Another passport one - this time it's urgent

[RaelImperialAerosolKid]

Ok so I hope you are sitting comfortably.

Does anyone have a fast track or secret code to get through to people at the passport office? Has anything worked for you ?

We applied in March for a renewal- didn't hear anything but gave them the 10 weeks - chased then and was told they can't do anything until 2 weeks before we go on holiday.

We are now 1 week away ! We spend every afternoon repeating the same story and get told they will call us back in 24/48 hours. We wait and then the cycle starts again.

Issue seems to be that between March and now DD turned 16. We paid the extra for the 10 year passport last week but have been stuck since then.

Spoke to my MPs office this morning but they said they could only intervene if it was for a bereavement- not a holiday.

Is there a secret code that gets the staff to transfer you ? I know they're undertrained and busy but I just need someone to look at the documents and press print !

Anyone else been in similar and had it sorted ? Currently on a 45 minute call - third one of today !

I'm thinking that my call is not that important to them!

So calling it a day for today ! Still awaiting a callback - to be fair everyone I've spoken to has been lovely - useless due to the systems - but polite.

Hopefully the email addresses posting below will bear fruit tomorrow !

Passport is being printed !!

Combination of those magic emails and mp involvement. Had an email from the home office!

Will be happier when we get it - but I am grateful for the help and advice !

Great news! You’ll sleep better tonight!

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍🏻

Glad to hear some good news about a passport! Also in the same situation, but we are overseas. Office also Durham, which is where I am from, best friend works in the passport office (says it's just chaos) and it's just awful. My parents are going to contact their MP in the hope that something can be done.

Am really hoping we don't miss our first holiday in 3 years (traveling back to the UK)

MP and the emails below are a godsend - in one of my many conversations the telephone Staff just take complaints and log them for call backs - they can only give advice from the website.
If they transfer calls even to their manager they get a written warning. It's a horrendous way to run a government department.
I emailed everyone on the list below so not sure which one worked - but something did - the home office then emailed on my behalf and things got moving.
Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow.

Good luck

Hope you get it sorted, I currently have an incredibly upset dd whose friends are all off on their first girly adult holiday today without her as no one bothered to get back to us re her passport, all done in plenty of time. Gutting.

OP, I had the same. 2 days before we were due to travel I just drove 3hr to the passport office where the application was and they did it for me on the day. This was after 11 weeks wait, the last 3 weeks of it spent on the phone being promised call backs from
teams who didn’t exist and never called me etc etc. I had even emailed my MP who tried to help.

Glad you got it sorted. I used the Liverpool upgrade email as we were at 13wks for a child’s renewal and with in 48hrs got it printed. Bloomin shambles of a service and still waiting 2wks later for supporting documents to come back! Flipping hope they haven’t lost them or I will be back chasing again….

You may need to go to your nearest office 48hours before flying, I did for my childrens and got the final one 12 hours before we flew. Mine had been sent to Liverpool but Durham printed them for me, the staff on the phone couldn’t help very much but the staff at the office were very helpful

It's an utter shambles and something needs to be done! 12 weeks so far for my sons and still waiting. We go on holiday in 3 weeks! They really need to sort themselves out because it doesn't take 10 weeks to issue a passport. The were quick enough to take my f**king payment!!!

True @Crimsonripple - payment taken quickly enough! Feel so sorry for my dd, we genuinely did allow ourselves plenty of time (well, she did!) and yet she’s missed today out on a holiday she worked hard to pay for. We knew that they were taking longer but my god, it’s heartbreaking 🥺
okay yes, she should have checked her passport before booking so it’s entirely her own fault but Jesus, a 12 week turnaround and counting!

Just had a text to say it is being delivered today.
I don't think we'd be here without this thread so thank you for your support.
I hope everyone else is who is waiting gets it sorted.
It is a disgrace - especially if you are just renewing. The management needs to be held accountable.

I was lucky in that i had the resources to chase this and could do this in work time. If you work away from a desk how can you deal with this ?

Yes🙌 what a relief!!!!

It is a disgrace.

The poster who's friend works at Durham Passport Office and who told her " it's chaos " has sent a cold shudder through me as I'm still waiting.

They won't do anything before 2 weeks travel - but then the stress really ramps up.

It arrived at 9 this morning - so I can do online check in and covid tests.

It is a relief - you do have to laugh when the call handlers finish the call with 'good luck'.
I have worked in call centres and that standard of service is horrifying- if I believed in conspiracies I would almost think that it was intentional so that someone's friend can be awarded a big billion pound contract to try and fix it.

Glad you got it.
When Covid hit in 2020 mine was due to expire and I applied for a new on - I got one of the first new versions - the new colour etc. Amazingly I got it in the fastest time ever in my life - a few days - I think it was my timing - no one going on holiday at all. Sadly I was then not able to use it until ast week (we just had our first trip abroad since 2019 ) so I was glad I got a stamp in it abroad last week.

They need to get everyone forced back into the office at the passport office and working full time for starters.

@TheChosenTwo I would lodge a serious complaint and demand compensation. If you Google compensation HMPO there's an official complaints procedure. Whilst they're not obligated to pay out I think they need to have serious action taken against them. Missing a holiday because of their inability to sort themselves out to issue passports within the 10 weeks ALL their guidance states is not our fault. The customer service is appallingly and they need to be held accountable. If my sons doesn't appear that's 4K down the drain!

And yes I know people will say you shouldn't book a holiday before having a passport. However, all timeframes on their website is within 10 weeks and we are now on 13. I didn't not expect to be in this position!

@Xenia I agree. It's an essential service and if it requires people to be in the office for the service to be at 100% then that's the criteria of the job!

Did same as Xenia and renewed it in 2020 when we couldn't go anywhere, expecting it to take forever.

Took a week. I've lost a year of non use but guess that's cheaper than the fast track fees, not to mention the stress.

So sorry for you all. It's appalling.

@Crimsonripple you’re absolutely right, it is appalling - and she’s been having sleepless nights for the last couple of weeks, the not being able to get hold of an actual person is the worst part. Why are phones not being answered? We didn’t even know where dds passport was until the day before she was due to travel! After 12 weeks she received a text to say ‘happy to say they received her passport at Durham on (the day after it was sent off, 12 weeks ago) and is currently waiting to be checked’ - yet others saying they had theirs processed in Durham and returned in a quicker timeframe. It’s so fucked up.
If I’m reading this right, is it true that not everyone is back ‘in the office?’ - why the fuck not? Is this the hold up?? Less staff to process?

Having said that, the service from the post office was absolutely fantastic, turn up with your old passport and they take your photos for you and fill everything in themselves. No fucking about with the forms etc, just so straightforward.

Due to high call volume they can't take your call!!! Maybe if you weren't so fucking shit you would have less people trying to contact you!
I don't think it matters where it goes as I think they're all as shambolic as each other! Mine didn't go for 'checking' until 10 weeks and it's been stuck like that for 2 weeks!! It's beyond a joke now!

The funny thing is - because of all the phone calls we made last week - we are getting daily phone calls from them - not one of them checks the system to see that we have the passport.
So they are wasting even more time and phone capacity that could be used to sort the back log.
The passport office has one job - how difficult can it be ? Especially for renewals?
They have the process to take money sorted - that process works in seconds.
If you are over 10 weeks or under 2 weeks to travel - email your MPs office and use the emails on this thread.