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Passport Delays

Passport Delays

Old May 12th 2009, 6:52 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

We got our passport yesterday! It had actually been processed on Thursday so I'm not sure why it took 3 days to ship instead of the overnight delivery I thought we paid for! We had actually called Abtran on Wednesday so it's possible that that could have sped it up.

Also I went on the Embassy site on Friday and completed the customer survey and at the end of that there was an email address for the customer service and complaints department which I hadn't found anywhere else on the site. I emailed both of these my situation and received an email back on Monday to say that the passport had been completed on Thursday and to expect it today. So obviously this didn't help speed up my passport but it may help others since they did reply very quickly.

I also emailed Dan the British Consulate member on this forum who was extremely helpful.

So my passport took just under 6 weeks to come. Good luck to everybody waiting!
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Old May 12th 2009, 10:32 pm
  #17  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

I used the email address you mentioned. I got an "out of the office" automated reply. I am still waiting for a response. You were just lucky??
I wish there was an efficient way to sort through all this incompetence ,mis-information and lack of communication.There isn't so I'll get a second passport.
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Old May 13th 2009, 11:57 am
  #18  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

I sent an application to renew my daughter's passport on April 14th, back when it said that it would take 10 working days to process it. I got back the card saying that they have received the application.
We got tickets to London for the 24th of June and since they have not even taken the payment I am now worried. Time to start calling them I guess. Just another way for Abtran to make extra $$ from the phone calls.
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Old May 13th 2009, 2:25 pm
  #19  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

Forget Abtran - based on my experience their $180/hr information is rubbish.
Suggest you fax/call/write the Embassy until you find someone who cares.
Good Luck !
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Old May 13th 2009, 6:18 pm
  #20  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

Hey there,

I'm a complete novice at this, and signed up through desperation.

I had my passport stolen a month ago, and applied for a new one. Payment was taken on May 6, and so i assume it might be another 6 weeks from now?

So it leaves me to question: for those of us who are travelling (not back to the UK straight away), what options are there? Emergency documents - no, a passport that doesn't take 8 weeks - surely not the only possibility...

And add to this that i can't ever actually speak to anybody about this, and by the sounds of things Abtran is a waste of time. I was thinking of sending fax, email, letters - let alone complaints - about the service and to hopefully get my passport within the next month. Any other suggestions????

Please please please, i'm totally baffled by how it can take so long and there can be such minimal possibility of tracking the processing - let alone the cheek to charge worrying people who have had their passport stolen an arm and a leg to speak to nobody...

Thanks,

Tom
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Old May 13th 2009, 6:34 pm
  #21  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

Thanks for voicing your concerns and taking an active approach to this passport chaos issue. If we inform the Embassy, they have an opportunity to fix the problem. I suggest in my very limited but awful experience that you have to spend much time (& money) contacting anyone connected with the issue. The essence of democracy is that the diligent citizen informs the government of their failings?
There is a member of this forum who may be able to help but I suspect he is swamped with such requests. His name is Dean "British Consul". I hope he has a very large staff..........
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Old May 13th 2009, 6:38 pm
  #22  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

This link may help:
http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/our-off...akingcomplaint
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Old May 13th 2009, 6:42 pm
  #23  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

I did send an email this morning to the address on the customer survey...didn't even receive the automated reply yet but this afternoon the bank is showing that the embassy charged the account on Monday, 11th of May.
If we don't my daughter's passport by 23rd of June we are in big trouble
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Old May 13th 2009, 7:17 pm
  #24  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

Thanks Tony.

I've sent an email, and will get the fax/letters off now. I truly think that the service is awful given the number of people that must be worrying about this. I think that we really should try to raise issue with the Embassy to see that service is improved.

I seem now to be in the position you were a week or two back. It is making me rather anxious i have to say. Which numbers did you call at the embassy and did you speak to anyone there? Or was it all Abtran? On a purely selfish note i really do need the passport by the start of next month...
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Old May 13th 2009, 7:37 pm
  #25  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

Oh no , nobody ever replies except Dean the hero in all this.
Fax # is the Chancery on the Embassy website. It is really a shotgun approach and I have no idea who the heroes and villains are.
This wastes a lot of time and involves people who have better things to do but until they fix the problem and give accurate answers to simple questions it will only get worse as the holiday season approaches?
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Old May 13th 2009, 7:40 pm
  #26  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

Originally Posted by Catgirl
I did send an email this morning to the address on the customer survey...didn't even receive the automated reply yet but this afternoon the bank is showing that the embassy charged the account on Monday, 11th of May.
If we don't my daughter's passport by 23rd of June we are in big trouble
In my case the date of charging was meaningless.See my chronology elsewhere.
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Old May 13th 2009, 8:05 pm
  #27  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

Originally Posted by aliandchris
We got our passport yesterday! It had actually been processed on Thursday so I'm not sure why it took 3 days to ship instead of the overnight delivery I thought we paid for! We had actually called Abtran on Wednesday so it's possible that that could have sped it up.

Also I went on the Embassy site on Friday and completed the customer survey and at the end of that there was an email address for the customer service and complaints department which I hadn't found anywhere else on the site. I emailed both of these my situation and received an email back on Monday to say that the passport had been completed on Thursday and to expect it today. So obviously this didn't help speed up my passport but it may help others since they did reply very quickly.

I also emailed Dan the British Consulate member on this forum who was extremely helpful.

So my passport took just under 6 weeks to come. Good luck to everybody waiting!
aliandchris....

What were the email addresses that you sent and which were replied to fairly quickly? I have the feedback.consular.services one, but any others would be much appreciated.

Thanks.


Tom
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Old May 13th 2009, 11:29 pm
  #28  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

Originally Posted by TonyD
In my case the date of charging was meaningless.See my chronology elsewhere.
OMG! Thanks TonyD
This is ridiculous. At the time we applied their website said 10 working days so we were crazy enough to go buy tickets x4 to London followed by another trip to visit family.
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Old May 14th 2009, 3:03 pm
  #29  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

I sent my passport application in and it was received on the 22nd of April. I haven't had any kind of card saying it was received. Are you meant to have some kind of acknowledgment, because if you are, I don't have it.

I am boiling mad. We've been looking forward to our trip in June for seven months now, ever since our baby daughter died. This trip was put out there as something to look forward to - to keep us going. My dad is paying. He can't even book tickets from his end (Britain) until he has my passport number, issue date and expiration date. I am not that worried about getting the passport in time, but the point is, we can't even book the tickets if we don't have the bloody passport and if this goes on much longer, we can't afford the tickets!

My kids haven't ever seen the sea or been on a plane. My partner hasn't had a holiday in 18 years. If we can't go in June, we cannot go at all this year. This is completely awful.

I've sent an email, and I will be sending a letter of complaint I've written off to the embassy and the passport center later today.

This is so totally insane. I can't believe they charge $2.60 a minute to call Abtran. American Immigration gives you more information than this and they're free - and that's really saying something. It's just disgusting that you have to have a credit card to talk to someone about passport status. I am SO angry right now.

Absolutely ridiculous. Someone has to do something about this. We need to picket out there or something.
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Old May 14th 2009, 3:54 pm
  #30  
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Default Re: Passport Delays

We'll be right there with you.
We got a card back saying they had received the application because I sent it certified mail.
Let's just hope they get their act together.
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