‘It’s just endless. They don’t know how to do their jobs’

KATY BISHOP, of Sandown on the Isle of Wight, is due to travel to Gran Canaria on Aug 13 with husband Clive, 45, and their sons Aydin, 12, and Teddy, four.

She applied for Teddy’s first passport and to renew hers in the first week of April, mindful that the pandemic would lead to delays.

There has now been a wait of more than 100 days with their holiday “up in the air” because of the delay.

“There’s been a couple of errors,” Mrs Bishop said. “I applied for both passports at the same time but when you apply you have to send supporting documents. Both applications needed my marriage certificate but wanted the document to go to separate addresses.

“It took quite some time processing it in the first place. They said they would link the applications so I wouldn’t have to worry, so I sent it off to one of the addresses with a letter, but then they sent the documents back to me and never linked the applications. Then they said something went wrong and they needed the marriage certificate back.

“They received it on April 19, but didn’t acknowledge it until April 25.

“They said it’s processing and again told me I need to send my marriage certificate, which they already have. I can’t get through on the phone because you’re on hold and then they cut you off and arrange a callback, but it takes 24 hours, and whenever I get a reply I have to wait another 24 hours.

“It’s just endless and I’m fed up. They just don’t know how to do their jobs from the ones I’ve spoken to. We applied at the beginning of April and I’m actually quite worried we won’t get our holiday in four weeks. And then you see other people who applied two or three weeks ago and they’ve got their passport. Why are they not going through the system? It just makes me really angry.”