The Postal Service is just fine. It works well.

I just don't trust the Passport Agency.

As far as Fed Ex is concerned, they left a signature required document under my doormat at home without requiring a signature. That was good, because it expedited matters, but I'm not sure it shows "good service". My mailbox would have been a safer place and thus I trust the USPS.

I decided to work through the senior Senator, because the other Senator and my Congressman are both newbies as of November.

I went to his local office today, and they e-mailed my info to their Washington office, where they have people working full time on passports.

Well, that's OK....essentially one has 3 opportunities to get special favors from these electeds without overdoing it....one each!

There isn't much work involved. My understanding is that a staffer emails the information to legislative liaison at the passport agency. There, someone tracks down the item, and orders it expedited, and then reports back via email. It's all very orderly.

I can tell what is not orderly, is finally getting through on the telephone to get an appointment 2 weeks out. I showed up at the passport office for my noon appointment, and was told that all appointments were running an hour late, to wait outside the building with the other 100 or so folks. "But, but, I have an appointment"!

I showed him my garbled passport, and was admitted to the interior line, waiting an hour to see the clerk who then gave me a number to wait to be called. I then looked at my ticket and saw the estimated wait was 3 plus hours. ...? I have an appointment!

Left the zoo, FedExed my inelligible passport back in, with expedite fee. It's up to a higher power at this point.

Bottom line, don't bother with an appointment, means nothing to them.

You know what else is not orderly?

Getting through on the phone to the toll-free number.

I tried early morning and late at night, even using the "110" trick to skip that excessively long introductory message. The &^#$% system wouldn't even let me wait to be put on hold like a normal call center. (I would have been willing to sit there with the receiver on my shoulder for as long as it took.) The system just kicked me off. In the evening, the "110" trick didn't even work, because instead of being sent back, I just got a busy signal and then silence.

"Your call is important to us" indeed!

That link I posted above from Senator Coleman's office describes part of the reason for the bottleneck, namely, that State outsourced processing of fees, but who designed the call center to kick people off and not even give them the opportunity to wait on hold? Making people constantly call back is going to *increase* the number of busy signals, right?

It makes me feel as if I'm trying to be the eighth caller in a radio station promotion.

I applied for new passports for my children 3/19/07 for travel 7/9/07. I was told at the US Post Office that processed the application (both parents and children had to be present) that it could take up to 10 weeks. No problem, I thought -- didn't need "expedite".

Well, still no passports and it's over 11 weeks. I was blindly trusting and didn't think to check online until the beginning of May --- could not locate the passports. Then I emailed and got a response back 4 days later with the confirmation numbers. HOWEVER, now I am wondering if they just "found" my applications and quickly entered them --- after the email, I could locate their applications online. The "your application is being processed" notice doesn't tell you anything. Now in one spot on the website, it says "10 to 12 weeks" whereas other spots still have "10 weeks".

My congressman's office said that I had to wait until 2 weeks before departure before they could do anything --- that the passport agency is not answering them unless that was the case. So I guess I have to keep waiting. Since I'm traveling the Monday after the 4th of July, I'll probably have additional backlog problems.

It really infuriates me that there are people with no travel plans soon, who didn't expedite, who are getting there passport back in a few weeks. Obviously there isn't a logical first-in-first-out type of fair system.

Stupid question - i have no choice but to send my renewal out today with expedite fee and hope for the best - but CAN I SEND a UPS next day air return with it or must it be postal service? Thanks!

Apparently not.

If there were, it would not only be fairer, but also better overall. I mean, if everyone who pays for standard processing gets their passports in 8 or 9 weeks, that would probably be fine. Then State and Congressional offices wouldn't be spending all this time tracking down delayed passports and people would be able to travel without a whole lot of frustration!

You can definitely send it there UPS but make sure you use the street address and not the PO Box. I'm pretty sure you can use UPS for the return, too. (I know that they use FedEx and USPS themselves.)

I had better success with "931". Listen through the messages the first time. When it's about to tell you goodbye, dial in 931, leaving about a second between numbers. It may take 40, 50, or more 931's but it does eventually work. I learned the 931 trick online and it dramatically reduced my frustration level.

I don't see why anyone here is bothering to call the 800 number.

Please hang up, and call your Congressman's office.

When I renew my passport, I certainly don't plan on sending in an expedite fee. They will get the regular fee, followed up...if necessary....with a call from my Congressman's office. Comes with free Fed Ex overnight....talk about premium service....right down FT's alley!

Are these latest batches of passports being produced with or without RFID chips?

Hey! it worked. After about twenty rounds of "931," the system stopped kicking me off and put me on hold--real hold, with music and announcements-- for ten minutes. I finally got to talk to a real person, but the computer she was working with was operating in molasses mode.

She was able to tell me one thing that I needed to know, which was whether my expedite request had gone through, and she said she THOUGHT I would probably get it by the 18th. Travel is scheduled for the 19th, with a possible two-day cushion before I miss the conference that is the purpose of the trip.

I'm still going to relay this information to my Congressman, since my Senator's office is slow in contacting me.

Anyway, this is just to report that "931" works if you're persistent enough.

Calling the 800 number is the equivalent of being happy seated in economy coach. That's not something FT people brag about.

With due respect, Reindeerflame, if you're not currently in the midst of this mess and dealing with it each day, you truly cannot comprehend what a HUGE deal it is to get through on the toll-free number (I belive it's an 877 number for what it's worth). In a previous post, you seemed pleased to report that you have no intention of expediting. I hope that you're ok with being without your passport for a minimum of 12 weeks.

I strongly discourage you from sending your passport in without expediting. This situation may only get worse once passports are required for all travel starting in January of 2008.

Here are a few links you might want to peruse to get a clearer perspective of the situation.

http://whirledview.typepad.com/whirl...ratic_sta.html

http://whirledview.typepad.com/whirl...ratic_sta.html

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=35004064

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...or_renewe.html