CGI Birmingham - Excellent Service

shere · Mar 8th, 2008, 16:05

The CGI in Birmingham appear to have got their act together. There are quite a few new staff and they appear to be working better than ever.

I took an Indian passport for renewal last week. They told me to come back on 7th March. I was not very confident that they could provide a new passport in a week as last year they were taking upto 2 months to issue a new passport. I wen along yesterday and after 20 minutes was handed a new Indian passport. Thats even better than the turnaround for a British passport.

However their was a mega queue for Visa's.

natureschild · Mar 11th, 2008, 15:43

It really is a lottery.
My first two experiences with them were brilliant, but when I went there last year, the lady at the counter had a look at my form and asked me where Basingstoke is (where I live), I gave her some directions which she didn't understand. She then asked me if it was closer to London, than Birmingham. Which it probably is, if you consider just the distance but if you consider driving time then getting to central London during the rush hour would probably take an hour more then driving to Birmingham.
And when I said yes it is closer to London, to my absolute shock she handed me back my form and told me to go to HCI London, as Basingstoke (which she didn't know 2 minutes ago) is serviced by London and not Birmingham. No amount of convincing would work for her.
So I went to the superviser who couldn't hide his amazement either and asked me to confirm it thrice!! He then proceeded to handle my case himself.
You win some, you loose some....

Nick-H · Mar 11th, 2008, 16:27

Amazing that she didn't know, astonishing that it's quicker to get to Birmingham!

No, its not amazing I suppose: I doubt that I'd heard of Basingstoke when I was doing my growing up 25 miles from Birmingham.

natureschild · Mar 11th, 2008, 17:07

It's not her knowledge of the local geography but the vagueness of her excuse that surprised me. I thought this was only used by Indian police stations not to register a crime in their area.
In a different country thousands of miles from Delhi, how does it matter if Basingstoke is a few miles closer London?
Luckily her supervisor didn't share her service friendly views.

And yes contrary to what the AA might say, it is quicker to get to Birmingham than driving to central London during the morning rush hour.
BTW drove/ tubed to London yesterday in the storm, what joy!

Nick-H · Mar 11th, 2008, 18:31

Ah, storms, yes, I saw the BBC site last night; I'd better look again today.

Hey! Two Brits, five thousand miles apart, and what do we end up talking about? The weather!

Mar 8th, 2008, 16:05	#1
shere Maha Guru Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: England Posts: 1,100	CGI Birmingham - Excellent Service The CGI in Birmingham appear to have got their act together. There are quite a few new staff and they appear to be working better than ever. I took an Indian passport for renewal last week. They told me to come back on 7th March. I was not very confident that they could provide a new passport in a week as last year they were taking upto 2 months to issue a new passport. I wen along yesterday and after 20 minutes was handed a new Indian passport. Thats even better than the turnaround for a British passport. However their was a mega queue for Visa's.

Mar 11th, 2008, 16:27	#3
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,648	Amazing that she didn't know, astonishing that it's quicker to get to Birmingham! No, its not amazing I suppose: I doubt that I'd heard of Basingstoke when I was doing my growing up 25 miles from Birmingham. __________________ . Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

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Mar 11th, 2008, 15:43	#2
natureschild Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Posts: 15	It really is a lottery. My first two experiences with them were brilliant, but when I went there last year, the lady at the counter had a look at my form and asked me where Basingstoke is (where I live), I gave her some directions which she didn't understand. She then asked me if it was closer to London, than Birmingham. Which it probably is, if you consider just the distance but if you consider driving time then getting to central London during the rush hour would probably take an hour more then driving to Birmingham. And when I said yes it is closer to London, to my absolute shock she handed me back my form and told me to go to HCI London, as Basingstoke (which she didn't know 2 minutes ago) is serviced by London and not Birmingham. No amount of convincing would work for her. So I went to the superviser who couldn't hide his amazement either and asked me to confirm it thrice!! He then proceeded to handle my case himself. You win some, you loose some....

Mar 11th, 2008, 17:07	#4
natureschild Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Posts: 15	It's not her knowledge of the local geography but the vagueness of her excuse that surprised me. I thought this was only used by Indian police stations not to register a crime in their area. In a different country thousands of miles from Delhi, how does it matter if Basingstoke is a few miles closer London? Luckily her supervisor didn't share her service friendly views. And yes contrary to what the AA might say, it is quicker to get to Birmingham than driving to central London during the morning rush hour. BTW drove/ tubed to London yesterday in the storm, what joy!

Mar 11th, 2008, 18:31	#5
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,648	Ah, storms, yes, I saw the BBC site last night; I'd better look again today. Hey! Two Brits, five thousand miles apart, and what do we end up talking about? The weather!

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