I'm not sure if I should make a big deal out of this or not.  but it pisses me off.

my passport expired in December.  I'd been fortunate enough to have done some traveling, so had quite a few stamps in it.  wife and I plan to hit Puerto Vallarta this summer, so needed to get my passport renewed (yes, people say you can still us the birth cert, but I have a passport so.....)

3 weeks ago I send in my renewal app, check for $75, 2 pictures (last round of form 4 my kind LEO buddy took 4 pics rather than 2 ) and the expired passport.  wife did her straight application at the same time.  she gets her passport in a week.  yesterday a fat envelope shows up for me, but its more applications and a letter.

in short, they lost my passport.  they state that it never arrived.  granted, they admit that the address you send to is actually the bank where they pull funds and cash, then forward on.  on the phone and in the letter they state that they show I applied for a passport 12/97.  applied for not actually received.  so the gal on the phone tells me that according to her system she cant tell me if I ever actually had a passport.  so I tell her "sorry, I dont mean to be upset with you, but are you telling me that having been to South America twice, Central America twice, the British Virgin Islands and Mexico I dont know how many times, that these countries let me in/out with nothing?"  she's silent.  so I confirm "you cant tell me if I actually had a valid passport", to which she replies "no sir, not in my system, just your application in 1997".

so she tells me that not only had this never happened to her before, that basic bottom line is this: fill out a lost passport application (why?  apparently I never had one) and go thru the whole process again from an 'acceptance station' or whatever (aka make an appt at the post office and waste a ton of my time).  all because they lost my expired passport.

grant, I'm well aware that an expired passport is mostly useless.  since its expired.  BUT, a passport is about the most personal thing you can freakin have, aside of your social security card.  moreso since its a photo ID.  and now mine's gone.  also, and this is trivial to a degree, I wanted my expired back because of all the stampings in it to go with my photo albums.

so the issue is this:
am I making too big of a deal of this, or should I make a bigger one?

I'd make a big deal of it, just me personally.

It's the government, they love to fuck stuff up, it's their job.

So will throwing a tantrum to the goverment get your missing old passport back???

Quoted: So will throwing a tantrum to the goverment get your missing old passport back???

Probably not, but it'd make me feel better.

Quoted: So will throwing a tantrum to the goverment get your missing old passport back???

Shoot, a good tantrum always makes me feel better!  

Quoted: Quoted: So will throwing a tantrum to the goverment get your missing old passport back??? Shoot, a good tantrum always makes me feel better!

Yep, me too.


Also will add my wifes passport papers were turned in on a Saturday. Got her passport a little over a week later. Mine (according to the online status check) will be back within 2 weeks of mailing.

You forgot to tell us if they cashed the fucking check.  Usually they lose the stuff after they cash the check.  It's part of the bureaucrat code.

Quoted: You forgot to tell us if they cashed the fucking check.  Usually they lose the stuff after they cash the check.  It's part of the bureaucrat code.

I kinda thought that went without saying

they cashed the check and advised that the $75 has been retained, yet I still (now) owe another $25 since I'm not doing a renewal
bastards.



no, throwing a tantrum probably wouldnt get my passport back.  but seems to me its a pretty good example of how shit's run.

ridiculous

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: You forgot to tell us if they cashed the fucking check.  Usually they lose the stuff after they cash the check.  It's part of the bureaucrat code. I kinda thought that went without saying they cashed the check and advised that the $75 has been retained, yet I still (now) owe another $25 since I'm not doing a renewal bastards. no, throwing a tantrum probably wouldnt get my passport back.  but seems to me its a pretty good example of how shit's run. ridiculous  It would be nice if you have a photocopy of your passport, that would help in this situation.  I usually copy several copies of my passport.  Couple copies to leave at home, and couple copies with the original when travel.

Thats good. You never know when you could lose one swimming across the river.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: You forgot to tell us if they cashed the fucking check.  Usually they lose the stuff after they cash the check.  It's part of the bureaucrat code. I kinda thought that went without saying they cashed the check and advised that the $75 has been retained, yet I still (now) owe another $25 since I'm not doing a renewal bastards. no, throwing a tantrum probably wouldnt get my passport back.  but seems to me its a pretty good example of how shit's run. ridiculous  It would be nice if you have a photocopy of your passport, that would help in this situation.  I usually copy several copies of my passport.  Couple copies to leave at home, and couple copies with the original when travel. Thats good. You never know when you could lose one swimming across the river.

Hey, it happens.....


TXL

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: You forgot to tell us if they cashed the fucking check.  Usually they lose the stuff after they cash the check.  It's part of the bureaucrat code. I kinda thought that went without saying they cashed the check and advised that the $75 has been retained, yet I still (now) owe another $25 since I'm not doing a renewal bastards. no, throwing a tantrum probably wouldnt get my passport back.  but seems to me its a pretty good example of how shit's run. ridiculous  It would be nice if you have a photocopy of your passport, that would help in this situation.  I usually copy several copies of my passport.  Couple copies to leave at home, and couple copies with the original when travel.

you're right.

I thought I had one with a copy of my immunization records, but couldnt find it.
I'm typically pretty good about having backups, but apparently I've lost my backups in the several moves since my passport was issued.

then again, I've been to some of the most remote jungles in South America fishing on several occassions; multiple plane changes, puddle jumpers, vehicle/boat transports, gear handlers, customs inspections, military inspections, mercenary inspections etc etc and I never seemed to have a problem keeping up with it....