[uk2us93]

I just called the British Embassy in Washington DC to see if i could get any information about what to do to have my passport renewal taken care of ...i spoke to the nastiest little man who had the most unpleasant disposition of any individual i have ever had the displeasure to speak to...in short and believe me he was very short with me advised i call the careline . when i explained i already had he asked me what did i want him to do about it and hung up the phone ..... I called back and low and behold the same man answered the phone this time i asked to speak to a manager or supervisor he at this point started to stutter told me and told me there wasnt one ...... he demanded to know what it was in reference to and then said your the woman that just called here and hung up .......and this is our Embassy

[ian-mstm]

Originally Posted by uk2us93 ... how in the world are these things processed because some of the people on here mailed they apps after mine and have rcvd them...

It seems you subscribe to the concept of "first in, first out". Such is not the way that applications are processed. If they were, then you'd be waiting until the guy who applied 3 months ago was finished before they ever got to your application... not to mention everyone else who applied before you did.

Ian

[Jhutchnz]

Has anyone here made a payment with a money order? I paid with one from USPS and I cannot track it. Does this make the process faster or slower? Probably doesnt make a difference.. Just wanted to know if it REALLY made a difference.

Departure Date: May 19th 2011

[uk2us93]

Originally Posted by Jhutchnz Has anyone here made a payment with a money order? I paid with one from USPS and I cannot track it. Does this make the process faster or slower? Probably doesnt make a difference.. Just wanted to know if it REALLY made a difference. Departure Date: May 19th 2011

Nope not a bit of a difference i paid my money order it was cashed April 6th and still no passport i have the same travel date ...did you call the Care line they can at least let you know the status.

[Jhutchnz]

Originally Posted by uk2us93 Nope not a bit of a difference i paid my money order it was cashed April 6th and still no passport i have the same travel date ...did you call the Care line they can at least let you know the status.

I will today. It will be a month on the 11th May since they "signed" for it!! Though I sent it before that day. Anywho, I am getting kinda stressed out.. but trying not to. This forum has helped a lot.

If you do not mind me asking, has your PP come yet? will you just get an ER passport?

[uk2us93]

Originally Posted by Jhutchnz I will today. It will be a month on the 11th May since they "signed" for it!! Though I sent it before that day. Anywho, I am getting kinda stressed out.. but trying not to. This forum has helped a lot. If you do not mind me asking, has your PP come yet? will you just get an ER passport?

No hun they have had my app since March 22nd and still no passport..... i am hoping it wont have to come to an ER passport.... i am returning to the UK for the first time in 18 years great welcome back lol....but from reading the thread if you call careline often enough its possible to get your pp issued immediately ....

[Jhutchnz]

Originally Posted by uk2us93 No hun they have had my app since March 22nd and still no passport..... i am hoping it wont have to come to an ER passport.... i am returning to the UK for the first time in 18 years great welcome back lol....but from reading the thread if you call careline often enough its possible to get your pp issued immediately ....

18 YEARS!!! WOW.. I am dying to see family after 4..
But I hope you get there..
I will call CL today.. I think from the house line (lucky I have one)
Keep us posted PLEASSSSSSSSSSSE!!

[liveinthesunshine]

I am absolutely horrified to read this thread! Someone in the Embassy hung up on you? Who are these people working for our government? Possibly the same ones who have not answered 3 of my emails regarding the status of my new passport.

For me, they received my application on March 14th, took payment April 7th... and I'm still waiting. I told them I had a travel date of 1st May (not too far from the truth as I need to change visa status here in Bolivia very soon) and yet nothing. I have spoken to Careline countless times... they seem to me to be there to deflect any flak and of course make money for their boss.

They are unable to escalate your case until 4 weeks after they payment is processed as 4 weeks from PAYMENT is the agreed service level.What a joke. For me 4 weeks expires on Thursday.

Has anyone on this thread put in a complaint to Washington? The whole process is ridiculous but they do seem to be taking it to a new level. Anybody got an email address to send the complaint to? They want to receive complaints via snail mail (presumably to cut down the complainers) - they've got another think coming. I am not going to shell out $US25 dollars for a courier (the postal service here in Bolivia is less than reliable).

Fingers crossed for everybody waiting for a passport.

[techgeekwill]

I got in touch with my local consulate yesterday since my CC hadn't been charged and my travel date is May 15th. They took my information and said they'd call the Embassy and see where it's stalled at.

Sure enough, I got a charge on my CC for the passport this morning. I also got another call back from the consulate and have an appointment scheduled next Friday for an ETD if my passport doesn't arrive.

I'd suggest waiting until a few weeks before your travel date and contacting your consulate to schedule an ETD. I know this isn't a good option for people living far from a consulate, but it's better than nothing.

[Jhutchnz]

Originally Posted by techgeekwill I got in touch with my local consulate yesterday since my CC hadn't been charged and my travel date is May 15th. They took my information and said they'd call the Embassy and see where it's stalled at. Sure enough, I got a charge on my CC for the passport this morning. I also got another call back from the consulate and have an appointment scheduled next Friday for an ETD if my passport doesn't arrive. I'd suggest waiting until a few weeks before your travel date and contacting your consulate to schedule an ETD. I know this isn't a good option for people living far from a consulate, but it's better than nothing.

I am following your example. Thank you for posting

[British Consul]

Originally Posted by uk2us93 I just called the British Embassy in Washington DC to see if i could get any information about what to do to have my passport renewal taken care of ...i spoke to the nastiest little man who had the most unpleasant disposition of any individual i have ever had the displeasure to speak to...in short and believe me he was very short with me advised i call the careline . when i explained i already had he asked me what did i want him to do about it and hung up the phone ..... I called back and low and behold the same man answered the phone this time i asked to speak to a manager or supervisor he at this point started to stutter told me and told me there wasnt one ...... he demanded to know what it was in reference to and then said your the woman that just called here and hung up .......and this is our Embassy

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. There are a couple of things I can suggest you do to take this forward, although I should also point out that the British Embassy in Washington doesn't issue passports or take enquiries about passport applications. Passports are the responsibility of the Identity and Passport Service which is based in Washington, but not part of the Embassy.

To complain about the way your call was handled, you should write to the following address. Give the telephone number you called from, the number you called in Washington and the date and time you called:

Counsellor (Corporate Services)
British Embassy
3100 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington DC 20008

To complain about the Passport Service, you can write to:

Identity and Passport Service
Regional Passport Processing Centre Manager
19 Observatory Circle NW
Washington DC 20008

You can also provide your feedback on the passport service by completing the following on-line form: http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-fo...edback-service (it's important you select the "Apply for/renew passport" from the drop down menu as the other option "lost or stolen passport" refers to the service you would normally get from a consulate).

If you would like to make a complaint about the Passport Information Helpline which is operated by Careline Services, you can email: ukpassportserviceUSAcanada@careline-services.co.uk

I hope this helps.

[Jerseygirl]

Originally Posted by British Consul I'm sorry to hear about your experience. There are a couple of things I can suggest you do to take this forward, although I should also point out that the British Embassy in Washington doesn't issue passports or take enquiries about passport applications. Passports are the responsibility of the Identity and Passport Service which is based in Washington, but not part of the Embassy. To complain about the way your call was handled, you should write to the following address. Give the telephone number you called from, the number you called in Washington and the date and time you called: Counsellor (Corporate Services) British Embassy 3100 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington DC 20008 To complain about the Passport Service, you can write to: Identity and Passport Service Regional Passport Processing Centre Manager 19 Observatory Circle NW Washington DC 20008 You can also provide your feedback on the passport service by completing the following on-line form: http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-fo...edback-service (it's important you select the "Apply for/renew passport" from the drop down menu as the other option "lost or stolen passport" refers to the service you would normally get from a consulate). If you would like to make a complaint about the Passport Information Helpline which is operated by Careline Services, you can email: ukpassportserviceUSAcanada@careline-services.co.uk I hope this helps.

Thank you Dean for taking the time and trouble to address this issue.

[JAJ]

Originally Posted by British Consul I'm sorry to hear about your experience. There are a couple of things I can suggest you do to take this forward, although I should also point out that the British Embassy in Washington doesn't issue passports or take enquiries about passport applications. Passports are the responsibility of the Identity and Passport Service which is based in Washington, but not part of the Embassy.

The FCO home page suggests it is still responsible for passports outside the UK:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-...ad/passports1/

Given the ongoing problems with issuing passports in Washington, the sooner processing moves to the UK the better. For whatever reason, the Passport Office in Britain doesn't have these regular crises of "excessive demand" - at least, not since 1999. When there was a lot of attention focused on the Passport Office and how they run their operations.

[AmerLisa]

We are still waiting on my husband's passport..... I won't even post the time line again. Anyway, it would seem that the people who are getting their passports finally, are the ones that are complaining..... I'll give it this week, but it makes me wonder that if I don't complain, we'll still be wondering where the passport is in August.

[Englishmum]

Originally Posted by British Consul I'm sorry to hear about your experience. There are a couple of things I can suggest you do to take this forward, although I should also point out that the British Embassy in Washington doesn't issue passports or take enquiries about passport applications. Passports are the responsibility of the Identity and Passport Service which is based in Washington, but not part of the Embassy. To complain about the way your call was handled, you should write to the following address. Give the telephone number you called from, the number you called in Washington and the date and time you called: Counsellor (Corporate Services) British Embassy 3100 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington DC 20008 To complain about the Passport Service, you can write to: Identity and Passport Service Regional Passport Processing Centre Manager 19 Observatory Circle NW Washington DC 20008 You can also provide your feedback on the passport service by completing the following on-line form: http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-fo...edback-service (it's important you select the "Apply for/renew passport" from the drop down menu as the other option "lost or stolen passport" refers to the service you would normally get from a consulate). If you would like to make a complaint about the Passport Information Helpline which is operated by Careline Services, you can email: ukpassportserviceUSAcanada@careline-services.co.uk I hope this helps.

Very kind of you Dean to post this information.

JG - perhaps you may consider placing this info in a 'sticky' at the top of the USA forum?