Passport post farce
It took half an hour to complete an online application to the Passport Office, a lot of which was spent refining and downloading the photograph.
A week later they sent an email: “Your passport application has been approved.” Then another: “Your new passport is on its way” – just a week after that.
But it was at this point DHL took over. I went on to DHL’s site to find out about delivery, and was referred to their tracking service. It advised me to choose a delivery point, but the nearest “point relais” was a 160-km round trip.
I phoned them and was told that there was a relais point in my home town. Relieved, I called later in the day for an update and was told by another person that there is no relais point after all and I had either to go to Trélissac or wait at home for delivery between 9am and 6pm the following day!
I stayed in all day, which meant I had to cancel an appointment. At the end of the day, I called DHL several times, only to get an answer machine’s “try again later”.
The next morning, the tracking report said: “The estimated delivery date is ... unavailable.”
I called DHL again and was told that there IS a point relais in my home town. It was delivered there at that afternoon.
Bravo to the British Passport Office, thumbs down to DHL.
Clin BOND, Dordogne
