Wanted to charge money for countersigning passport

[superoz]

Had to do do new passports for my two dc, so I asked dh if he could ask one of his colleagues to countersign their applications. He is a professional himself, it's a small business with only 4 people in the shop at one time.

He came back from work and said he had seriously peeved his colleague off as she was expecting to be paid for countersigning. This is someone he has worked with for more than 12 years, she is churchgoing, sends us Christmas cards and gave gifts when our dc were born! dh said they are his colleagues not friends, everyone is just out for themselves in his line of work and apparently it should go through the till.

I was seriously gobsmacked by this . They're going rate is £85 per passport which is more than the application fee itself! Where I used to work, pre-children we used to sign passports for each other and never expected anything in return. In the end she did actually sign them for free but rather grudgingly. Is this what people expect these days?

[escondida]

One of my colleagues did mine... 3 times. It didn't take no 5 minutes. More like 1/2 hour in the end.

Same thing to get DS's done because the counter-sig kept going out of the box (argh).

[BookSnark]

A GP charging is fair enough - since the relationship is one sided - but ROFL at colleagues charging.

Tell DH to invoice her next time she borrows his stapler.

[BookSnark]

I got caught out with this when I moved house.

I ended up taking a jaunt home to get the signature off my old boss. It was the first time he'd actually met (baby) DS. His comment was "well, the photo looks notHing like him(!)". Frankly - with kids - I think HVs should do it.

[halfwildlingwoman]

I am a teacher and I don't charge. Even on the occasion that the pupil asking was really rude about it! I understand why doctors would charge patients otherwise they would be doing it all the time. But if I worked with a doctor who knew my DC I wouldn't expect them to charge.

A colleague/friend countersigned my DC's passports last week and this thread has inspired me to buy her a thank you gift so thank you!

DH's colleague was mean.

[BlissfullyIgnorant]

Un Be Leeeee Vable
Doctors charge because they don't want to be swamped with people's personal admin, but a so called friend???
Might she see this?

[emwithme]

Heh. When the rules were "relaxed" a few years ago, this was the ONLY reason I joined the Institute of Legal Secretaries (having been one for about ten years or so).

I've counter-signed half a dozen or so passports over the years (not many, but enough...most people I know work in "professional" offices so have someone on hand to do it). Most I've got in return is a bottle of wine (and a burned-to-a-cinder pizza on one occasion), and I was very grateful for that.

£85 is more than the cost of the bloody passport!

[ItsADinosaur]

I'm a nurse and have signed people's passports and have never charged.

[funnyossity]

Blissfully: I think charging 85 quid has to be identifying!

[sharonthewaspandthewineywall]

Well Worra she prob does know you rather well

[maddy68]

I'm a teacher. I would never charge although they are a ball ache and I wish people wouldn't keep asking

[pluCaChange]

My teacher and civil servant friends are evidently real friends!

[Morelikeguidelines]

I countersign for friends all the time and have never charged. My friend didn't charge me to return the favour (and doesn't charge others).

Surely you can find someone else as there is quite a long list of people who can countersign?

[TidyDancer]

I've signed loads. I got wine and red velvet cake the last time and was thrilled! £85!!!!

[DancingHat]

I can sign and get my teacher or accountant friends to sign. We all do it for free. Ludicrous!

[escondida]

I offered wine & chocolate, for my C-sig's staff if not myself. Keep in mind he had to C-sig Three times. He was sharp in insisting that I not do such a thing.

[PandaMummyofOne]

I can counter-sign passports, driving licences, various applications etc and do so for all my Learners, most definitely free of charge!

[FuzzyWizard]

I sign them for free. It would never cross my mind to sign. As a schoolteacher we get a lot of applications brought in for signing sometimes by colleagues but often by students and if I heard one of my colleagues was charging I'd be really shocked.

[NurseRoscoe]

Wish my signature was worth that much! I must do it at least 50 times a day on patients notes, I would be a millionaire! YANBU, she's being a nob!