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Not impressed with the Passport Office



gregbrighton

New member
Aug 10, 2014
2,059
Brighton
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

New member
Aug 12, 2014
119
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
 




Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patreon
Oct 27, 2003
20,938
The arse end of Hangleton
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.
 








Tom Hark Preston Park

Will Post For Cash
Jul 6, 2003
69,880
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 :lol:
 








KZNSeagull

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
19,693
Wolsingham, County Durham
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

Well-known member
Jan 20, 2010
12,948
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.
 




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

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
30,179
West, West, West Sussex
Phew, thanks for reminding me. Need to renew mine before hols in August this year and I'd forgotten :thumbsup:
 


deletebeepbeepbeep

Well-known member
May 12, 2009
20,890
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

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Mar 27, 2013
52,020
Burgess Hill
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.
 




happypig

Staring at the rude boys
May 23, 2009
7,935
Eastbourne
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 :lol:

"Sir, please stop swearing at the machine"
 


maltaseagull

Well-known member
Feb 25, 2009
12,938
Zabbar- Malta
I renewed mine here in Malta in 2006. Now I have to send it to Paris!!!
 



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