Submitted my passport application to replace my previous one. An exercise in practicing "Om Mani Padme Hung". There were two main points of aggravation.
Firstly that the exercise was necessary at all. I had lost my wallet containing my passport about five weeks ago. I realised it was missing the following day, and I searched for it in all the places I had been, and then went to Aylesbury police station to report the loss. They took details and suggested that as I had been in Milton Keynes, I report it to Milton Keynes police as well. I phoned them up, to be told they had had the wallet handed in; was available; but had been transferred to the police station in the shopping centre. I drove over to recover it, and found two things - one all the cash had been taken out of it, but not the cards, or passport, or innoculation record. However the police, as they are bound to, had returned the passport to the Passport Office for cancellation. I rang the Passport Office to be told I had to make a full renewal application and there was no possibility of continuing with the old one. The passport had been out of my possession for no more than 19 hours, so it is unlikely that anything bad could have happened to the passport in that time, particularly as it had been in police hands for some time.
The post office I attended to have my application checked and submitted had two counters - the main one, and one labelled "Travel Services" and "Bureau de Change". I had obtained the application form from the latter, so queued up behind somebody trying to change a large volume of $100 dollar bills, and encountering the Post Office's interpretation of anti-forgery regulations. As a consequence dealing with this individual took some considerable time before I could get to the counter. When I did finally get to the counter, I was told that they did not deal with passport applications there, and I needed to queue for the main counter. So I joined the queue which was considerably larger than when I had arrived at the post office. ARRRRGH !!!
When I got to the counter, I was dealt with efficiently and properly, the woman dealing with me being friendly and courteous which mitigated the situation.
Ah well, onwards and upwards.
Firstly that the exercise was necessary at all. I had lost my wallet containing my passport about five weeks ago. I realised it was missing the following day, and I searched for it in all the places I had been, and then went to Aylesbury police station to report the loss. They took details and suggested that as I had been in Milton Keynes, I report it to Milton Keynes police as well. I phoned them up, to be told they had had the wallet handed in; was available; but had been transferred to the police station in the shopping centre. I drove over to recover it, and found two things - one all the cash had been taken out of it, but not the cards, or passport, or innoculation record. However the police, as they are bound to, had returned the passport to the Passport Office for cancellation. I rang the Passport Office to be told I had to make a full renewal application and there was no possibility of continuing with the old one. The passport had been out of my possession for no more than 19 hours, so it is unlikely that anything bad could have happened to the passport in that time, particularly as it had been in police hands for some time.
The post office I attended to have my application checked and submitted had two counters - the main one, and one labelled "Travel Services" and "Bureau de Change". I had obtained the application form from the latter, so queued up behind somebody trying to change a large volume of $100 dollar bills, and encountering the Post Office's interpretation of anti-forgery regulations. As a consequence dealing with this individual took some considerable time before I could get to the counter. When I did finally get to the counter, I was told that they did not deal with passport applications there, and I needed to queue for the main counter. So I joined the queue which was considerably larger than when I had arrived at the post office. ARRRRGH !!!
When I got to the counter, I was dealt with efficiently and properly, the woman dealing with me being friendly and courteous which mitigated the situation.
Ah well, onwards and upwards.
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