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I have already begun my rant elsewhere but better to condense it here to spare anyone else the lack-lustre experience I have had thus far with the PO's "special service":

I used the PO check & send service for my first adult passport last week Thursday with the assurance that application packs were sent off every day by SD. This is after all what the website markets and charges for. Upon submission of my application, I was given a date stamped receipt but no tracking number to confirm delivery. I also noticed the transparent pouch my application and valuable documents were placed in and left in another plastic folder on a shelf. When queried the PO agent said these were official secure carriers. Certainly didn't look so from where I stood. Anyway...

Fast forward to this Thursday and I began wondering why the IPS hadn't confirmed receipt of my application (as has been the case for most other applicants) and decided to ring them this morning. Was I in for a surprise! The agent checked the system which showed that my application was only received yesterday (Thursday). I couldn't understand how a SD service took 7 days so paid my local PO a visit to complain. I got told:

"We do send applications off every day but IPS normally record the date that details are entered in the system as the delivery date". I wasn't buying this and asked for a tracking number for my application but the agent refused giving me one, apparently he couldn't. I was asked to ring the PO complaints team who should be able to track when my application was delivered. So, I got home and called...

The complaints team took my details (name and application ref barcode) and contacted my PO branch who were able to provide a tracking number(!). I got told that my application was delivered this Tuesday as I lodged it last Friday and the ffg Monday was a BH. I corrected the lady that my appointment was the Thursday so she went off to double check and came back saying that staff at my local branch are saying differently. Good thing I had my stamped receipt which showed the date and time of my visit. So...I eventually got transferred to a manager who, after explaining the whole situation and refusing his explanation of there being no guarantee of next day delivery, lodged a formal complaint for this to be investigated.

I should hear back from the PO complaints team within 10 working days and have made it clear that I will be seeking a full refund if it is found that staff failed to act on the service contract paid for and also they dishonestly and verbally falsifying the date of my visit to suit.

So far I have found this well marketed service dubious. It seems neither secure (certainly no more than a standard SD) nor reliable. The IPS might also want to investigate why confidential and valuable documents such as completed applications, passports, naturalisation, marriage and birth certificates are packaged, stored and transported in flimsy transparent pockets. People's personal data can easily be intercepted or breached merely by picking one up and reading through the pocket. I do not want to imagine the options available when applications are left in the PO overnight (or for days) before being sent off. <shudder>

I will report back when I hear from the PO complaints team.

Thanks for reading and pls share outcomes of similar circumstances.

Let's hope all works out and you can put this all behind you...

Me too.

To be fair, most people have a trouble free experience. The posting was only one day late. Take a deep breath and you'll have your passport soon.

D4109125 wrote:To be fair, most people have a trouble free experience. The posting was only one day late. Take a deep breath and you'll have your passport soon.

In perspective, yes, the delay was for only one day. It is not the eagerness to receive my passport that has sparked my (earlier) fury, it is the misleading information I got from the PO staff re. what the service I was paying for provided; them lying about the date I submitted my application to match the (late) delivery date and also their overall laissez-faire attitude when I went in to complain.

I know that my application will be processed w/out issues and, this may not be a rampant incident, but I am not brushing it off as a 'mishap' or as 'one of those things'. I will be seeking a full refund for what was a farcical service.

I second your thoughts mate, I was also under the impression that they would use the next day special delivery but my application reached them after 3 working days which clearly is not special next day delivery.

Yes, they do bend the certificate without realising the value it may hold to some people. But, guess what, if you are concerned about PO folding your naturalization certificate then wait for the return of documents from IPS, you would not complain about PO folding the certificate then - they had crammed my certificate and passport in an envelope and send it through DX courier.

So even if you had used 'do-not bend' and send the application yourself the return of certificate from IPS would definitely have had the unpleasent horizontal line.

destiniation_london wrote:I second your thoughts mate, I was also under the impression that they would use the next day special delivery but my application reached them after 3 working days which clearly is not special next day delivery.

Yes, they do bend the certificate without realising the value it may hold to some people. But, guess what, if you are concerned about PO folding your naturalization certificate then wait for the return of documents from IPS, you would not complain about PO folding the certificate then - they had crammed my certificate and passport in an envelope and send it through DX courier.

So even if you had used 'do-not bend' and send the application yourself the return of certificate from IPS would definitely have had the unpleasent horizontal line.

I returned to close off this discussion and just saw your post.

I have received a response to my complaint from the PO. It didn't surprise me to be faced with generic paragraphs of texts that did little to address my concerns. I have thought better of it and will not bother pursuing this any further as the benefit of an £8.25 refund will be quickly absorbed by telephone costs, my time and energy.

In my view the PO check and send service is not particularly useful. A self-sent SD package will be guaranteed for next day delivery (with a refund if service standards aren't met) so I do not see the point of a check and send that can apparently not guarantee a next day delivery.

Yes, the manner and state in which my docs and certificate were returned by DX was unbelievable. I paid £3 extra for my valuable docs to be transported in a plain white envelope with a non-tamperproof gum seal - very reassuring! I complained during my IPS interview and was greeted with a wry smile that I interpreted to mean "it's no big deal; this is how we operate".

The whole experience was underwhelming, disappointing and did not imbue any confidence that the IPS cares as much about identity protection as they imply.

For first passport application check and send, post office does nothing apart from posting all the documents to IPS.

In my opinion, check and send is just a waste of money for first passport applications.

Ayyubi72 wrote:In my opinion, check and send is just a waste of money for first passport applications.

It's simply a waste of money.

This thread is helpful to me as I've been debating over whether to use the check and send service or not. I only really want to use it because payment is taken straight away.

Do you think paying straight away using check and send makes the passport application process quicker than paying by sending in the payment form? Or do you think it makes no difference?