My rage?!
I have just spent 6 hours at the local passport office......and I am exhausted. My previous post I said that no matter what, I was going to get my passport today....no procrastinating this time, because I have a deadline for Vegas. Well, PRi, mom, and I decided to wake up early today and brave the lines to get our passports. It's a good thing it was a raging blizzard today, because I don't know how many more people would have been there with us.We started off going 20km/hr on the Whitemud...past 2 accidents before hitting the second exit, and then slowly made our way to downtown....thanks PRi for driving, by the way. When we finally got downtown, parked, and walked to Canada Place......we got into the long line of people who had been there for 2 hours already. It was only 8:20am. There should have been a sign saying "your wait time from this point: 3 hours" in the style of Disneyland. Mom talked to one of the managers to get a form for us for the "in lieu of guarantor" signature, as neither of us had someone who was available to sign. We then found out that there was no one at the passport office who would sign the form (although this is not what the application said), and had to find someone who could legally sign for us on our own. PRi held our place in line...while talking to a fellow line-waiter.......and mom and I ventured out into the blizzard to the Law Courts Building (where they confiscated my nursing scissors) and found out after arriving at the Queen's Bench that the only documents the Comissioner of Oaths would sign had to be of court origin. After a phone call to the registries where the receptionist had no idea that the notery public at the registry could sign the form and gave me no information on the phone, we couldn't find the way out of the building. Oh, and while lost, we ran into a lawyer that worked with mom years ago at the bank. He was able to point us in the right direction, thankfully.
Ok, so no go at the Law Courts building. On to City hall. No dice there either. The lady at the Civil Services desk said that she couldn't fill out the form for civilians. Great. Well, back into the snow, and over to the lawyer who said "come see me if you have no one who can sign". Thank goodness for him, otherwise we would have been up the proverbial creek with no paddle. While sitting in his office, we found out that our documents were filled in wrong, and were dated wrong. Hang on, here's a call from PRi......still in line at Canada Place......"I just passed the photo shop where they told me that my passport photo might be rejected, depending on the mood of the people in the office." Great. Will the lawyer sign the passport photos? No. He is not a guarantor. Back into the blizzard and find PRi in line. Have a coffee PRi. The lady in front of us gets her nephew to bring a different passport photo of herself. Three and a half hours later, we get to the PRE-SCREENING wicket. Mom and I find out that the lawyer needed to sign the photos in the first place. We were just there, he said no. Not good enough for the lady at the pre-screening wicket. Note it is lunch time now.
So into the blizzard again, Mom and I go back to the lawyer's office.....just in time to catch him before he leaves. Poor PRi is still holding our place in line. We get the photos signed, and back to Canada Place we go. An hour later we are still waiting to be called to the next available wicket. PRi's dad comes by....waits for a while.....gets tired of waiting...and back to work he goes. It is past lunch time now. Finally we get called up to one of the wickets. "Exact change is appreciated." Things go well, and we are off to find some much needed food. There are still 300 people lined up behind us, and more outside the office.
PRi is now curled up in the fetal position behind me. I think she needs to sleep. Mom and I need a drink. Oh and apparently our Vegas trip is a chance to bond with each other???
So yeah. I contemplated on lodging an official complaint with the passport office. It's one thing to be busy with the number of people getting their passports.....it's another to be completely oblivious with new changes (related to 9/11) and not even know what information....or lack thereof.....is on the website that they keep telling you to go to.
But I think I will just settle for a thank you gift to the lawyer....
posted by MorPRi @ 2:53 PM
2 Comments:
Hmmmm, you've just reminded me that my passport expires in two months.....so I printed off the application for a new one, and I've got to send it out soon, I guess. At least I won't have to wait in line for six hours!!!!
Wow, that sounds like hell. My passport application went remarkably smoothly. I waited in the first line for about ten minutes and waited to be seen for five minutes. My photos were rejected, but getting new ones was no problem, and Andy signed my first set, so that was easy, too. But, I've gotta say, I know all too well how stupid the federal government can be. >-p
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