to want to scream at the incompetence of the Passport office?

[HomeIsWhereTheGinIs]

I did a check and send at the post office and my passport arrived within the three week timeframe. However, they'd misspelled one of my names (despite having it on the old passport in front of them). I was told I had to go to the London office to get that rectified. So I did so, and had to queue for two and a half hours. When I finally saw a cashier she took my passport, told me that I'd get a corrected one back within a couple of days and sent me on my way. That was last Monday. I've been calling them since yesterday and only just managed to get someone to pick up the phone (after literally hundreds of calls yesterday). He told me the woman ought to have given me a new reference number (which she didn't) and without it there's no way of tracking my passport, I just have to wait and see if they send me a new one. Or I can go to the London office again, and see if they let me in to track it in person (he couldn't guarantee that they would let me in).

I am honestly at my wits end. THEIR mistake has already taken up too much of my time, and now I'm stuck here with this "With Compliments" slip with no idea how to get my passport back!

I hate them - WIBU to make a formal complaint? The chap on the phone told me he had no escalation process (unlikely) so of course I'd have to find one first. Or WIBU to go to the Evening Standard about this?

Just had the e- mails for 3 of them.They're at Durham!Why?We're in the South West,they normally go to Newport.

I think we need renewals next year.....I might start the whole process now! Good Luck to everyone!

Oh lord I'm stressed out just reading this thread. Fingers crossed for all of you.

I renewed one last year and it seemed quite quick but it was October time. I don't remember getting an email or text but the old passport did come back quite quickly so I knew it was in the system

Still too angry to write details of my experience with the passport office but I have the phone number for durham if anyone wants me to pm it?

We were travelling two years ago with DS when he was 7 weeks old. Got passport photos taken at three days, sent it the next day & had it back when he was a week old. With the wrong name. I couldn't believe it. DS has a totally normal name. This is one of the most important bits of id there is. Passport fraud & theft is a huge issue. Yet they get it wrong themselves. I appreciate it is probably done by data entry people on NMW and up against huge time pressure but was still flabbergasted. It took me a week to find out whst to do next as different advisers told me different things, some of which made no sense and others ofwhich ("just use it & hope no one notices") were negligent. Once I'd had more or less the same answer three times (post it back with cover letter & supporting docs) and they returned it within 72 hours.

Oh boy, I'm joining the stressed club... Applications for DS10 and DD3.5m received on 9 April. I called number of times for update, been explained that because none of us is British (DC born here) they have more checks to do. Ok, but we are traveling in July, and if for some reason they decide not to grant them British passports, DS can travel on his other two, but I need my passport back and few weeks to get other passport for her. So I need to know asap (after over 7 weeks!) if and when are we likely to get them. Got transferred to processing department just to be told that they can't tell me anything Sooooo frustrated... Any advice..?

Another reason not to naturalise... I have to go to the Dutch embassy to get my passport renewed, it's every five years which is a pain, but once I've been down there and presented my paperwork/photos and handed over the money, I've always had the passport(s) within 10 days. All my family in Holland get theirs done at their local council offices and that's usually pretty fast too.

Hi homeiswheretheginis (I really feel like one now!) I have just spotted this thread through google and was wondering if you are sorted now with the passport application? The exact same thing has happened to me. I applied for a renewal and name change using the check and send three weeks ago and waited. My passport arrived this afternoon but they have spelt my name wrong too! I don't understand how they could have got it wrong. I have a flight booked in less than two weeks and I am worried. I called the passport office and they told me my options are to either send the passport back which could take up to two weeks, or go for an appointment at Durham. My worry is they still have my old passport and marriage license as this hasn't been received back as yet. Feel so angry with them! hope you are getting sorted x

My sister sent her passport application from the Middle East and put my address on it to be sent to. They phoned me and asked to speak to her and when I said she wasn't here he asked where she was. She travels a lot on holiday and he questioned that. I wasn't sure what to tell him, anyway he wanted her phone number to speak to her. She phoned him and they told her to write and ask for a refund and apply again which she has done. Twice we have paid for checking but the second time it was done online anyway. This has taken weeks already. She can't get home because she has no passport so she is stuck in a country she wants to leave. I feel for you, I really do. I hope we get a refund.

Hi to all who are trying get there passport sorted I have spent a week on the phone, emails spoke to Liverpool passport office yesterday had a very grumpy lady but kept calm and said I'm sure your job is very difficult at the moment but I need my passport fly 6th July sent via check and send 24th May I ended the call with have a nice day her reply I doubt it, so I said you could have a nice day by making someone happy ie me and send my passport. Well at 5pm last night she called back saying passport done and out for delivery so happy.
started ringing 3 weeks after sent 13/06/14 advice line
emailed MP, Paul Pugh CEO passport office had a reply off both
rang Liverpool passport office waited just under 1hr for them to answer keep trying and stay calm and cheerful it helped good luck.xx

Liverpool office do seem to be one of the better ones. I called them in tears last year trying to get my daughter's first passport as we had had to change our flight dates for health reasons. The lady said it was in the system, there was nothing she could do, and it would not be ready in time. I cried down the phone. It arrived at 8am the next morning. I love that woman. :-) So glad I am not applying this year though, it sounds horrendous!

New to this forum, but just like to say thank you to all the mums who shared the passport office telephone numbers. My sons passport went to Belfast (0845 6019031), and I couldn't fast track it via the 0300 telephone number, because nobody ever called back, called the above number, spoke to some really helpful people in Belfast and I should be receiving it tomorrow, ( 48 hrs before he is due to go...phew).......Now which mum out there can sort out the French air traffic controllers!

I feel your pain, I have had to cancel our trip back to the UK (live overseas) because my baby's passport was not with us on time. I had a horrendous couple of weeks trying to get it and even had the embassy trying to get permission for an emergency travel document but nothing came through in time for our flight so I cancelled the day before to get some money back (hardly any as it turned out).

I was then contacted by the passport office on the Sunday that we were meant to be flying, with a query about my application, I replied to their email quickly and was then told it could be up to 3 more weeks until I got the passport. It arrived 2 days later. If someone had just given me a straight answer I could have just moved the flights back a couple of days and gone ahead. I am gutted, this was my first trip back in a year. Most of my family haven't seen my 8 month old baby and we were going to go for some special occasions too. Now I can't afford to go and will be back at work soon so it will be ages before I get back :(

This was Liverpool. They were useless and hadn't even heard of the country I live in and couldn't find it on their system.

Hi, I have just seen this thread and am currently going through hell trying to get my son's first passport. My partner filled in the application using the beta online application form, and paid the fee upfront, but didn't notice an error in the d.o.b. until it was too late. We printed off the forms, and phoned the passport office the next day, they were supposed to send amended forms. They sent reprints without the revision, so when I called them again they said, nothing they could do, just put in a covering letter - which I did.
But it kept nagging at me, so when 3 weeks was up I called for a progress report and was told they received the papers, but there was a problem as it hadn't been processed yet, but they couldn't tell me what the problem was so I had to wait for a 48 hour call back from Peterborough to discuss it. That was two weeks ago.
Have tried calling multiple times, each time get told a similar story - they can't help me, have to speak to Peterborough, can't put me through, have to wait for a call back. But now they are telling me they can't find my son's application on their system... Which is panicking the heck out of me as we travel in a couple of weeks. Not only is my son's passport in limbo, I sent my own as supporting evidence! Looking like we won't be going, and I don't know if our insurance will cover it. Just wrote an email to Paul Pugh - following the advice in an earlier post - I wonder if it will help? Does anyone have any similar experiences/know of a way to get things moving?
Thanks for your help