Help - Passports renewal application stuck at Durham Passport Office and we are traveling this Friday

[wujo]

hi all,

I am desperate!!!

Passports sent via PO Check and Send on the 2nd July.
Called the IPS 0300 number over 60 times today - got through a dozen times.
Cant escalate - can't get transferred to Durham.
Cant talk to anyone.

I am crying and feeling sick as it will ruined the holidays for my twin girls, my son, my husband and my mum.

Can someone help or know someone from the Durham office help us!? We prepare to drive up from Bristol tomorrow to pick them up if need be :(

Help!!!

Hi all

We posted ours at the post office on 17 July, they rec'd it in 18 July, payment was taken on 20 July. We have been constantly ringing the 0300 no since 4 Aug, requested call backs emailed them everything, we didn't get a single response. All we were told was that it was at Liverpool awaiting examination from the 0300 crew. We got back on the phones this morn as its free we were using our mobiles & the landline & finally managed 2 get through to a lady at Liverpool. She told me that my daughters passport was sent off to print 3 Aug at 8.03am she then put me on hold and then came back with the couriers no & a ref no. I called the courier & explained I needed it by 7am tomorrow at the latest as we fly @ 10.30, he called me back & said it will be with me by the end of the day. 😊 The 0300 crew shouldn't tell anybody anything other than which office the passport is at & try & transfer you as they don't know what's happening so don't bother saying anything just go through the security and asked to be put through if you don't get through hang up and redial!!

Story so far...... Sent passport 18 July , received at Durham 20th July ,after coming across this thread I quickly relised I was not going to get it back in time for hols 13 aug, 0300 number total waste of time diffrent answer for same question depending on who you speak to , I sent passport enquiry via home office and received a call back within 2 hours and was told my requests for an upgrade would go through to the team on thur of last week and some one would call within 72 hours,well that came and went yesterday , do called again this morning got told they are aware but there is now a backlog on upgrades and all they could do is put in a reminder, just been called back they have taken payment for upgrade and I can collect in person after 1 tomorrow thank the lord , won't totally relax until its in my hand but can now see and end in sight , good luck everybody still waiting hang in there !!!

I finally got a call today to upgrade and they said it should be here tomorrow before 1pm I'm do relived.. don't phone the 0300 number it doesn't help directly phone Durham they are much better to talk to and much more helpful!

Thank you for the advice emz22 - I feel a trip to Peterborough coming on. Does anyone know if I have to take my 12 year old daughter with me as it is her renewal I am waiting for?

I keep ringing the 0300 and cannot get through to Peterborough....anybody please have any suggestions apart from getting in the car?

Can someone please give me the direct number for the Durham passport office. Like everyone else I am going crazy trying to get help but no-one is willing to help on the 0300 number. I travel next week and no sign of my passport. I live outside Edinburgh and will go to Durham to collect if this would help Thanks

old passport delivered this morning.10 mins ago new passport came by courier x

Just arrived by DX courier :-D

Omg my turn!!! Daughters passport not here travel on 19th... Been ringing 0300 and not getting far, finally awaiting Liverpool call back but still nothing.. Does anybody have Liverpool direct number :( please

Good news, my sons arrived this morning. Had it check and sended on 14/07, yesterday Durham told me l would recieve it Wed and a tracking e mail told me 4-5 days as of 03/08! Last Fri someone on the 0300 number said I would be lucky to receive it by this coming Fri!! Do not sure what really went on. Friends of ours have had to cancel their hols as their new borns never turned up after being told it would on several different days. Good luck to everyone waiting!

Good news for me too my passport just arrived !

Yippee !!! passport arrived today, phew., close call as holiday is Thurday eek.,
Best tips I can give those who are still waiting is to contact passport office direct as IPS is a waste of time but try it anyway, contact your local MP aswell because their assistants can really help., and mainly-don't give up.
It took me one week of phoning and emailling till success.
Best of luck to all because I know how stressful it gets but don't loose hope!!!

I've been following this thread with interest because we're waiting for some passports too. Ours were sent by check and send on 23 July and we've not heard anything yet. We've still got a couple of weeks before we go though, so am not panicking just yet.

However I'm just wondering, how do you know which passport office they've been sent too? Liverpool is our nearest office - does that mean they will have been sent there? How can I find out

It sounds like a few of your passports have arrived though, so hopefully the delays are starting to ease a little...hope I'm not being too optimistic!

needu, glad to hear you got your passport. Thanks for your help; holiday in 2 days...!

Thanks Shona831, we need those holidays after the anxiety. Enjoy...

Starshaped...IPS can tell you which passport office, but they only know when its gets there, so keep asking. Then leave a post here and you can usefully find direct numbers on this thread. You should be fine if holidays not for weeks.
Good luck everyone, this thread is so helpful, thanks everyone.

Thanks folks. Holiday is in three weeks, so I will ring IPS to try and find out which office it is at.

Just wanted to say that my son's passport arrived today - phew! We sail on Monday. We also got 2 callbacks from the 0300 number and a follow up to the inquiry we made via the website, and we only started this process yesterday - I wanted to post this to give hope to all those people waiting for callback, I know a lot of you haven't had such a positive experience but we did.

Best of luck to you all.

Pleased for y Katybabes,enjoy your cruise.

typed "y" above by mistake oops

Got my passport thank goodness! I would never have got it in time if it hadn't been for this thread and getting the number for Durham so thank you all. We fly on Saturday and I am getting excited at last! Good luck to all those waiting, I only paid for upgrade yesterday so hang in there

Hi quick question - does anyone know if they check with every counter-signatory? Just about to send off first time applications for 4dcs and was wondering if I needed to pre-warn that 4 letters might be arriving on their doormat!

whojamaflip they don't check with every counter signatory it's just random but make sure they will be available in case they check, my app has been delayed, sent on the 12th July, because the letter didn't arrive to my counter signatory straight away and she is now on holiday herself so i have had to send a whole new form, photo and second counter signatory to them and they sent the letter to her work place not her home :( mine was just a child's renewal and they checked will probably check the second one too and delay it even longer :(

Just popping in here to see the latest & I'm so pleased to see good news for many. Have a great hol Needu. I was getting anxious again having switched off from the stress a bit after a good result with Durham yday because they gave me a tracking number for my Special Delivery due to come tomorrow by 9am BUT the Royal Mail website said it had no record of that number. Noooo!!! I thought perhaps I'd been too complacent thinking all was ok. Anyway - thank goodness - just had another look & message now updated to say my delivery is on track to be delivered by guaranteed time. Phew!! I will not sleep tonight as paranoid I may miss the door being knocked & something daft happens like it being returned to Durham rather than a local depot!!! Ive not had such a lack of sleep in years!!! So - I'm just counting down the hours now...!! It does seem that although it goes 'right to the wire' the passports are coming through in time. Stay positive everyone - it will come good in the end. Kxx

Jul3kids - did you get yours ok in the end?

Sleep cycle mucked up due to recent passport worries.
KimSoton-enjoy your holiday to,let us know that your passport arrives ok (sure it will) . Jul3kids is collecting passport from Durham on Weds 8th in afternoon yay!
Good luck to all, please read all previous messages on this thread and follow when you can....its so helpful.

Could anyone pm me the Liverpool number?
Feel sick :(