Passport nightmare

[katherz]

Hi

I am after any help possible please...
I posted my new babys passport application over a month ago via the check and send service, we are travelling next week.

I have used the 0300 number lots and lots of times to chase it and then requested an upgrade for a fast turnround time. The 0300 number advised that I needed to wait 48 hours for a call from the upgrade team- 48 hours later no phonceall.
Called again yesterday and spoke to a manger who escalated my complaint and said I would receive a phonecall from the manager of the escalation team within 24 hours- 24 hours later no phonecall

finally got a phonecall from someone just now, lovely guy but could no help at all- basically just e mailed the upgrades team again to ask them to contact me back urgently but I have to wait another 48 hours turnaround. They would not let me have an appointment at durham because I already have an application in place with them- was told this morning that if I had cancelled my application on monday and re-applied via the fast track service I would have got it in time but this was not offered to me as an option when I phoned.

Does anyone have any numbers for Durham or know anything else I can do- basically been phoning the customer services since monday and waiting for callbacks that never come.

I know you are not supposed to book travel before you get your passport but I followed the advice given by the passport office which is 'if you have more than 3 weeks to travel use the post office check and send service'

Any help greatly appreciated, I am slowly realising that I will be staying at home with my ds3 and my husband will be taking my other 2 boys alone- how do you break the news to your children that they are going on holiday without mummy?

Thanks in advance for any help xxx

Im in exactly the same place! Did it via check and send on the 28th april. They said it will be with you in 3 weeks. I booked my holiday for the 28th may and now I have no passport!! I spoke to someone who said I would have a call back in 24 hours, just been called by a different office who said 48 hours!
I booked this holiday with my aunt who has been suffering with cancer and now it looks like she will be going alone! Absolutely devastated!!!
Passport office is ridiculous. Im just going to keep calling and pestering I think! I hope you get sorted.:(

MaryShelley thanks for your reply- its normally 6+ weeks for a first passport if you are over 16 but for a first child's passport it is supposed to be 3 weeks.

Jadedionn thanks for your reply- sorry you are in the same boat, its just a nightmare. I have waited the 48 hours for the upgrades team- they don't call you back! I have phoned 5 times a day every day since monday to no avail. WE are travelling with my mother in law who has mobility issues and one of my children is autistic- not sure he will even get on the plane when | twll him I am staying behind and my poor husband is devestated realising that there is a very good chance I will be staying at home :-(

I'm also due to fly soon, on 27th and sent the applications in on 11th April. After being pushed from pillar to post on the 0300 number, I discovered a number on another Mumsnet thread. I finally spoke someone who could tell me something, she passed the applications to upgrades at a cost of an additional £60.50 (and I have three!) I'm still waiting for a call to confirm if they're gonna be done or not, they are done in order of date of travel and it seems they're working today on people travelling over the weekend. There is hope yet!

The number for those who might not have seen the thread is 08456015175. Ignore not the constant loop of 'this number is only for customers in receipt of a letter....'

Have faith ladies! I got a call yesterday and I have upgraded and it should be with me today!! I fly on the 28th.
There was a problem with my countersignature but she asked me a few questions and that was it. Sorted!
Hope you all get yours sorted!

I still have no call and no upgrade and I fly same day as you :-(

Call the number given above. And be prepared to hang on the line for as long as it takes to get through (50 mins for me). If you are within 2 weeks of travel they should be able to fastrack you - they will pull applications out of the queue, then call you back to collect payment for the upgrade. This is what I was told by Durham earlier this afternoon.

I have just read this. Thats awful! The number I called was 0845 601 5107. Not sure if they are open saturdays but be prepared to wait a while for them to answer it. I got my passport today so they do speedy it up once the £60.50 is paid!
Im sure they do it to make extra money!!
I hope you get sorted!!! X

YAY I got the passport- they phoned me Sunday and I picked it up yesterday. Thanks for all your help! They had people working all weekend even though it was a bank holiday to try and clear the backlog so hopefully people who are travelling this week will have theirs. X x

Yay!! Have a fab holiday!! Xx

Ive lost one holiday already I sent for my sons passport renewal in APRIL still havent got it through its been sat in peterborough 8 weeks at an examiner:(( I have spoken to manager after manager had it escalated, been told to write hand written complaints had several calls from them and to no avail 3 days before I fy for my second booked holiday still no passpport Im at breaking point:(( Ive been told I cant go to the passport office I cant be classed as urgent until im a week before my holiday I called up and three days to go and getting nowhere:((( thats 6 grand lost because of the passport office thats not including my aunts she applied in april for a new passport she still hasnt got hers either its disgusting you call up they cant tell you anything, I was told I didnt need my 6year old sons new pics countersigned yet now they are saying they will contact the countersignatory at their place of work, schools are on holiday for 8 weeks how can I wait that long, Im sat on the phone now to peterborough office to be told Ill lose my second holiday and they are basically calling me a liar so Ive asked for all my calls to be pulled up to prove what Ive been told by the call centre staff Im in bits all that cash gone:(((

so after another few days of really not getting anywhere we got a call from Liverpool directly this afternoon had to pay £60.50 to upgrade daughters application, because despite it having been with them for almost 8 weeks, there was an error on the original form so it's classed as a new one. Made payment over phone, DH gone to pick up DD's passport with his own, and a handwritten letter of consent from me as I signed her original forms.
Apparently it'll be ready and waiting for him at 4:45pm. As soon as he's picked it up I'll update you.
And then we have to pack! Been putting it off as we go tomorrow and it all seemed so unlikely! haha

I've worried about this as, although it clearly states don't book anything before sorting your passports, there's a school trip for dd1 in Oct that we had to accept or decline quickly and she didn't have a passport. So we accepted knowing that we had several months to secure her passport.

I got the text to say her first passport application had been received and would be at least 6 weeks.

Today, exactly on the 6 weeks, the text arrived to say that they are being printed and will be with us in the next few days.

That's probably Liverpool though, it may vary with offices.