Pushing Against Your Boundaries

(I am hurriedly trying to get a passport application in for my baby as I urgently need to visit my mother overseas. I have gotten his photo taken — which is a silly process in itself — gotten the certified documentation, and had a guarantor sign the photo and paperwork — a guarantor must be an adult that has known you for 12 months, not be related to you, have an Australian passport themselves, and not live at your address; usually people use a family friend or colleague. After waiting in a long line — despite having made an “appointment time” — with a cranky baby and toddler, I finally get to the teller. The teller starts looking at everything and gets to the photo.)

Teller: “This doesn’t make the requirements needed for the passport. You’re going to have to get another one taken.”

(She goes to hand everything back to me and starts to beckon to the next person in line.)

Me: “What?” *almost in instant tears* “What’s wrong with it?”

Teller: “The boundaries are wrong. Where did you have it taken?”

Me: “Um, here.”

Teller: “Oh, well. Sorry.” *doesn’t look remotely sorry* “Well, you can get another one done. And just get your guarantor to sign it, now, and I can still send it in today.”

Me: “Uh, funnily enough, she’s not here in the shopping centre right now; she’s at work. I’m on maternity leave. Pretty much everyone I can use as a guarantor is at work right now.”

Teller: “Well, you’ll have to just come back another day, then, once you’ve got it signed.”

Me: “I wouldn’t if you guys had just done the photo correctly in the first place. Fine. Let’s just do another photo and I’ll have to come back another day.”

(We did another photo which she tried to charge me for. Um, no. I got a new form and got everything filled out and signed by a guarantor and sorted out a few days later. I literally cannot see any difference in the boundaries of the first and second photo. Grr…)