Hi all,
I have just been on the phone to the Customer Service Management Team.
Apparently due to the big backlog in passports and it starting to hit the news (a few news articles today) they have realsed a new upgrade path for applications today!
If you can prove you are traveling within two weeks you are able to pay to upgrade. We got told to email a specific new upgrade team email adress stating various things and get contacted to pay and get fast tracked.
Personally we do not travel in two weeks time but I thought I would share with this fourm. Also you seem to get told 101 different things, so would be useful to know if anyone else also got told this!
The person on the phone said no doubt there will be teething problems and is not free.
If you are traveling within two weeks or about to, I would call up and ask about this serivce.
If you have any sucess please do let me know!
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New Passport Upgrade Service!
Travelingsoon12 · 6 Apr 2022, 15:40
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I am on hold to Customer service management team, I fly next Friday so hoping to get things moving before the weekend.
No help I'm afraid :( she said I just need to wait for docs to be scanned which take 10-14 days.... I'm on day 9 and due to fly in 6... devastated.... my 10 year old is here with me in bits😭
Took 1 hr 10 mins on hold
@kel85
Just turn up you can’t get in the building but someone will come out to speak to you ask them to ring the upgrade senior management team where your passport is at. All sorted within the hour
We travel on 26th may
Less than a week to go 😭
Amazing, I will definitely try this first thing in the morning or later on today.
@kel85
Go first thing in morning afternoons are crazy good luck
Does it actually work to turn up to the passport office? I have been contemplating this but worried I would be turned away and undertake the walk of shame although at this stage, not sure if I really care either.
I am also at the stage where I don't care how I look if I get marched away, They have employed thousands of call operators who cannot actually help so its pointless calling.
@kel85 Completely agree - you can tell they are working from home (which I have no issue with) but they clearly are not reading from the same rule book and are saying anything to anyone and incorrectly advising us. It seems like the lack of supervision and interaction with a team around them is negatively affecting the service we are getting. If they had some colleagues to discuss/bounce thoughts off of, I am sure we would all have a v.different experience! I am trying to be patient and empathetic with them as appreciate they are overwhelmed and stretched but they aren't being empathetic with us and I am close to losing it!...
I don’t know if coming to the passport office works. I was here at the London office at 7:30 yesterday and I was the last person to leave. Got here again this morning, I’ve been told to sit outside and wait. My flight is tonight.
I'm praying for a miracle for all of us 🙌🏼
Leesa160, hopefully you will get scanned soon then if 9 days in and saying 14 days max. 14 days would leave me 3 days left until flights, I’m just annoyed cause they had my documents and some reason send them back by mistake
@Garbett44 it's a total sham tbh! They should have the extra people they've apparently employed opening mail and scanning docs on 🤷♀️ Common sense surely
It is a sham, I think all extra staff hired seem to be working from home. Truthfully I think I won’t get my sons passport on time now, but I will keep trying until last day
Upgrade request sent on 10 May - sitting outside London passport office. 4 hours until I need to be at the airport. They’ve told me they won’t see me inside the office anymore. I have to sit outside and wait for a call.
Wow cutting it fine! It shouldn’t be like this it’s just impractical for people. We are supposed to go away for 2 weeks and need to buy new clothes for my 20 month old son but there’s no point until have the passport
@chelsjanekait 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽
@Garbett44 I'm trying to stay positive as got about 5 days to sort but it's hard to 🙈
Best of luck to all! I felt positive until today, seen on a fb group seems to be more people today not successful from going office and being told it is what it is basically
Are you able to share that Facebook group. I am trying to follow as many social media's as possible to see what's going on with everyone else.
Passport chaos 2022
I fly same day as you, just hoping for a call, I think it’ll be Tues/Wed when they do, will be going to Peterborough then to wait for it being printed! @kel85
Oh fab, let hope we get our updates early next week. I just feel so sorry for everyone going through this.
I applied for my passport 18th April and didn't send my support documents in until the last few days of April. I'm due to fly next Saturday so I called on Friday 13th and I was able to upgrade and I've just received mine in the post (6 days after the upgrade request) which I wasn't charged for.
Credit were it's due the Liverpool upgrade team turned my request around really quickly.
I have a fast track appointment booked for next week which I'm now trying to cancel.
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