I just renewed my TWIC for the 5 year term. It took from April 2nd til the 18th. It was a good experience and fast. I made an appointment online a month a-head of time and went in for 20 min for the renewal and 10 min to pick it up and activate it. How is it going for the rest of the mariner community?
I did mine in JAX. It had expired so it was a full-on redo. Initial visit was CAKE; in and out in less than an hour. 14 days-ish later, email indicating card is ready. TRY to make an appointment online UNSUCCESSFULLY because ALL spots are taken? Call - get an appointment for 30 days later. Place is a FUCKING ZOO, filled with NON-appt personnel. Appointment was ONLY reason I got out of there in something of timely fashion.
ONE GUY working the computer
I did the EER it waiting on the phone for an hour and 45 minutes until someone picked up. He asked a few questions and I gave him my CC number and he said when it gets to my TWIC office I will get an e-mail and I should make an appointment. I did make an appointment that was several weeks ahead because all of the other times were taken but I decided to just walk the day after I got off my boat. 30 minutes later I walked out and now I have my worthless TWIC card and can work in my chosen profession for 3 more years.
Gave up on the “help line” after hours on hold. Made appointment in Albany and was in and out in 15 minutes. Nice helpful people.
Just redid mine at ECO. Went in one day while taking a class, went to the boat with my piece of paper saying I applied for a new TWIC card. Got an e-mail letting me know it was ready for pickup. Went home for a couple of days then went to ECDIS class the following week and I picked it up and came back to the boat. Don’t think it could have been any easier.
The help line sucks, I just walked in and was first in line to do the 5 year, took 1 hour, then in 2 weeks got my notice walked in again 45 min in and out. You’ll want to get there early otherwise pack a lunch. This was in Portland ORE.
5 year renewal. Enrolled on the web a few days ago. Walked in this morning to the Mobile, AL branch with no appointment at 1000 and was out at 1045. It should be ready to pick up in a week and a half.
I just renewed mine for 5 years (tried calling about the 3 year renewal but could never reach a living person on the other end) and the whole process start to finish took me about two weeks on the dot. Not bad at all.
I renewed my TWIC at the Philadelphia facility without much incident. A few weeks ago I tried making an appointment online without success, so I decided to just show up. It took about three hours and a week later I received the email stating it was ready to be picked up. I went back to their office today and I was in and out in about thirty minutes. It was relatively painless besides the exaggerated cost.
[QUOTE=tillettso;107139]I renewed my TWIC at the Philadelphia facility without much incident. A few weeks ago I tried making an appointment online without success, so I decided to just show up. It took about three hours and a week later I received the email stating it was ready to be picked up. I went back to their office today and I was in and out in about thirty minutes. It was relatively painless besides the exaggerated cost.[/QUOTE]
For both my renewal application and pickup scheduling, there were no open dates all the way through the summertime on their site (are they for real?), so I just showed up both times and it ended up working out fine. I can’t help but feel the process will be just as funky when I renew it again in 2018.
I enrolled and went in an renewed my TWIC no problem in San Fran. However picking it up activating it is a whole other ball game. Card arrived in Dec and I’ve gone in 12 times since during off hitches. Everything I’ve sat around a few hours the totally incompetent monkey they have in there finger bangs the computer and tells me the system down.
I’m sure glad fourchon is nice and lax. My card expired back in jan. hopefully I’ll get the new one in time to renew it.
[QUOTE=SeaScoundrel;107156]I enrolled and went in an renewed my TWIC no problem in San Fran. However picking it up activating it is a whole other ball game. Card arrived in Dec and I’ve gone in 12 times since during off hitches. Everything I’ve sat around a few hours the totally incompetent monkey they have in there finger bangs the computer and tells me the system down.
I’m sure glad fourchon is nice and lax. My card expired back in jan. hopefully I’ll get the new one in time to renew it.[/QUOTE]
You must not deal with that Nazi lady at the all ports gate in Fourchon at night. She makes me drag my TWIC out of satchel every time. She was probably beat up a lot as a kid.
I just had my TWIC used in a scanner for the first time ever this week. Went to The Port of Panama City to get a badge and of course was asked for the damn thing. So once the lady takes a picture for the port ID badge she has to “marry” the two cards together so if need be I can be an escort for a non TWIC holder. The scanner she uses is the official govt issued portable scanner. It kinda looks like the bar code scanner they use in the grocery store. Come to find out that port is one of the few in the trial program for the scanners. So she inserts my card and it won’t read it. She says “it appears your card isn’t any good”. So of course a little panic sets in, then I think half of them probably don’t work we just don’t know because they’re never scanned. Then she says well the scanner does this sometimes let me reboot it. After 30 minutes and 4 reboots it finally read my card. It works over wifi to access the database and it has to reboot several times to read a card way to go Lockheed. So what happens on a typical Wednesday when half the boats in town are crew changing and the Internet goes down at CPort 1? What happens when the scanner has to be rebooted every third swipe at HOSPort? Are we just gonna have lines of 18 wheelers and carryalls up and down the already congested roads? We all know they’re a boondoggle now I have first hand knowledge of how screwed up they are.
They were issued to make us feel much safer. “Another fee for the privilege to go to sea”
Just renewed in TX City. Was smooth and fast, no appointment needed. That place was empty both times.
[QUOTE=“TXIMR;107274”]Just renewed in TX City. Was smooth and fast, no appointment needed. That place was empty both times.[/QUOTE]
Walked in to Honolulu office today - no appointment, and I was finished in less than 10 minutes, couldn’t believe it.