Thai Embassy London Beware.

[RabC]

Easiest to describe the events by dates

4/4/14 Passport, paperwork, photos and postal order dispatched by tracked and recorded delivery to the Visa section.

7/4/14 package received and signed for at Embassy.

11/4/14 phone call from the Embassy to say no passport in the package. Say it's my fault as the envelope wasn't too good. I asked why they had signed for it if it was open, to be told they have no idea if it was open or not.... Icing on the cake was to tell me that 2 other passports signed for on Monday are also missing.

Please be very very careful if you are using the London Embassy Postal Visa Service.

[Jangot]

Call me paranoid - but I always use a heavy grade envelope and celotape the flap whan sending my passport. If no heavy grade envelope available, I celotape all the seams and around the middle. I don't trust envelope glue

[Suradit69]

Please be very very careful if you are using the London Embassy Postal Visa Service.

In what way could you be "very very careful?" Unless you accompanied the packet on its journey, what possible control could you have over the outcome by exercising greater care ... or are you saying you shoved it in a flimsy envelope with dubious adhesive on the flaps and that you advise others not to do that?

It seems the only thing one could do is to use a more reliable delivery service. Does something named the "London Embassy Postal Visa Service" exist or is this your name for sending something by registered mail with the dodgy Royal Mail Group Ltd. to the Thai Embassy?

[thepool]

Had the package been secure and sent via 1st class "signed for" mail or recorded delivery it is very unlikely anything would go amiss.

If the package was damaged the Embassy should have refused delivery.

[RabC]

Please be very very careful if you are using the London Embassy Postal Visa Service.

In what way could you be "very very careful?" Unless you accompanied the packet on its journey, what possible control could you have over the outcome by exercising greater care ... or are you saying you shoved it in a flimsy envelope with dubious adhesive on the flaps and that you advise others not to do that?

It seems the only thing one could do is to use a more reliable delivery service. Does something named the "London Embassy Postal Visa Service" exist or is this your name for sending something by registered mail with the dodgy Royal Mail Group Ltd. to the Thai Embassy?

What a surprise to see that you are an arm chair expert......

The passport along with supporting documentation was in a sealed envelope and posted via The Royal Mail, fully tracked, insured and signed for service. The embassy now claim the envelope may have been open when they received it, so why did they sign for it?

People should be aware that in 1 day 1 confirmed and possibly two other passports went missing be it with Royal Mail or the Thai Embassy. My advice is if possible attend the Embassy in person.

[RabC]

Had the package been secure and sent via 1st class "signed for" mail or recorded delivery it is very unlikely anything would go amiss.

If the package was damaged the Embassy should have refused delivery.

See my post above, sadly I agree that is what should have happened but it didn't hence my warning.

[SantiSuk]

Please be very very careful if you are using the London Embassy Postal Visa Service.

In what way could you be "very very careful?" Unless you accompanied the packet on its journey, what possible control could you have over the outcome by exercising greater care ... or are you saying you shoved it in a flimsy envelope with dubious adhesive on the flaps and that you advise others not to do that?

It seems the only thing one could do is to use a more reliable delivery service. Does something named the "London Embassy Postal Visa Service" exist or is this your name for sending something by registered mail with the dodgy Royal Mail Group Ltd. to the Thai Embassy?

Where's the icon for unnecessarily aggressive and irritating response when you need it.

[jvs]

Places like embassies receive a lot of mail and they do not inspect every thing before signing for receiving it.

They probably sign one time for a whole bag full of mail and proceed from there.

[thepool]

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Places like embassies receive a lot of mail and they do not inspect every thing before signing for receiving it.

They probably sign one time for a whole bag full of mail and proceed from there.

My understanding is that each package sent "signed for" or "registered" has to be individually accepted in order to maintain/complete the audit trail.

[gerry123]

sorry i am a little confused about this you wished to renew your uk passport and you sent it to the passport renew office in bkk?

cant quite work out how the thai embassy gets involved with this i presume that your passport and the others you mentioned were misplaced by the thai postal service? that should make some warning bells ring considering the recent news of passport theft and misuse ?

still confused only me??

[ubonjoe]

sorry i am a little confused about this you wished to renew your uk passport and you sent it to the passport renew office in bkk?

cant quite work out how the thai embassy gets involved with this i presume that your passport and the others you mentioned were misplaced by the thai postal service? that should make some warning bells ring considering the recent news of passport theft and misuse ?

still confused only me??

You need to go back reread everything.

He sent his passport along with an application for a Thai visa to the Thai embassy in London.

[rak sa_ngop]

The advice from Hull was (in the old days) always to send passports by Royal Mail Special Delivery. The letter containing the passport was then placed in an individual sealed plastic pouch, and delivered usually next day. No chance of anything 'falling out' on the way.

Sounds like you sent yours by Recorded Delivery, which I believe just means that they put a sticker on your letter and track it.

So the lesson to be learned here is to always fork out for Special Delivery when sending important documents

[WorriedNoodle]

Why would you send a passport in the post. Shouldn't you always use courier like DHL in a sealed courier envelope?

[meatboy]

so the incompetence still goes on at the thai embassy,back in 1996 the wife had to renew her passport,she sent every thing that was needed and this was confirmed by a phone call to them.she got her new passport ok.but with somebody else's photo in it.they refused to except it was their fault and wanted the fee again,that was until we got in touch with the consulate in Cardiff.

even when the wife phoned London they wouldn't believe her.

[sub101uk]

Sounds all very strange to me ? But I wonder what Thai Visa you were applying for as I know when I applied for a OA Long Stay they would not do a service by post you had to take all your paper work down to the embassy in London , So thats 2 trips to London at £54 a trip .

Its a pity that Hull no longer deals with O or OA visas any more its all sent down to London as it was a far better service.

So good luck with the paper chase .

Sub101uk

[RabC]

To answer a few questions.

1. What visa I was applying for doesn't matter, point of fact the Thai Embassy now accepts postal applications.

2. The days of the nice little grey pouch for Special Delivery seem to have gone, mine was sent special delivery so was tracked all he way, signed for and insured, all you get now is a tracking label and computer printed stamp to stick on your own envelope.

[poohy]

My money is on that in all possibilities a British passport will be up for sale from the back door of the Thai Embassy! Or....... they will find it tucked in the back of Somchai"s draw in about 3 years time