texas_ranger

I applied for a replacement childs passport for my eldest, and a new child passport for the baby. We fly on 29th June.

Timeline:
Mailed fedex overnight: 11th May 2010, arrived 12th May 2010
Payment taken : 27th May 2010

21st June : getting nervous - tried to call careline.
Can't call US careline from an AT&T phone (1-900 number).
PM'd Dean (British Consul) - no reply at time of writing this.
22nd June : Called UK number, can't accept card because their touchtone service is having difficulty with the phone line because I'm calling from the US.
Called careline: 23rd June - eventually my credit card went through. lady on phone said the application has not been touched since payment was taken. No notes on any application. Advised that it will take 3 working days to get the status of the application from Washington, starting 24th June (which takes us through to 28th June JUST TO GET THE STATUS!), and that they would put this through as an emergency.....
I'm now waiting for someone from the Embassy to contact me, but they don't think that the passports will be able to be physically processed in the short amount of time.

Holiday of a lifetime in the balance here....now into the 7th week since the application was mailed. USinUK website says 4 weeks...then contradicts in other places.
Shambles.....

mayhemuk

Payment taken for Juniors NEW passport on 19th May.
Wait. Wait. 2 calls to careline. Told 3-4 weeks from payment. Wait some more.
Called Careline last friday.
Passport arrived today. Issued 21st. Did intervention help or would have it occured anyway? No way of knowing.
No contact from DC or careline to enlighten.
Just glad to have it.

NB These new ones are very tech now! Don't think wil be able to keep this in the back pocket. The main page is so rigid and has a chip in it!

hedleycat

TexasRanger we're in the same boat- 4 years saving for this trip and no way to pay for tickets if we have to postpone! Right now I'm sending off for new birth certs and getting passport pics done to see if I can get replacement Canadian passports for kids, though I'm sure this will mess up application for UK passport...Careline no help whatsoever and I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown!

Demob Suit

My application to the embassy in DC for three passports (two renewals, one first-time) was mailed on May 11; CC charged on May 27. By June 23 nothing had happened (I am flying on June 30) but a call to Careline seems to have done the trick - all three passports arrived this morning. So sometimes the system does work.

Best, Alan

texas_ranger

The point is that the system doesn't work.
It shoudn't take an escalation a few days before travel to have to expedite. Planning and management should happen to organize load effectively. If there are capacity constraints, those should be addressed. If every passport has to get on the "royal train", processes and systems are truly broken.
It's not a cheap service either....

I'm pretty pissed at the situation - like the Honda adverts say "wouldn't it be nice if things just worked?".

texas_ranger

Yes, it seems UPS is the vehicle of communication between the establishment and the proles. No follow up or contact from anyone connected with the application, just a call from UPS this morning to say that an overnight airmail package is onroute, and to be there to sign for it. Nothing to say who it was from, so a quick visit to the UPS website, plug in the tracking number confirms that the package is coming from DC....2+2 thankfully = 4 this time, but I called the careline straight after checking the website to confirm. Another $10 later, confirmed the passports were processed and were in the mail.

So broken.

Demob Suit

I agree that the Embassy's website should be more emphatic about the need to send in applications for first-time passports much earlier than the recommended four weeks - and they should also be clearer that those four weeks are from the date of credit card charge, not the date of receipt. That's an issue of poor communication.

But that being said, both Careline and the Washington embassy did deal with my situation promptly and they deserve credit for that. Others' experience may have been very different.

Best, Alan

texas_ranger

I feel for you...it's so frustrating. I suggest to PM Dean (British Consul).

Colin

hedleycat

Thanks, the wonderful Dean messaged me last night to let me know the passports would be in the mail today or Monday and be here before we are due to leave, so fingers crossed I should get them soon. I have no finger nails left!

British Consul

I'd encourage you to feed your comments/suggestions/ideas about the passport service to our team in London. Follow this link to our website to complete the customer satisfaction survey: http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-fo...edback-service

Dean

hedleycat

Called Careline again today to be told passports printed and ready for final check and would be sent out today or tomorrow. I was given a UPS tracking number but having looked that up it makes no sense and says my package "has experienced an exception". What does this mean????? Also seems to say my package was returned from Winnipeg to the Embassy on May 18th but again this makes no sense as passports just being printed! Help! I'm not going to get them in time am I?

British Consul

I've responded to your PM. The UPS tracking numbers are part of a batch issued to the UK Passport Service. The tracking information usually kicks in within 24 hours of the passport leaving Passport Service operations.

Dean

hedleycat

Thank you so much Dean

They went on the move last night and are now in Winnipeg on time for delivery today.
I've never been so relieved about anything in my life!

I filled out the survey you linked and will send a complaint about Careline as they are next to useless and expensive.

Thanks again for all your help you are a star!!!

Paeanmd

Hi

I am new to this forum. I found this site because I am in a bind. I applied for new passport because my old one expired over 10 years ago. I sent my application in and my payment was taken June 8 but I am to fly out july 8. I called careline last week and they said my application was
being processed and if I didn't recieved my passport but last Thursday to call back. When I didn't recieved it I called yesterday and they said they would escalate it and I should recieve a call frm dc embassy by tuesday. I remembered that monday is a holiday so i called the careline number again and now they say I will get a call by Wednesday!
I need the passports by then. What I hate is there is no simple way to get information and there is no one to call directly. Do you think calling my local embassy here in Atlanta will help? Please I need any help possible.

ian-mstm

Contact Dean (memberID = British Consul) two posts above yours. Yes, he really is the British Consul.

Ian