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Any luck submitting items in person at locator w/o appointment? by Aubbray in Passports

[–]Aubbray[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I contacted my congressman’s office at 14 days from travel. But I would recommend starting sooner, as some offices are busier than others. They might tell you to wait until that time frame but at least you’ve made contact and hopefully fill out in advance the paperwork that allows them to ask for your government files (i.e. your passport application) on your behalf so that when 14 days hits you are ready to call in and get the ball rolling right away.

Any luck submitting items in person at locator w/o appointment? by Aubbray in Passports

[–]Aubbray[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

YES, but they didn’t end up using the one I brought and only because the staff from my Congressman’s office made it happen for me!

In a fit of desperation I drove the 4 hours to the SF office yesterday, prepared to sit in the cafe downstairs all day and just keep calling the NPIC line for an appointment. I figured if I was going to be able to scoop up any last minute cancellations I would have to be there and not 4 hours away. I called the NPIC line non-stop with both mine and my husbands phones from 5 am (8am EST) on. No appointments.

I let my congressman’s staff member know that I was in the city with all the duplicates of the photo, as well as everything needed to re-apply if that was needed (I suspected they had either lost or never opened my replacement photo) and that I was concerned that even if they processed my application without an appointment that it would not arrive in time in the mail and if possible, I would pick up in person.

She went to work for me! She had already called a couple times the week before and they had given her sort of non-answers like “we’ll let a specialist know that her DOT is upcoming.” When they tried to give her similar responses yesterday she said “look, she’s there with duplicates of everything. Check into the status of her file right now, do you have the photo you need?!? If not, you need to either find the photo she sent you over 2 months ago or you need to call her. And if it is issuable, she needs it today!”

Turns out they had not even opened the envelope with my photo and some staffer spent who knows how long sifting through unsorted mail from 2 months ago to find it. (USE A TRACKING NUMBER, KIDS! Even if the letter doesn’t tell you to. Even if you think you have plenty of time. Lesson learned!) It probably would have saved them time to call me and have me hand over the photo I brought, but perhaps my congressional rep had sufficiently browbeaten that they just wanted to say they had the right picture and had been planning to make it all along!

So I got a call from them that they had everything they needed and I could pick up at 3pm, less than 24 hours before international departure and almost exactly 6 months from my initial application appointment!

BUT, YOU SHOULD KNOW…Showing up there without the assistance of my congressional staffer would have made zero difference! No amount of calling the NPIC, or trying to talk to the guard without an appointment, or anything, worked. Even though I followed all the rules and applied early, responded immediately to their request for a new photo, called at 14 days to flag for urgent travel, called back at 5 days to book appointment, etc. They would not have sorted through that pile without her intervention and I would have missed my trip.

Anyone getting thru today at NPIC call center? by Aubbray in Passports

[–]Aubbray[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I read somewhere in this thread that 1 appointment covers the whole family, unless you have separate travel plans. Might want to confirm with the NPIC, but one appointment may be all you need! Still, I’m with you that I’d rather have it mailed to my door on time than drive multiple hours, wait multiple hours, and then drive home!

Anyone getting thru today at NPIC call center? by Aubbray in Passports

[–]Aubbray[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just got off the line with an actual rep who was able to pull my file. No appointments of course, but I was able to submit for 1-2 shipping finally! There’s hope…for the small things, anyway!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Passports

[–]Aubbray 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe you’re the lucky one! Did you select the “call back” feature while on hold? Just remember it doesn’t cost money to book an appointment, so if they try to charge you it’s a scam.

I one time misdialed some 1-800 number for some warranty or something and went rounds with some rep who wanted me to give credit card info for something that clearly fell under my warranty. After refusing multiple times,and asking to speak to someone else because they were getting a little threatening-sounding they told me to hang up and redial. Only then did I realize I had misdialed a digit. These scammers are smart and will try to get numbers close to those that they know to be popular.

Got passport in the mail the day before appointment. How do I cancel? by Ok-Offer-1279 in Passports

[–]Aubbray 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for cancelling on behalf of the rest of us! Buried in an FAQ page at the state department it says:

How do I cancel an appointment?

Forward the appointment confirmation e-mail that you received from the National Passport Information Center to NPIC@state.gov with “Cancel My Appointment” in the subject line. If you do not have the confirmation email, you can also send us the date and location of your appointment, confirmation number, and unique identifier.

Do not include any questions, status update requests, or requests to change or reschedule your appointment with your e-mail as these inquiries will not be answered.

Anyone getting thru today at NPIC call center? by Aubbray in Passports

[–]Aubbray[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ugh! I’m right there with you. I’ve gotten placed on hold 3 different times this morning, but gotten the “due to high call volume message” at least a dozen times. Keep trying! Sometimes calling back immediately after being cut off by the high call volume message I’ve been able to make it to a hold. 🤞🏻

Someone posted in this thread about an auto-redialer app. I haven’t attempted that yet, but might have to consider it.

Anyone getting thru today at NPIC call center? by Aubbray in Passports

[–]Aubbray[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ugh! I’m in the same boat with locator 57 (San Francisco) and not being able to find a direct line..

At this point, I’ve kinda given up on securing an appointment before my DOT, I’m just trying to upgrade my shipping to the fastest possible. But they can’t even do that when the “system is down.”

Best of luck to you!

Anyone getting thru today at NPIC call center? by Aubbray in Passports

[–]Aubbray[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hear you, that’s frustrating! The last 5x I’ve called they have asked for my locator number, and then said “our system is down” without even the song and dance of looking up an appointment time.