Meant to be headed to majorca next Saturday (7th may). First family holiday in six years, so obviously the kids needed passports (one renewal, one "first").
I appreciate the service is overwhelmed but we thought we'd given plenty of time at 10 weeks. Daughters arrived in a fortnight, sons still isn't back.
After a frantic call to the passport office (and a full day of re-dials, re-dials, on hold, re-dials) we finally got through to someone who happily told us the application hadn't been processed as they have LOST his birth certificate!
First they wanted to blame us for not sending it, but luckily for us the two kids documents all went together, and my daughters went through no problem.

Twice since friday we have been promised an emergency call-back. Twice is hasn't materialised.
I'm now faced with losing the holiday - its way too late to cancel or reschedule..., it took us the best part of a year to pay it off. I've no idea what to do at this point but if I'm not on a plane next Friday the consequences will be absolutely shocking, I'm not in my right mind this week, quite honestly I've not slept since Sunday.