Not impressed with the Passport Office

[gregbrighton]

Renewed my passport and it only took a week for it to be processed. Great.

But it came back in a passport sized envelope with mahoosive big lettering on the front:

HER MAJESTY'S PASSPORT OFFICE

I mean how more obvious could it be for an unscrupulous postman or sorter to pick off?

The new passport has a thick card cover and my details are on the front instead of the back of it. The actual page with the photo is very poor quality though. It's almost like a poor colour photocopy. Disappointing. Has anyone else found this?

 

[Shipley8312]

Renewed my passport and it only took a week for it to be processed. Great.

But it came back in a passport sized envelope with mahoosive big lettering on the front:

HER MAJESTY'S PASSPORT OFFICE

I mean how more obvious could it be for an unscrupulous postman or sorter to pick off?

The new passport has a thick card cover and my details are on the front instead of the back of it. The actual page with the photo is very poor quality though. It's almost like a poor colour photocopy. Disappointing. Has anyone else found this?

i just had a interview in crawley for my first passport and they were more interested in my missus than me from their line of questions

 

[gregbrighton]

I didn't know they did interviews.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Renewed my passport and it only took a week for it to be processed. Great.

But it came back in a passport sized envelope with mahoosive big lettering on the front:

HER MAJESTY'S PASSPORT OFFICE

I mean how more obvious could it be for an unscrupulous postman or sorter to pick off?

The new passport has a thick card cover and my details are on the front instead of the back of it. The actual page with the photo is very poor quality though. It's almost like a poor colour photocopy. Disappointing. Has anyone else found this?

They are delivered via a secure private courier service that the passport office contract with. They are not delivered by your normal postie and they don't go through the sorting office.

 

[chimneys]

i just had a interview in crawley for my first passport and they were more interested in my missus than me from their line of questions

of your wife (to see if their interest was justified)!

 

[Shipley8312]

I didn't know they did interviews.

if its ur first passport they do would of been better to just check my finger prints lol

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Renewed my passport and it only took a week for it to be processed. Great.

But it came back in a passport sized envelope with mahoosive big lettering on the front:

HER MAJESTY'S PASSPORT OFFICE

I mean how more obvious could it be for an unscrupulous postman or sorter to pick off?

The new passport has a thick card cover and my details are on the front instead of the back of it. The actual page with the photo is very poor quality though. It's almost like a poor colour photocopy. Disappointing. Has anyone else found this?

Having renewed my passport about a year ago, have to say that IMHO the Passport Office has raised its game highly commendably from my previous renewal about, uh, eleven years ago. Previously they outsourced it to some scummy white van company called Special Mail Services who seemed to specialise in nothing more than a) slipping a 'You Were Out when we Called' card through your letterbox when you'd taken a day off work to stay in and wait for them b) having the scummiest website in christendom and c) having all the customer call centre skills of the white van driver doing a double shift. Don't really care that I look like King Edward The Spud on my passport photo, they issued it, they can take responsibility for it. Besides suspect its got something to do with that chip and pin type thing on the front cover, y'know that one that causes all the geeks to queue up for at LGW for automatic scanning because they don't wish to interact with a human so they end up queueing twice as long with all the other geeks

 

[Shipley8312]

of your wife (to see if their interest was justified)!

thats the odd thing she wasnt there lol

 

[gregbrighton]

They are delivered via a secure private courier service that the passport office contract with. They are not delivered by your normal postie and they don't go through the sorting office.

Ah. Thank-goodness for that.

 

[KZNSeagull]

No, recently renewed mine. Took a while to process due to me being overseas, but the passport was received safely along with the other documents and id books I had to send to prove who I was. Overall, a very good service I thought.

 

[knocky1]

If stamped PORN or Grandchild's Birthday Card with £10 note included the Postman would grab it, unless it was a Passport for Shipley8312's wife, of course.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

They are delivered via a secure private courier service that the passport office contract with. They are not delivered by your normal postie and they don't go through the sorting office.

... And, in the case of Lady Bracknell's last passport, it was delivered to an address half a mile away, with no knock on the door to get a signature. Fortunately, the occupant of the house in question happened to know where we live.

 

[pasty]

Phew, thanks for reminding me. Need to renew mine before hols in August this year and I'd forgotten

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Not received mine yet but really impressed with the turn around, sent it to them on Monday,m got a text on Wednesday telling me they had received it and another text today telling me it will soon be in the post!

 

[dazzer6666]

Had to get a visa a couple of weeks ago for a trip, realised I didn't have two adjacent blank pages in my passport. Called them up, made an appointment for one working day later, turned up at the office in Victoria with old passport, renewal form and a set of new photos. Was in and out in 15 minutes and had new passport 4 hours later. Remarkable.

 

[Hampster Gull]

 

[happypig]

Besides suspect its got something to do with that chip and pin type thing on the front cover, y'know that one that causes all the geeks to queue up for at LGW for automatic scanning because they don't wish to interact with a human so they end up queueing twice as long with all the other geeks

"Sir, please stop swearing at the machine"

 

[maltaseagull]

I renewed mine here in Malta in 2006. Now I have to send it to Paris!!!