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Hi again guys. Posted here the other day but my post seems to have disappeared.
My post was in regards to my passport renewal and my old passport having not tracked as ‘documents recieved’ despite the passport being signed for at the Passport office 4 weeks ago.
Today I phoned the passport office and they have no documents on file related to my application, this despite me having proof of delivery and a signature from Royal Mail. It now appears that the passport office in Peterborough have lost my old passport!! The case has been handed over to the examiner and I’m awaiting a call, but it looks like I may have to report my passport as ‘lost in transit’ (despite it being lost at the passport office!!!!) Absolutely raging at this and massively concerned that I’m now going to have to go through the whole application process again, but only after the passport office look into this then register my passport as lost in transit.
Now only 6 weeks till I fly. Passport was delivered and signed for by the Passport office on 20th January.
It seems like there are some serious issues going on at Peterborough. There’s a catalogue of incompetence building and we’re all stuck on the receiving end. I’ve perused other office’s forums and I’m sure they don’t have as many problems as PB.does.
How is this even possible?? I’m at risk of losing out on my holiday because some incompetent idiot has lost my passport at the Passport office. It literally beggars belief that this can happen. Surely someone has to take responsibility for this if I cant travel and/or there has to be a way for me to be compensated? My passport was sent in plenty of time. I am in no way to blame for any of this.
Indeed,they are currently sat on my husband’s actual driving licence and original Deed Poll certificate with no hurry to process his passport and return them.
We’ve had to rearrange our trip at a cost of £300 and miss out on an exhibition that my husband needed to see for research, all because our incompetent idiot didn’t read their handbook properly, then stalling our application because they thought we hadn’t sent the correct documents.
I considered writing to my MP but will it actually achieve anything? 🤔
If it makes you feel better, why not? These issues need to be raised, although I agree, will it achieve anyhring? Who knows. What an awful situation.
Do you perhaps have a direct number to the Peterborough office? I got through to the main phone line then was redirected after a 30 minute hold. The person I spoke to was great tbf.
I posted earlier and ironically about an hour after I did I got a letter through the post to say that due to me having dual citizenship and as my American passport is still in my maiden name I need to get that updated first before they’ll continue with my application.
Furious doesn’t cover it, as I mentioned we’re due to fly on 5th March and there’s no appointments at the US Embassy in London until 7th March. Currently on the phone to put a complaint in, but that’s our trip out the window. Pretty sure we’ll lose our flight costs. When I called the passport office the other day they told me everything was fine with my application, it doesn’t make sense why it took them 3 weeks to send me this letter as it could have been sorted by now!!!
that’s so odd, are you US born so that is why they want your US passport updated first ? How are you supposed to know which one is needed first! I am worried as I have a British Passport but a LPR visa in my passport and wondering if that will cause issues or they will just update my passport and leave me to sort my LPR card out
@pcmuzzyboy.. there is definitely something wrong with Peterborough office. I sent documentation for 2 applications by separate posts on 18th Jan…but still no confirmation on document receipt for either of these… I don’t have signed for confirmation from Royal mail too… Peterborough office seems to be mishandling important docs…
This is incredible. You should get on the phone to them ASAP. The more people inform them the better. I’m clinging on to the fact I have confirmation of delivery as some sort of guarantee that they will fix this for me as it is clearly, 100% their fault. I was told however, that ‘I have to make a decision’ and either wait and hope the passport turns up or start a ‘lost in transit’ case and apply for a new passport. The cynic in me feels that by opening a lost in transit case, I am then at the mercy of Passport gods to get my new application processed in time and that, as I wasn’t willing to wait on the passport office locating my passport, that it would then be my fault if I lose out on my holiday if my new application wasn’t processed in time. I feel like I’m being pushed into a corner here with very little help from the people who are at fault. I will phone again on Monday and see if the examiner has looked at my case before making a decision.
Pelase keep us informed with your case and all the best.
I had no option to lodge a lost claim report. Now applying for replacement certificates at cost £500 (for 2)… Called HMPO several times and got a call back from their document processing team early this week. They couldn’t find my documents at all.
I spoke to a very helpful gentleman this morning who went through our application to identify at what point our issue started and whether the initial examiner was at fault so he could report it. He them added notes to our file to ask the next examiner to call me directly if any further issues identified and not to send generic emails as previously. He showed more compassion than any of the 10 people I’ve spoken to previously.
He recommended emailing feedback@hmpo.gov.uk as the best way to report problems.
I also discovered this complaints process online with info about claiming compensation:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-passport-office/about/complaints-procedure
I am having a similar situation with the Liverpool office. Royal Mail delivered my documents on 1 Feb but the passport office seems to have lost them! I’ve been waiting for a call back since Tuesday. How can they say ‘lost in transit’ as if it’s nothing to do with them… The whole system is a shambles
Lost in transit seems to me like a way off fobbing off the fact that they’ve screwed up!! I’ve been awaiting a call since Thursday. The woman I spoke to told me to call back if I hadn’t heard in a couple of days. I’ll be calling on Monday. Then again Tue, Wed, Thurs and every day until I get this resolved.
A few things I have learnt from the 13 calls I have made to the Passport office:
-if they say I’ll put you through to the progress team they will give it 4 rings then say they aren’t there can I arrange a call back instead.
-my last callback took 5 days for them to contact me
-I was told that if you have requested a call back and they haven’t rung you, then you request another call back it will cancel out the first request so often best to just hang in there.
-Ask to be put through to the complaints team, a team leader or the HMPO itself but hang in there on hold to these ones as someone will eventually pick up even if it takes 1 hour 45 mins (yes I hung on that long).
-if they say they will put you on the urgent list it means nothing. Unless should have a medical emergency/death then it gives you very little priority over others, it just sits in a different queue waiting for an examiner. A HMPO complaints manager told me yesterday that sometimes being in this queue can actually slow it down if there has been an issue raised about your documents etc.
-the complaints team and central HMPO itself don’t work on a Sunday.
-if anyone says that it has been marked as urgent and should arrive within the next week it’s a false promise. Don’t believe any timesce they tell you as it just gives false hope.
Sorry to be so negative but this is everything I have experienced during the past 5 weeks since submitting our application.
If anyone is reading this and you are considering applying for a name change and have less than 10 weeks before departure then please pay for a Fast track appointment, I wish we’d had that that foresight.
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