SWMBO and I both applied to renew our passports just after we got back from Portugal a couple of weeks back. Need them for Egypt at end Nov, but didn't do them Express as the website says 3 weeks, and I was too tight to have the Post Office check the paperwork and pics before we sent them.
We did the online bit on Sat 20th and walked to the PO to send them on Sun 21st. The Passport Office says to send them by signed-for so that's what we did.
They don't process your application till your old one arrives with them. Mine arrived at the Passport Office at 14:45 on Tuesday afternoon. At 8:34 on Wed they texted me to say it had gone on hold as the picture didn't meet the rules. I had to log onto the website to see why - too much shadow (they are really strict these days!!). So I took the pics again and resent them that morning. At 14:37 they messaged me to say it had been approved , then at 20:04 that it was ready and being sent. it arrived on Monday (28th). You get texts all the way from submitting your application till it's been sent, which impressed me.
So that was pretty much 48 hour turnaround, really impressive.
OTOH....
SWMBOs old passport didn't (and still hasn't) turned up. She called the Passport people the other day and they said take it up with the Post Office. The Post Office were dismissive and told her they would have advised to send it special delivery (they didn't!). They said she can claim compensation for actual loss but other than that told her there was nothing they could do. I kind of get that but a teensy apology or a pretend attempt to locate it wouldn't have gone amiss.
She's gone back to the Passport Office today and they told her again top chase the Post Office and report it to the Police, who weren't interested and didn't record any details. Post Office have nothing to add. The Passport Office however have said they will review what they've got and will try to issue the passport with no further ado - apparently often need a face-to-face for a lost passport. We've not even put them under any pressure.
So anyway a BIG thumbs up to the Passport Office but a MUCH BIGGER thumbs down to the rude and seemingly lazy staff at the Post Office.
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As an international person with an international family passports, visas, Embassies, consulates and passport offices are a way of life.
The British Passport office is superb. Always do what they say, always willing to help, absolutely excellent. They must hit pretty much 100% on their turnaround targets..
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I think the DVLA performs well, too.
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>> I think the DVLA performs well, too.
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I've not found them particularly good with passports......
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>> >> I think the DVLA performs well, too.
>> >>
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>> I've not found them particularly good with passports......
Funny you should say that;
Recently I either renewed my passport using my driving license records, or it might have been renewing by license with my passport records.
Whichever it was, one used the picture from the other. I was pretty impressed with such cooperation.
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>> Funny you should say that;
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>> Recently I either renewed my passport using my driving license records, or it might have
>> been renewing by license with my passport records.
>>
>> Whichever it was, one used the picture from the other. I was pretty impressed with
>> such cooperation.
Just renewed my DL with my passport records, did it all online, 3 days turnaround.
Passport renewal earlier this year, getting the photo approved is a real pita, once it is fast turnaround, all done on line.
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>> getting the photo approved is a real pita
In what way?
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>> >> getting the photo approved is a real pita
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>> In what way?
I had 4 attempts, there was some perceived flaw in each of them, not looking directly into camera (i was) a shadow behind (there wasnt) uneven background (a very slight crease in the backcloth)
chin up (very slightly)
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I wonder why.
I guess I was lucky, three passports and in each case the first photograph was accepted. Taken on my phone, as well.
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I agree that the Passport Office are pretty good. To be honest though the Post Office are usually very efficient too. Just try US or Canadian postal systems!
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The Post Office, or Royal Mail?
Very different beasts.
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>>Royal Mail.
Bally awful outfit.
We are in XYZ Park Road and XYZ Road, XYZ Avenue, XYZ Close and XYZ Lane all get our letters. Worse, our road goes round a corner. The road that runs on at the bend: ABC Road, also gets our mail. Share certificates, cheques and concert tickets have all gone astray.
Same happens to other delivery companies too, so I guess the Victorian town planners have something to answer for.
We have to redirect post several times a week.
Yes we have complained. No change.
Share price is awful too.
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>> >>Royal Mail.
>>
>> Bally awful outfit.
Nothing NOTHING is as bad as UPS. I now refuse to deal with anyone who has them as shippers.
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>> >> >>Royal Mail.
>> >>
>> >> Bally awful outfit.
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>> Nothing NOTHING is as bad as UPS. I now refuse to deal with anyone who
>> has them as shippers.
>>
Even Yodel?
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>>Nothing NOTHING is as bad as UPS. I now refuse to deal with anyone who has them as shippers.
Completely agree. They lose stuff, it gets hung up in customs, there are always extra charges, etc. awful organisation.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Tue 29 Oct 19 at 21:28
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For UK domestic delivery if it's difficult to fault/better DPD.
You get a reasonably accurate estimate for delivery and can track van street by street.
Most of rest you've nothing between 'out for delivery' and van arriving in road.
There's a cost to that and stuff they deliver tends to be premium brands - Rohan is usually DPD.
Amazon these days is just Amazon logistics - once it's out just wait. Fortunately there are enough retired/work from home people in road that there's always somebody who can take stuff in.
Customs not an issue as UK has advantage of being in a customs union and free trade area with all it's near neighbours...........
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>> For UK domestic delivery if it's difficult to fault/better DPD. .
DPD are brilliant for sending stuff as well... they get stuff to Australia in under a week, collecting from either home or work, and at a very reasonable cost. I use them all the time to get stuff to my brother.
I think the customs issue is as near as damn it irrelevant, given that stuff can get from China to my door in under a week ;) And, if I may be uncharacteristically pedantic, doesn’t an ellipsis consist of just three ‘.’ ... ?
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 10 Dec 19 at 10:14
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I don't find ups to be too bad. Although they don't deliver much around here but when they do its fine, maybe I've been lucky. The best are DPD, lots of flexibility, easy to use and track where the item is and importantly they actually read the comments/special instructions box.
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Passport Office are excellent. Very helpful when my daughter needed to renew her passport in between two overseas trips. The communication was clear and their advice spot on.
Having used Amazon, frequently there is a map showing where the driver is and the remaining drops until yours. That's good for me. Yodel are the worst. They lost a laptop for three weeks...
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I have come to expect cock-ups with Yodel.
I knew it was the rebranded Home Delivery Network but until recently I hadn't twigged it was owned by the Barclay brothers.
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you could never trust anything with such a stupid name.
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Yodel that is, not the Barclay Brothers.
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Come to think of it, you cant trust anything called Barclay either.
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Barclays Bank - with whom we have banked for years - offered us a good deal on a credit card machine to replace two we use in our business.
After six months of them demanding information about our bona fides (despite knowing all about us already) I told them that if they didn't trust me, how could I trust them when they hold £1,000,000+ of client money for us - who had the greater risk?
Eventually I told them to go away.
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>> Barclays Bank - with whom we have banked for years - offered us a good
>> deal on a credit card machine to replace two we use in our business.
>>
>> After six months of them demanding information about our bona fides (despite knowing all about
>> us already) I told them that if they didn't trust me, how could I trust
>> them when they hold £1,000,000+ of client money for us - who had the greater
>> risk?
>>
>> Eventually I told them to go away.
>>
Working in the industry, it's something I come across a lot, with Know Your Customer and Anti Money Laundering regulations, but I do sympathize.
There are some really crappy outcomes and some banks seem to have got it wrong.
GDPR doesn't help either, because it's now very difficult to keep and share "fraud lists". I know we almost recently took on a new business when one of our sales guys recalled a serious fraud case in the NE involving the directors and another bank. The details weren't on Google either as they were removed under the miscreants right to be forgotten.
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I forgot to post the sequel.
As I said, SWMBOs passport was also due and eventually was dealt with really quickly as a Lost passport, with no further input required from her.
So on receipt she duly signed it and then decided to compare hers and mine.
She deiced I'd signed mine in the wrong place - below a rather unclear line rather than above it, though I think an accompanying piece of paper made it more obvious.
So I called them and they weren't really able to advise. He said I might get away with it for ever or I may get stopped on exit or entry to any country including the UK. He suggested I get it re-issued.
Yes please I said.
That'll be another £75 then says he, and re-apply as though it was damaged.
Expensive mistake...but rectified in record time as they already had an approved pic!! And thankfully it ll happened in time for the Egypt trip (which I'm just back from).
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Passport Office 1 Post Office 0 - No FM2R
