i am NOT! More issues with passport office

[Weegiemum]

I was annoyed with the passport office earlier in the week when they charged me £94 per passport for our kids (cos I had let them expire, I know, I was wrong).

Anyway - went back today to collect passports. They haven't issued them. Why not? Because one was signed by me and one by dh (we were in a hurry, we did one each) and he didn't come to the appointment as he was a t work. They can't "exclude child abduction" as a reason for the application and so neither passport has been issued.

I am livid. We have had to make an appointment for next week in London (where we will be on holiday prior to going to France) to get them so dh can come too (he works too far away from our local office to make it in this week at this short notice.

Why didnt they call on tuesday to tell me there was a problem. Why is there a &(%$(* problem in the first place. Apparantly they can't be sure dh and I are still married if we each signed an application and he isn't there.

fuming emoticon

Annoying, but comforting that they take it seriously. Even better if loads of our boys and girls weren't abducted by family members and taken abroad, to be married off or never to return!!

Oh dear i didn't know you got charged full price if you let it expire

But why didnt they let me know there was a problem earlier in the week? After they charged me £200 on Tuesday without looking at the forms?

Silly bureacracy in my book.

And why won't they issue the one I signed for.

We provided last month's bank statement (with both names on) as proof of address.

And would I really go in and try to get a passport in my ds's name with a husband's name on who was then going to abduct him without the passport that would be in my posession?

Still

It's all about ticking boxes and filling forms in the civil service these days.

Similar thing - I have had my planning application rejected today because I don't have a scaled drawing of my front path showing you can park 2 cars on it even though when they council lady came round to inspect the premises there were two cars parked there.

MADNESS

394 if it expires Going to get the kids ones done now as they run out next month

£94 even

We have to pay £94 per passsport as we need them next week! My own silly fault, I shoudl have checked (I was a year out).

Am annoyed because :

1. I went for an appointment on Tuesday and they said all was OK and to pick them up any time from Wed morning.

2. I am married to dh - took marrieg cert, bills from last month in both names, birth certs for the kids etc .... but they still chose to question!!

3. would I be getting a passport signed for by dh if I thought he was going to abduct my kids? (where to?? Northern Ireland (where he is from ))

4. WHY did they not flag this up at my so-called emergency appointment on Tue? WHy did they not call to say there was a problem (they have my number - it is on the form!!!)

5. I hate bueraucracy! I am a former Civil Servant and one of the reasons I quit to go into teaching was that I hated all the buggering paperwork!!!

Anyway .... the supervisor called me after I got home from being difficult and belligerent in the passport office and I can pick them up tomorrow after 9.30. They were very apologetic for the actions of the member of staff I dealth with. SO am feeling vindicated!!!!

what a 'mare!

i had less trouble when i applied for my first UK passport as a naturalised citizen, although they did call me at work, 'Is this EIS?' after I'd picked up hte phone and said my name. 'Is this your place of work?' after I'd announced our department before I said my name, and force my boss to fax them a letter stating I had been present in the UK for a year previously - I guess all that flippin' paperwork with everything barring a retinal scan wasn't enough evidence.

yes I feel like that are going to take me aside and unwillingly sample my DNA!!

They are mine , really they are. PITA!

Hope you met with more success today and get out in time for more bad weather here .

Got them!! Now wecan go on holiday if I can get the house clean!

excellent! i told dh about this thread and he flew running scared to the folder where he keeps his passport to check the expiry date.

i need to renew DD1's American one like yesterday .

Sympathy! We got passports for our 2 youngest this year and had no fewer than 3 attempts at it!! I filled the forms out beautifully, but our countersigner friend was too messy! So I filled them out again, AND filled his bit, all he had to do was sign it IN THE BOX, but a little tiny bit of his signature went into the outline of the box, so.....3rd time lucky! (this after the marathon that was trying to get acceptable passport photos of a 3 year old and a 6 mth old!)

I have a horrible sneaky feeling that noone apart from that lady in the post office loks at them anyway!