So the here’s the first (and hopefully only necessary) update to https://cobbsdoeurope.com/2018/07/09/passport-misadventures-continue-for-the-cobbs/

Basically when I left the office following my epic, rightfully-deserved, meltdown, the employees followed me out and forced me to name my date and time that I would come back in to “fix” this (though the guy who made the error told me he would fit me in “any time”). I was still in no state to make a plan, but I told them I would be back Monday (after pay day 😂). But, obviously this was a stupid plan. I live 20 min from another country – I can’t be without a passport for any longer than necessary. Justin obviously agreed with us this and wanted to rectify this pretty much immediately. So we went back first thing the next morning.

“Ma’am when we asked you to decide when to come back, you said Monday”. You’re kidding, right? The woman in the office kept trying to calmly argue that they needed to know when because they don’t have enough staff. Guess who doesn’t care? THIS GIRL. I was getting a little argumentative, but Justin was trying to remain calm. This is the woman who couldn’t “find” (refused to look) for the kids’ passports last week while her colleague was on vacation (back to this in a minute). She also proceeds to ask me if I have everything I need to file for a new passport, including the paperwork.

So when they said “we’ll take care of everything for you”, they meant, they’ll send me away 3 times and continue to give me false information. First, she told me I have to bring in the form MYSELF, that she isn’t able to print it. Though after I brought in the filled out version from home on my second visit of the day and I had accidentally printed two pages per sheet (WHY DIDNT I SEE THAT AT HOME – QA, Libby!!!), she was magically able to print the form from me. Interesting.

Then they told me I couldn’t use the passport picture I brought (this was actually true) because it was more than 6 months old, and since it was the same as the one from the passport, they would know. Great, gotta go to the In-processing building for pictures. As we decide this, she’s still basically trying to shove me back out the door.

Justin, not ok with any of this whole process, proceeds to ask her about the passports from last week. He asks her if they were, in fact, in the building while she refused to look. We knew they were there because he called the Embassy, called the US Embassy mailroom, the US post office in Brussels and then visited our local post office, all of who confirmed they were there. She said they were there but he “didn’t know who they belonged to, so he put them in a different file”. Strange, they have our last name on them. Even if they didn’t happen to be the parents’ last names, wouldn’t it be safe to file them accordingly? Wouldn’t we still ask BY NAME? Anyway, so Justin starts into his best “disappointed dad” talk, which is better than anything I would’ve said. I hear part before I go get my pictures.

He asks her calmly (again, thankfully he’s not me), why she refused to even look last week? Why she acted so put out by his request? He asked if she worked for the Army and if she was a GS. Yes to both. So he asked “so you’re here to work for the army as a service, right?” Yes.

I left, but he said he continued with the “disappointed dad” talk. He told her that, in general, it’s very disappointing and frustrating to do anything with the GSs here (and anywhere really), since they constantly act like you’re interrupting them and that you’re putting them out to actually do their jobs. Then he continued with – “you’re here to help the military members, the members that have done multiple deployments, have missed births and birthdays and anniversaries, etc,” but that they really just make it so much more difficult.

These are privileged orders over here – for us and for her. She gets compensated similarly for cost of living and housing, yet they don’t want to actually work. It often feels like you just need to know someone that has made a mistake somewhere to find out the true way to do something, rather than relying on the people who SHOULD be helpful. (In case anyone here is wondering, I’m the mistake…DONT DO THIS!!!). He said she seemed emotional when he left.

So meanwhile, I get my pictures and with the information will be back at 1 pm (it’s currently like 8:30) just like I told them.

I go home, do all the research myself on which form, etc. Print everything necessary (except that the actual form I need was printed 2 pages per sheet! Doh! It’s definitely a comedy of errors). Go back at 1. Wait for the passport guy, the one who made the error, to finish whatever he was doing, to help me. As we realize my printer error, they’re magically able to print me another copy, but try to tell me I filled out the wrong form. I really don’t believe them, so I insist on filling both out (wait for it…they’re BOTH wrong, but I don’t find that out yet). Apparently he has no way of getting ahold of anyone to verify the form outside of emailing. Ugh.

Both forms are filled out with the idea that once he knows which one, he’ll send that one (I can never be sure what really happened). I also included a letter (as directed by the “damaged passport” form explaining what happened. Who knows if he included that either since it’s pretty damning of him.

Now I need to pay. Guess what? ITS MONEY ORDER ONLY. MONEY ORDER??????? Don’t you think this was pertinent information this morning???? Why did that not come up a SINGLE TIME?

Thankfully the US Post office on base does that. Pack up all 4 kids again and go back to the post office, then back to the office. From there, he was supposed to take care of it. I asked how I will know anything or if anyone will contact me. His answer is “no, you’ll just be alerted when it comes in”.

So I’m still sitting here stewing on it, unsure what actually was sent and feeling uncomfortable. So I call the Embassy (why didn’t I do this in the first place??? That’s right, their hours are 8 am-10 am, though I really should’ve made it happen yesterday).

Talking to passport services, I’m about 3 minutes into my ridiculous monologue, when she asks if she can pause me for a second. She wanted to transfer me to her supervisor because they’ve had so many complaints about this guy!!!! I didn’t say his name, but she did! She knew!

She assumed I was calling to file a complaint, which I was sort of, but I also wanted to figure out the status and if what he sent was correct. So she transferred me. Apparently multiple people were already aware of the situation, so he must’ve actually emailed (there’s one positive for him).

First thing when I talk to consulate is that BOTH forms were wrong. Within 3 seconds, he confirmed which form I needed and was very clear that this was a no-fee situation since it was marked by error. I do not need a “new” passport, I need a replacement. I do NOT need to appear before a consulate or an official passport person, I just need to send in the form with the picture. Gee, how much easier would that have been if the guy had known that? I could’ve spared them lots of yelling and my blood wouldn’t still be boiling 4 days later.

The consulate was also sympathetic and expressed the same concerns I have – that living so close to another country’s border, it is impractical to be without a passport. Thank you for understanding, Mr Consulate, since the people here don’t think that’s a concern.

He confirmed they do not have my paperwork yet, but that I should mail the CORRECT form today and they will contact me when all the paperwork is together.

Please pray with me that this is the final step and it is actually smooth sailing from here…and that I get my $110 money order back and can figure out how to cash it.