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!!!

LargeGlass - I don't think Liverpool has a direct number. I phoned Durham and they could tell me the status of mine at liverpool.

Just spoke to Durham and my application received on 25th Aug and still not looked at. I have asked for an upgrade but it will be Friday at the earliest before I get a call from them. I travel next week so it will be cutting it fine but should get my renewal in time. Give Durham a call direct the lady I spoke to was lovely.

As LargeGlass said, if anybody has got a direct number for Liverpool, can you PM it to me too please?

IPS have advised that my passport should arrive next week but that DDs probably won't arrive before we travel at the end of the month. He's asked for Liverpool to call me back within 48 hours but as I can't answer my phone at work for the next couple of days, I think I'll miss the call :(

I could do with the direct number just in case...help!

Grrr - 9am and no passport yet BUT the Track & Send sure says its on it's way.... It'd better be!!!! Talk about stretching the stress out until the very last min - sat up all night as well as couldn't sleep & was worried it might miss delivery. Hey ho - the wait continues!! Kx

Star - as I said above, try Durham as I dont think Liverpool has a direct number.

Just to give you hope the main number told me DDs hadn't even been processed when in fact it was actually being printed

Hi all

All the offices have a direct line but any of them can check status once you get pass the useless helpline whose job it is to screen the calls. Once you get them to send an email
You will get the call but it takes a couple if days. They are all still
Meeting the 3 weeks turnaround for 90+ % of applications. I know that doesn't help the rest.

The passport office staff are really helpful once you get to speak to them.

Thank you so much for all your help everyone. Here is my update. After trying so many times that Ilost count (probably about 15-20) I finally got lucky and someone answered in Peterborough. Although they'd had my daughters passport for over three weeks it was still queuing. The let me upgrade to premium for £60 and turned it around in a couple of hours. They are sending via courier today to arrive tomorrow. i won't be happy until I have it in my hands. Partly my fault for leaving late but the whole system is designed for maximum stress. My advice just keep ringing don't give up.

Hey :) , Well ive got the same kind of story to everyone, only im doing this for my mum. It was ment to be the first time everyone in the family going on a proper holiday, my mum and dad worked so hard for this only to be told my mum will not be going and her to watch my little brother go on his very first plane trip with out her.

she sent away to renew (just over 6 weeks ago) her passport leaving her three numbers of contact and asked should there be anything wrong they contact her. After hearing nothing from them she called only to be told if you haven't heard anything it should be fine.
Now only one week till the holiday my mum was very worried and called again only for someone to tell her that they couldn't find her details and it will be a very slim chance of her going on holiday ( well her world crumbled )
Again and again she kept calling and calling, but her case had been getting passed around to all different people telling her all different things like no u can't drive to durham, yes you can get it fast tracked... oh wait no you cant we can't get you in before two weeks.

This is a joke of a service/ waste of time, these people in the offices arent seeing anyone as real people, there seeing us as puppets and their controlling us with there power.

It is safe to say my mum isn't going on holiday, so now i am looking for the highest person in that office to contact if anyone has an email address?, because this situation could of been fixed long before now and i will let them know that

Hi lauren91,

have you called durham direct? you should certainly have got the passport back by now. ill pm you number.

Hurrah!!!! 2 hours later than expected but the passport has just arrived!!!! Thank God!!!!!!!!! Now I can finally get excited for our hol & also need to get a move on packing etc as have done nothing!!

HUGE thanks to all on here for advice - this thread was so useful.

To all those still waiting - hang in there, keep on at Durham or whoever. I do believe once you get past that dreaded help (not) line that people do want to assist you. Be prepared for it to go to the last min but I do believe you will get sorted.

Best wishes to all on here - now where's my suitcase....

Kim x x

great news Kim,

I am still waiting, but in my case the passport was royal mail special delivery before 1pm so hope it be soon, need to get my online check ins done.
have a great holiday

Update here too. Eventually decided to go down the local MP route. Emailed her on Monday night and this morning had a callback from Peterborough, gave them my card details, a 5 minute phonecall and passport will be with me tomorrow !!!!
I highly recommend contacting your MP, in fact ,it was her PA who dealt with it and mentioned a 'MP Hotline' to the passport offices, so it really isn't hard work for them. Lauren, its worth a try !

Oh, and thank you to everyone on this thread ! Fingers and toes crossed for everyone else waiting.

I got sooo excited today when a passport arrived; alas it was my daughter's old passport with the corner clipped. So disappointed. Hopefully, her new one won't be too long now as we fly on Monday! Yikes!

The passport has arrived, one day after I'd received daughter's old passport. Thank you for all the help and advice on here and I wish everyone who is still waiting the best of luck.

hi lauren.do as i did and contact ur mp.i had mine back on 2 day s

YIPEE !!!!!!!! I have passport in my hand ,collected it in person from Durham this afternoon ( couldn't stand another night of worry awaiting delivery ) and judging by all the people collecting their upgrades the majority of passports being processed must be upgrades , there wasn't an empty seat in waiting area...I can now finally begin to pack for hols 13 aug, good luck to anyone still waiting I only paid for my upgrade yesterday so as long as you have 24hrs you should be ok

Pls can I have a Peterborough direct number, I am desperate for my son's passport and can't get through to them since yesterday. Thx everyone....

i'm absolutely desperate my OH's lost his passport when we moved house and his new application has been with the Peterborough office since the 17th July, they have taken the money but we have no sign of the passport. We have tried and tried over 30 times speaking with various people but everyone has been really unhelpful and obstructive. We have been told it will not be with us by Saturday (we were due to travel on Sunday 12th August) and we cannot upgrade / collect the passport. I have 2 sons (5 & 3) who are devastated that daddy is unlikely to be able to go on holiday with us. So upset, if anyone could help we'd be forever grateful!!! x

For any worried travellers I just had a call from a lovely lady at the Durham office asking for my payment deatils to allow me to upgrade. I was told this morning it would be Friday at the earliest I would get a call back. My passport will be processed tomorrow and delivered by 1pm Friday. My advice is call them direct they have been really helpful in my case.

Peterborough direct number is 0845 129 0055. Keep hanging on even though a recorded message says the number is temporarily unavailable and they will answer eventually.

My son's new passport arrived today, by courier. Thanks for all the help from this thread. I am a newbie on mumsnet and it has been an INVALUABLE experience! x

I made contact with our local MP and he has sorted in within 2 hours. I can't believe it! We collect on Friday although not building my hopes up until I have it in my hand. Fingers crossed

Hi sorry for the question , but can someone explain how can I contact my local MP?

Even if the passport doesnt come, I have to say that I have spoken to Andrew, Vicki and Julia at the Durham passport office 0845 number and they have all been absolutely fantastic and NOTHING was too much trouble. I now have a courier tracking number.

I would advise anyone to go through the Post Office Send and Check as giving them my 'barcode' information seems to 'open doors'!

What some lovely, lovely staff at Durham 0845. The same cannot be said for the Call Centre, but I guess their 'hands are tied' to a certain extent!