Why do applications take so long to process?

[Peter_256]

We have been waiting for 3 months for our passports to be returned from the Home Office.
They took the £851 payment very efficiently, but the only thing we have received back is a letter with the applicant's name spelt wrong!

After this they did not respond to our letter, fax or email pointing out their mistake. I am waiting on the phone to speak to someone about this...

Why is the level of customer service so poor?
If a private company treated customers like this, at those high prices, they would not survive!
What are they doing with our passports for so many months?
What are they spending my £851 on?

Grrrrr, frustrating!!

[Peter_256]

I just got through to the "return your documents" department, and it was such an infuriating experience!!

They said returning my documents would probably cause a delay to my application. Obviously I am not going to risk that if I can avoid it.

I asked them so many questions, like WHY will it cause a delay to my application if they have already had three months to look at them. The answer was always "Sorry we are not trained to answer that".

Aaarrrrggghhhh!!!!

[Peter_256]

Our passports were returned in the pre-paid envelope today, about three months after we'd sent them. What a relief!

In future I would recommend people to look into taking their passport to the Post Office, apparently they have a service where they can look at your passport there, check it and give it back to you, then send on the visa application form on your behalf. You get to keep your passport! I wish we had known about this before sending ours away.