Anything else we can do??

[Chinstroker]

Hi all

Travel 22nd sept to Cyprus for holiday. Daughters passport was out of date. Doc status is as below so processed a renewal, mistakenly thinking we’d have enough time to get it back without expedited fast tracks service…are there any tips/tricks anyone can recommend to help me with my sanity at all? We know weve messed up but cant afford to lose our holiday – we spoke to PP office and have had someone say they will mark the travel date, grovelled to the twitter acc and so on….anything else we can do other than sit and hope??! Thanks on advance

Documents received 1:18pm on 1 September 2021
Application received 8:20pm on 27 August 2021
Identity details received 8:20pm on 27 August 2021
Email sent to person confirming your identity 5:55pm on 27 August 2021
Ask someone to confirm your identity 4:25pm on 27 August 2021
Application submitted 4:25pm on 27 August 2021

[charmer]

Good luck Chinstroker, hope you get it all sorted. Wish I could give you some tips, but I think you’ve done about all you can. I don’t think the PP Office comunication ‘system’ is there to help us, but just deflect the flak from the local PP Offices.

PS What office did you have to send the PP to? (I live close to Newport but had to send mine to Glasgow, so that hasn’t helped!)

[Chinstroker]

Pp has gone to Bootle. Even tried to call the direct no and asked if we could get a fast track there. The chap advised the passport documentation is going to a satelite site atm, so not even an option to do that. Think we’ve tried all we can…looking v unlikely.

[charmer]

Hi Chinstroker….. No they don’t want the likes of us ‘The Customer’ to contact them direct that would be far too helpful. They wouldn’t let me upgrade either because it’s already in the ‘System’ they said, it just reeks of Sir Humphrey Appleby (I apologise if you’re too young to remember this character from TV).

Good luck again

[welshclairy]

Similar story. Application made 29 Aug and docs received 2 Sept. (child renewal). Live near Cardiff but docs sent to Glasgow. We travel on 3 October and no further word from passport office. :-/

Wondering whether I should try and get a fast track appt in Glasgow to ensure we get the passport in time. Anyone know how that works?

[welshclairy]

I did the normal application because the website said not to use fast track if you didn’t need the passport within 3 weeks. No mention of 10 weeks before applying. <mad>

[charmer]

Hi welshclairy, I tried to upgrade by phone, Twitter and email didn’t get anywhere. However don’t give up, out of the blue on Friday I recieved a notification that my passort was approved, being printed and sent out!! On my HMPO tracking page there’s no mention of ‘Being processed’ just straight from ‘Old passport recieved’ to the completion.
When I mentioned your point about the 3 weeks wording to a customer advisor I got blanked, and when I mentioned that when you google ‘Renew Passport’ it takes you straight to the renewal forms and misses the ‘It could take ten weeks’ notice page, apprently that was my error???

What I did was make myself a pain in the butt last week phoning at least once every day and emailing & twitter every day, I don’t know for certain whether it worked but my passport should arrive next week (if TNT don’t lose it) so I’m happy as I travel on Friday.

Good Luck

[welshclairy]

That’s good news. What was your timeline?

I’ve tweeted today. Phone lines are apparently too busy and web chat is turned off. I just need to know if I can do anything to ensure it’s sorted in time. The stress is making me quite unwell.

[charmer]

Application sent (online) 20 Aug
Old Passport sent 20 Aug
Passport recieved 26 Aug (!!)
Application approved, Printed and Sent 17 Sept

It is very stressful, mainly because you feel totally out of control of the situation. The most galling thing is not being able to communicate directly with the office that has your passport, just some mediator. All I can offer is what I said before, make yourself a pain in the butt, and it didn’t come naturally to me either, though my missus might disagree.

As for the ‘Webchat’ it is NEVER open, just more BS from a Govt Dept. Twitter Q&A days are good, but they’re few and far between sessions.

Best of LUCK

[saqib213]

Thanks for sharing @Charmer. The timeline really helps

I’m in a similar situation with my daughters renewal which was submitted on the 1st Sept (docs received 7th – even though they actually received a few days earlier) and now I’m waiting. Had I known about the 10 weeks (this was NOT stated on the child renewal web page!) I would have done the 1 week service like so many others. Anyhow from your timeline it looks like at least a 3 week wait from docs received to approval, which takes us to the end of the month, and we need to know by the 7th October. Its going to be close!

Chinstroker / welshclairy, really wish you both the best of luck with your passports. Please can you share when your application updates are received. Really hope its good news! Thanks

[Chinstroker]

As it stands we have had the application approved earlier today, sent to print but no further update since 11am. I am just holding on to the possibility that it will be confirmed as printed and approved and come tomorrow… otherwise as soon as tnt have it I’m going to try and get it from them.

[saqib213]

Thanks for the post Chinstroker. I can’t imagine how nerve-wracking that is, and really hope it does get to you tomorrow. Good luck

[stravel2021]

Hi all,

I’ve been in exactly the same boat as you all and it’s been a stressful few weeks! Luckily received an email saying it’s been sent via courier.

Passport printed and sent 2:02pm on 21 September 2021
Application approved 3:00pm on 20 September 2021
New photo received 2:45pm on 20 September 2021
Photo rejected 2:30pm on 20 September 2021
Documents received 3:04pm on 1 September 2021
Application received 8:03pm on 22 August 2021
Application submitted 8:02pm on 22 August 2021

I did call them last week explaining I was due to travel at the beginning of October and they were kind enough to add a note on my application.

I hope this helps some of you guys! Good luck

[JUB29]

Hi
Stressful is such an understatement and I agree that their website says not to use the fasttrack process if you don’t need the passport in 3 weeks I needed it in 4. It has now been 5 and although I managed to delay my holiday dates by 2 weeks, I am still not holding out much hope to get it back by next Friday.
My timeline:
Application being processed 11:44am on 13 September 2021
Documents received 10:50am on 21 August 2021
Application received 11:53am on 17 August 2021
Application submitted 11:52am on 17 August 2021
It is so frustrating that they won’t let you change to the fast track application once documents are submitted and this level of service is outrageous. No other industry could get away with such poor service.
They added a note to my application but seems fruitless!!

[vickieb]

Just wanted to add my similar situation…

1 adult, one child renewal sent to Peterborough and Newport respectively.
Applied online 27/08/21
Docs received 06/09/21 (actually arrived 31/08/21)

Nothing since on either application.
We are booked to fly to Cyprus 14/10/21. Like others I saw that we weren’t travelling within 3 weeks so no need to fast track but didn’t see anything about a 10 week wait.

My parents have since had their renewals done within a week!

[Author]

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