?

Its a bloody shambles and she has little enough money being a single parent, this sticks in my throat, don't know about my daughter.   I will be looking at appealing this decision in due course, but in the mean time she needs a passport, so has to go through it all again, hoping the grandchild get her passport before 27th April!! 

[Voldermort]

Jobsworth land is the UK......on the other hand if she had been one of our `Commonwealth Cousins` and fearful of one of those `Race Complaints` the matter would have been sorted in her favour by now. Thats how its going. In the meantime I feel for you and truely hope it gets sorted and you have the pleasure of holidaying with the Grandkids...special time isnt it 

[KWC]

Jobsworth land is the UK......on the other hand if she had been one of our `Commonwealth Cousins` and fearful of one of those `Race Complaints` the matter would have been sorted in her favour by now. Thats how its going. In the meantime I feel for you and truely hope it gets sorted and you have the pleasure of holidaying with the Grandkids...special time isnt it 

Thanks V. Latest is that the passport dept, have stated to my Daughter, that they give all the passports in bundles and the courier company has the contract to slip them into envelopes for delivery   What happened to good old security measures here

Plus, possibly one of the most important documents in this day and age, are delivered and posted through a letter box, without a signature is attrocious to say the least!

She is now getting right in about the courier company as we speak.

[fifi]

Hi Kenny, I was rooting around on the net and found this link. It might help your Daughter get compensation. There seems to be a formal complaint system. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/identity-and-passport-service/about/complaints-procedure

[KWC]

Many thanks fifi. My daughter has been on Internet to look at the performance of the courier company concerned, and she found that they were subject to a tv program and an investigation by the Daily Mail. It appears they lose many hundreds a year.
But I will assist her in compiling this evidence, to support her claim.

If this doesn't work? She will take it to the national paper who revels in this type of rip off and bad practices etcetc.

Why they never insist on a signature hand over of something as important as this is beyond me.

Watch this space

[dee-dee]

I`ve just had to re-new ours,I posted them Saturday,hope we get ours safely.

You would think that they would have to be signed for though? 
Hope you get it sorted on time 

[fifi]

Many thanks fifi. My daughter has been on Internet to look at the performance of the courier company concerned, and she found that they were subject to a tv program and an investigation by the Daily Mail. It appears they lose many hundreds a year.
But I will assist her in compiling as this evidence to support here claim. If this doesn't work? She will take it to the national paper who revels in this type of rip off and bad practices etcetc.

Why they never insist on a signature hand over of something as important as this is beyond me.

Watch this space

Good luck with it Kenny. I bet it will all work out in the end. I hope yours is ok too Dee Dee.

[KWC]

I`ve just had to re-new ours,I posted them Saturday,hope we get ours safely.

You would think that they would have to be signed for though? 
Hope you get it sorted on time 

Cheers Dee. When do you travel?

[glenys]

I renewed our passports a few weeks ago. I took them to the Post Office for their check and send and had them both back within a week. I agree that the passport office certainly needs to tighten up their security and your situation is scandalous, I hope it all gets sorted soon.  Have a great holiday with your family.

[dee-dee]

I`ve just had to re-new ours,I posted them Saturday,hope we get ours safely.

You would think that they would have to be signed for though? 
Hope you get it sorted on time 

Cheers Dee. When do you travel?

Not til July,so I have plenty of time...but do think they need to get tighter security measures in place 

[Paddster]

I know i'm biased here but there was nothing wrong when the passport office used us(RM)and sent them Special Delivery ? It's our Premium service and has got better and better over the years,nobody's perfect but we always try our best..... A great service which i use to send birthday cards with money in etc etc....Courier must be cheaper is all i can reason with......

[KWC]

I know i'm biased here but there was nothing wrong when the passport office used us(RM)and sent them Special Delivery ? It's our Premium service and has got better and better over the years,nobody's perfect but we always try our best..... A great service which i use to send birthday cards with money in etc etc....Courier must be cheaper is all i can reason with......

Good on you for sticking up for your company Paddster.  I agree.

The good old Post Office would have been my prefered choice along with a signed on delivery basis.  That way if your not in the house, you head down to the local post office and pick it up from there, after signing for it.  No need to kid on that a "picture" of a front door is evidence that the documents were actually put through the door.

Well as I said she has to go on Monday and go through it all again.  Then! I will get involved in her claim against these cowboy couriers and the Passport office and when I get upset I will create merry hell for each and every one of them - one way or another.

I will of course let you all know the eventual outcome.

[Voldermort]

Hope it works out in the end KWC...fingers crossed eh 

Paddster you are so right about the Post Office. They provide an excellent service now on delivery but sadly the cowboy couriers are little more than minimum wage workers, a lot of whom probably dont speak English too well...The temptations must be irresistable    but hey the courier firms will be mates with somebody in government hence they get the contract..disgraceful


ok rant over

[Can the Man]

I hope you and your daughter get sorted soon Kenny.

I woudl hate for your grandchild to miss out on the holidays.

[KWC]

I hope you and your daughter get sorted soon Kenny.

I woudl hate for your grandchild to miss out on the holidays.

Thanks Can, I'm not evening contemplating that yet, hopefully she will get a replacement one in time.  If not! well I will be one angry troublesome man I can tell you.

K

[fuerte crazy]

I know i'm biased here but there was nothing wrong when the passport office used us(RM)and sent them Special Delivery ? It's our Premium service and has got better and better over the years,nobody's perfect but we always try our best..... A great service which i use to send birthday cards with money in etc etc....Courier must be cheaper is all i can reason with......

Too right Paddster, I work for RM and am biased but we do offer a really good service with SD.  I always use the Check & Send service through the Post Office as I believe its worth the extra fee and of course I like to support the Post Office in general. 
FC 

[Paddster]

Well said fuerte crazy.......Kenny,hope you get sorted mate 

[KWC]

Thank Ferk for that!  My daughters just of the Phone and said she has the passport in her hand. She waited 4 hours rather than risk it to the cowboy couriers and paid silly money to get it today, but at least thats it gotton.

Now I will draft a very nice wee letter to the Passport and Courier offices. One will break before I do
I will get her money back, no doubt about that and the £20 odd pound parking charges while she waited.

Oh I do love taking on the big boys.  Hyundai, Thomas Cook, Vauxhal, RBS, and Standard Life - all know that

At least were sorted and going for our weeks break  .

[gillgooding]

So pleased you are at last sorted and can now relax and look forward to your holiday in the sun.  You will need it after all the trials and tribulations and associated stress caused by other peoples inefficiencies.  I wish you well in getting the necessary departments etc sorted out and hope you get back all your money etc.  Enjoy your holiday. 

[duncolm]

Awww, I was hoping there was going to be a cheap room available for a week....

Enjoy your holiday Kenny

[Kat Nuts]

Enjoy